Herb Profile: Sage

By Michelle on November 19, 2009

Salvia officinalis

Member of the Mint family

Sage is a very important herb used in cooking for the holidays, but it is also important for medicinal reasons. The leaves, which can have a greenish-gray pebbly look, are the most commonly used part, being used in poultices, teas, and gargles. The plant is an evergreen and is very aromatic.

Sage is great as a digestive aid, making it extra useful for those large holiday meals. It helps with digestion of fatty foods, diarrhea, and for relief of gas. Did holiday planning or gatherings give you a headache? Sage is known for its sedative properties and can help relieve headaches.

Cold and flu symptoms can be treated with the use of sage, including sinus congestion. As a gargle it can relieve sore throat, laryngitis, and tonsillitis. Sage tea can be consumed for relief of hot flashes and night sweats, excessive perspiration, and mouth ulcers. The herb is useful for getting rid of toxins in the body and is used for bladder and kidney infections and as a tonic for the liver. Sage acts as a stimulant and improves blood circulation along with warming the body.

Sage is also useful in body care as an astringent for skin conditions and as a hair conditioner. It can be helpful for intense insect bites; it is even safe to use on dogs for flea bites.

Sage should never be used in excessive amounts as it may induce poison symptoms. It can also dry out mammary glands, so should not be used during while breastfeeding.

Posted in Herb Profiles | Tagged colds, digestion, flu, sage, salvia officinalis, sore throat

Michelle

2 responses to “Herb Profile: Sage”

Michelle
November 29, 2009 at 5:20 pm | Permalink

I haven’t personally seen any gargles available commercially with sage included in them, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. A simple homemade solution can easily be prepared just by making a sage tea and then using the tea as a gargle. I personally prefer to use homemade remedies as often as possible to avoid all the extras that can be included in commercial products, but if your friend has a health food store nearby, someone there may be able to direct them to an already prepared product. Also, I have had a lot of issues in the past with sinus problems, and one surefire way to break up the congestion is to make a strong ginger tea with fresh ginger root and to drink it as quickly as possible while still very warm. I keep fresh ginger root around all the time at this time of year just in case. Maybe a ginger/sage tea with honey would help? And using a neti pot to rinse out sinuses is another must for me.
Jenny
November 24, 2009 at 8:54 am | Permalink

Useful to know during flu season. my friend was suffering from sinus congestion and couldn’t help with any sinus medications. Is a sage gargle commercially available? Does it come together with other active ingredients in it? I wonder if it is specially formulated.
Thanks for information!

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