Sage

Properties
analgesic, antibacterial, anticancer, antifungal, antioxidant, aromatic, astringent, anti fungal, anti microbial, anti oxidant, anti septic, anti inflammatory, anti spasmodic, anti bacterial, cholagogue and choleretic, cicatrisant, depurative, digestive, disinfectant, depurative, emmenagogue, nervine, expectorant, febrifuge, laxative and stimulant.

Every country’s herbals recommended sage: an Icelandic book from the year 1000, Hildegard of Bingen, Chinese physicians, Ayurvedic physicians and John Gerard and Nicholas Culpeper.

For women
Sage is a well-regarded herb for women and can be especially helpful for relieving the hot flushes of menopause, and slowing heavy menstrual bleeding. Sage is also a good herbal tea for drying up breast milk for weaning.

Contraindications
drying up breast milk

Allergies
Although there is not a measurable amount of oxalates or purines, nor is sage considered a typically allergenic herb, it is still in the mint family, so those who suffer from allergic reactions to members of that broad plant family should still consult a doctor before adding sage to your dietary or supplementation regimen.

The culinary arts of Thanksgiving began with the early American colonists, Sage is an excellent digestive herb when used for seasoning on meals of rich meats and fowl.

As food – In Britain, sage has for generations been listed as one of the essential herbs, along with parsley, rosemary and thyme (as in the folk song “Scarborough Fair”). It has a savoury, slightly peppery flavour. It appears in many European cuisines, notably Italian, Balkan and Middle Eastern cookery. In Italian cuisine, it is an essential condiment for Saltimbocca and other dishes, favoured with fish. In British and American cooking, it is traditionally served as sage and onion stuffing, an accompaniment to roast turkey or chicken at Christmas or Thanksgiving Day. Other dishes include pork casserole, Sage Derby cheese and Lincolnshire sausages. Despite the common use of traditional and available herbs in French cuisine, sage never found favour there.

As a tea – The French made a tea out of it however, that was so popular in China that a business began – in which one portion of sage was exchanged for 4 portions of tea. In the 17^th century it was the Dutch that transported the sage.

The Arabs, along with everyone from the Chinese to the Gypsies, believed that sage was the key to a long life. The Greek Theophrastus classified sage as a “coronary herbe”, because it flushed disease from the body, easing any undue strain on the heart. Early Greeks drank, applied or bathed in sage tea. Pliny prescribed it for snakebite, epilepsy, intestinal worms, chest ailments, and menstruation promotion. Dioscorides considered it a diuretic and menstruation promoter and recommended sage leaves as bandages for wounds. Sage, a sacred ceremonial herb of the Romans, was associated with immortality and said to increase mental capacity.

In the middle ages, people drank sage tea to treat colds, fevers, liver trouble, epilepsy, memory loss and many other common ailments.

Charlemagne ordered sage grown in the medicinal herb gardens on his imperial farms and the French called the herb toute bonne, meaning all’s well. During the fourteenth century, three leaves a day were to be eaten to avoid the ‘evil aire’. Sage was also a favourite of the Hungarian gypsies, they believed that it attracted good and dispelled evil. It was sometimes called S. salvatrix (sage the savior), and was one of the ingredients of , a blend of herbs which was supposed to ward off the plague.

Another recipe called for dried rosemary, dried sage flowers, dried lavender flowers, fresh rue,camphor dissolved in spirit, sliced garlic, bruised cloves, and distilled wine vinegar.

Modern day versions of four thieves vinegar include various herbs that typically include sage, lavender, thyme, and rosemary, along with garlic. Additional herbs sometimes include rue, mint, and wormwood. It has become traditional to use four herbs in the recipe—one for each thief, though earlier recipes often have a dozen herbs or more. It is still sold in Provence. In Italy a mixture called “seven thieves vinegar” is sold as a smelling salt, though its ingredients appear to be the same as in four thieves mixtures.

Salvia, is from the Latin salvare, to save, or to be well.

Common sage, garden sage, golden sage, kitchen sage, true sage, culinary sage, Dalmatian sage, and broadleaf sage. Cultivated forms include purple sage and red sage

The Mediterranean region, though it has naturalized in many places throughout the world.

Lamiaceae

Cultivars are quite variable in size, leaf and flower color, and foliage pattern, with many variegated leaf types. The Old World type grows to approximately 2 ft (0.61 m) tall and wide, with lavender flowers most common, though they can also be white, pink, or purple. The plant flowers in late spring or summer. The leaves are oblong, ranging in size up to 2.5 in (6.4 cm) long by 1 in (2.5 cm) wide. Leaves are grey-green, rugose on the upper side, and nearly white underneath due to the many short soft hairs. Modern cultivars include leaves with purple, rose, cream, and yellow in many variegated combinations.

The essential oil contains cineole, borneol, and thujone. Sage leaf contains tannic acid, oleic acid, ursonic acid, ursolic acid, carnosol, carnosic acid, fumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, niacin, nicotinamide, flavones, flavonoid glycosides, and estrogenic substances.

Salvia sclarea – Clary Sage, used mainly in aromatherapy

Salvia elegans Pineapple Sage or Tangerine Sage is one of the best tasting cultivars for teas and use in cooking. The bright red flowers bloom in the fall in my area of the Southern US, and form a beautiful contrast with the green leaves. The flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators to your garden. Golden Pineapple sage has lighter-yellow colored leaves. Pineapple sage is a traditional medicinal herb in Mexico where it blooms year round.

Salvia lavandulifolia – Spanish, or lavender sage is the species studied most in memory enhancement

Salvia divinorum – also known as Diviner’s Sage, Sage of the Seers, or simply by the genus name, Salvia, is known as the most psychoactive of the salvias.

Salvia hispanica – Chia seeds have been used as a medicinal food for centuries, but most Americans may know them best as the 1980’s phenom “Chia Pet” planters. The seeds of Salvia hispanica are very rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, and are the richest vegetable source of ALA. Today Chia is being aggressively marketed as an “Ancient Aztec Superfood” under the trademark Salba, and sold for up to $6o per pound. You can however, enjoy the many health benefits of organically grown chia seed for as little as $9 per pound through reputable health food suppliers.

Salvia miltiorrhiza – Danshen, Asian red sage