A Few Practical Uses For Sage                    

 

by: Mahella (T.M.), CNHC, Herbalist, Massage & Energy Therapist
January, 2012

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is Salvia, which means "savior." As a member of the mint family, it has many of the healing properties of its sisters. Of special note are the high levels of calcium and other bone-building minerals in all mints, including sage, and the exceptionally generous amounts of antioxidant vitamins they offer us. 

Everywhere sage grows -- from Japan to China, India, Russia, Europe and the Americas -- people have valued it highly and used it as a preservative seasoning for fatty foods and a medicine for a variety of ills. The volatile oils in sage are antimicrobial and antibacterial and capable of countering a variety of food-borne poisons, as well as other infections. Sage is also anti-inflammatory. You can find sage in many forms, teas, bundles, even essential oils; and it can be used topically as well as internally.

A tea of garden sage can help:

-prevent and eliminate head colds
-soothe and heal sore throats
-clear the sinuses
-speed up immune response to the flu
-ease asthma and heal the lungs
-aid digestion, especially of fats
-improve sleep and ease anxiety
-aid regularity
-invigorate the blood
-strengthen the ability to deal with stress
-counter periodontal disease and tighten the gums
-reduce profuse perspiration
-reduce breast milk
-help stimulate hair growth
-ward off parasites
-soothe certain kinds of headaches
-lowers blood sugar in diabetics

The easiest way to use sage as medicine is to make a tea of it. The addition of honey is sometimes wise, as honey is a powerful antibacterial in its own right and magnifies sage's ability to ward off colds, flu, and breathing problems. If you have dried sage, a heaping teaspoonful brewed in a cup of boiling water for no more than 5-10 minutes, with an added teaspoonful of honey, ought to produce a pleasant, aromatic tea. If it is bitter, the tea was brewed too long, or the sage was old or too-finely powdered, or you have the wrong sage. If you have fresh sage, use a handful of the leaves and stalks, brew for about five minutes, and add a spoonful of honey. Fresh sage tea is rarely bitter. The dose of the tea will depend on each individual and what you are using it for, but three cups a day is a typical recommendation for most.

Sacred Sage

Sage is also used for prayer, in the form of a "smudge stick". It is a sacred plant for many, especially in Native American culture. It is believed that the smoke carries our prayers up to the Creator, much like incense or the smoke of a candle does. However, sage does more than this too, it also cleanses all that it touches.

When we "smudge" a person or object with sage smoke, it's like a spiritual or "energetic" bath and we are able to cleanse the negative energy from them. Now to some this might sound like some superstition or silly cultural fancy, but it has been scientifically proven that the smoke of sage actually does bind to the positive ions in the air, neutralize them and help to carry them away, thus cleansing the air of the negativity that is held in place by the energy field. So when we bless and smudge things with this sacred plant we are not only ridding ourselves of the impurities that may be around us, but we are also welcoming the blessings and presence of the good energies and spirits.

 

Sage bundles or "smudge sticks" (for smudging) are available in many herb shops, metaphysical stores, Native American specialty shops and online. Traditionally, you are not supposed to buy and sell sacred plants, they are to be given freely, unfortunately you won't find many who abide by those traditions today. So if you can't find or grow your own sage to make into bundles, be prepared to spend anywhere from $4 to $10 for one.

Whatever you choose to use sage for, remember to use it with respect and gratitude and enjoy it's many blessings!