Sage (Salvia officinalis) Benefits, Uses and Side effects

What is sage?

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is also known as garden sage, meadow sage, and true sage. It is a member of the Lamiaceae, or mint, family.

Sage thrives in full sun and well-drained soils, growing wild in some areas. It is a hardy, evergreen shrub with a deep taproot and an erect root stalk that produces woody, square, slightly downy, branching stems that may reach a height of 4 feet (1.2 m).

This familiar garden perennial has long, light green leaf stalks that bear simple, opposite, lance- or oval shaped leaves. The strong and pliable leaves are veined, with a velvet-like, somewhat crinkled, texture and may grow to 2 in (5.1 cm) long in some varieties.

Leaf margins resemble a fine embroidery finish with rounded, minutely toothed edges. They are a gray green on the top, and lighter on the underside. The entire plant is strongly aromatic, with a familiar pungency. Fresh leaves are bitter to the taste.

General uses of sage

Sage is a celebrated herb long valued for its many uses in medicine, magic, and meal preparation.
Sage’s main constituents include:

volatile oil,
diterpene bitters,
thujone,
camphor,
tannins,
triterpenoids,
resin,
flavonoids,
estrogenic substances,
phenolic acids,
rosmarinic and caffeic acids,
saponins.

It acts as a

carminative,
antiperspirant,
antispasmodic,
astringent,
antiseptic, and
antibiotic.

Sage has been used as a general tonic. Sage has antioxidant properties that have recently been used by the food industry to improve the stability of oils that must be kept in storage for long periods of time.

Sage is also high in calcium. It provides:

potassium,
magnesium,
zinc as well as
vitamins C and B-complex.

Sage is calming to the central nervous system and may reduce anxiety. It can soothe spasms in smooth and skeletal muscles.

Sage is a bitter digestive stimulant and acts to relieve digestive problems.
The herb also contains estrogenic substances that help to regulate menstruation.

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Taken cold, the tea is astringent and diuretic, and will help to reduce night sweats in menopausal women and reduce milk flow in breast-feeding mothers.

Taken hot, a sage infusion acts as an expectorant and is good for common colds and flu.

A strong infusion of sage, used as a hair rinse, may darken hair color and help reduce hair loss.

The antibacterial properties in sage make it a useful mouthwash for gingivitis and an antiseptic sore throat gargle.

Crushed leaves may be applied to relieve insect bites. The powdered herb, added to toothpaste and powders, helps to whiten teeth.

How to Prepare sage for good healthcare

The leaf of sage is the medicinal part of the herb. Both the fresh and dried leaves may be used for medicinal or culinary purposes.

To make an infusion,

1 pint of nonchlorinated water that has just reached the boiling point is poured over 2–3 tsp of dried or fresh sage leaves in a glass container.

The mixture is covered and steeped for 10– 15 minutes. This liquid can be drunk warm or cold, up to 3 cups daily, or used as a gargle or hair rinse.

To make a sage compress,

A clean, cotton cloth is soaked in an infusion of sage leaves and then applied to wounds or sores to aid healing.

Specific health benefits of sage for our good healthcare

Don’t wait until Thanksgiving to get the sage out of the cupboard because cold and flu season starts in October and this herb can help.

Sage aids in preventing colds by simply using it in food, but if illness strikes, sage tea eases cold and flu symptoms. The tea is a nice winter drink that can be boosted with a special winter honey.

How to make Sage Winter Honey

Take 2 tablespoons of dried crumbled sage,
Take 2 tablespoons of dried crumbled thyme,
Take 2 tablespoons of dried crumbled rosemary,
Take 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic,
Take 1 cup honey

Pour the honey into a slightly larger jar and set it in a saucepan of water.
Warm over low heat until the honey becomes a little less viscous. Add the herbs and garlic and stir with a butter knife to distribute.

Continue warming for 15 to 20 minutes, then remove from heat. Put the lid on when cool. Store out of the light at room temperature for a week. Reheat slightly to strain out herbs or leave them in.

Sage tea without honey makes a good mouthwash for bad breath, mouth ulcers, and gingivitis. Alternatively, powdered sage can be gently rubbed on the gums to ease and heal sores and inflammation.

Often considered less important than sage, clary is significant in its own right as a healing herb. A tea made with clary or sage helps ease asthma and coughs.

Both of these herbs have antiseptic and astringent properties, making either of them a good choice for treating and soothing sore throats, laryngitis, and tonsillitis.

Make a strong tea with the leaves for a gargle. While it is hot, add ½ teaspoon of cider vinegar or 1 teaspoon of salt to ½ cup of tea. Gargle when it is cool enough but still warm.

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Like many herbs, sage and clary soothe indigestion and stomach pain, and reduce flatulence. Make a cup of tea or take a teaspoon of tincture.

In addition, sage is an aid for digesting meat and for treating mild diarrhea. When treating diarrhea, drink up to three cups a day but not for more than three days.

How to make Sage Diarrhea Treatment tea

Take 1–1½ teaspoons of dried crumbled sage,
Take 1 cup boiling water

Bring the water to a boil and add the leaves. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes and strain.

When it comes to PMS, clary tea is an uplifting aid to reduce discomfort.
Actually, both clary and sage have estrogenlike components that act as mild hormonal stimulants to promote menstruation and treat amenorrhea.

A cup of either tea eases menstrual cramps. An infusion can be an aid during menopause, especially for quelling hot flashes.

For night sweats, drink a cup of the infusion before going to bed. Additionally, sage can be used to treat vaginal yeast infections. Use a two-fold approach by drinking sage tea and using it as an astringent douche.

The drying properties that make sage good for relieving hot flashes and night sweats, also make it effective to reduce breast milk after weaning.

Drink the Post-Weaning Sage Tea three times a day when you are no longer nursing.

How to make Post-Weaning Sage Tea for our good healthcare

Take ½ teaspoon of dried crumbled sage,
Take 1 cup boiling water

Pour the water over the herb, steep for 10 to 15 minutes, and strain.

Both clary and sage have astringent qualities that make them valuable for treating skin problems including acne, eczema, psoriasis, and boils.

An infusion of leaves used for a facial steam is cleansing for the skin and a big help when dealing with acne. An infusion can be used when it is cool for an antiseptic skin wash. It also helps to treat dandruff.

Massage the infusion into the scalp after shampooing, then rinse out. Clary is especially effective for oily skin and hair.

Sage relieves insect bites and stings. When you get bitten, just grab a leaf and rub it on the spot. Or make an ointment early in the summer so it’s ready to use.
Keep it on hand for first-aid treatment of cuts and scrapes, too.

For culinary purposes, clary can be used interchangeably with sage. Its taste is very similar, however, use it sparingly as too much can taste bitter.

The warm, pungent flavor of these herbs can perk up so many dishes: omelets, breads, sauces, marinades, any meat or poultry, and a wide range of veggies.

Even a grilled cheese sandwich can be jazzed up with a light sprinkling of sage. Also, the combination that has come to be known as the Scarborough Fair herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme) goes well on pasta, salads, eggs, and grains.

How to Use sage Essential Oils for our good healthcare

Clary essential oil is colorless to pale yellow-green. It has a sweet, nutty, herbaceous scent. Sage ranges from colorless to pale yellow. Its scent is spicy warm, herbaceous, and slightly camphoraceous.

While both of these essential oils can be used for treating headaches, clary is the better choice because it is so calming.

It helps relieve nervous tension and stress, which can be the underlying cause of a headache.

Clary also helps ease migraines.

Mix it with lavender and lemon balm for an extra-soothing combination. Use the blend in a diffuser or dilute it to a 1 percent ratio with a carrier oil and dab it on your wrists or rub your temples with it.

How to make Clary Headache Relief Diffuser

Blend 6 drops clary essential oil
Take 3 drops lavender essential oil
Take 2 drops lemon balm essential oil

Combine the oils and let the blend mature for about 1 week.

Both clary and sage are effective for relieving muscle aches and pains.
However, sage is especially good for treating arthritis, rheumatism, and carpal tunnel pain.

How to make Sage Muscle Rub Oil

Take 6 drops sage essential oil
Take 4 drops rosemary essential oil
Take 2 drops coriander essential oil
Take 1 ounce carrier oil

Mix the essential oils together and then combine with the carrier oil.

Precautions to observe when using sage

Sage preparations in medicinal doses should not be used during pregnancy, although use of small amounts of sage for culinary purposes is safe.

Breastfeeding women should avoid sage unless they are using the herb to reduce the flow of breast milk when weaning.

People with epilepsy should not use sage due to the thujone content in the herb. Thujone may trigger convulsions in these people, and the essential oil contains as much as 25% thujone.

The essential oils may accumulate in the system, so long-term use of essential oils (more than two weeks at a time) should be avoided. Those allergic to sage or other plants in the mint family should avoid this herb.

Side effects of sage

There are no adverse side effects when sage is taken in designated therapeutic doses. However, sage may interfere with absorption of iron and other minerals.

Health Benefits of sage - Healthcare