DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

Sage has many uses, including as a tea, or to treat skin conditions, as this article explains:

“Salvia splendens is only one species of sage, Salvia officinalis. There are about 800 native species growing in America and Europe.

It is in Europe that most of the culinary sages we grow in our gardens come from. The native silver-green sagebrush we know is more aromatic than tasteful.

Some American indigenous peoples used the leafy sage plant as a disposable toothbrush. They also made a salve from the leaves mixed with bear grease, which they used to treat skin sores. Settlers here in America used sage leaf poultices to rid the skin of warts.

I grow a diverse array of this herb, all around my mixed foundation beds, as well as in the vegetable garden. Scarlet sage in a rustic container creates a bright splash of colour beside my front door right now. One variegated gold variety is not only good for cooking, it is also a wonderful addition to flower arrangements, both fresh and dried.

This can be said of any type of sage. I like to put bunches in wreaths and amongst the other greenery I use to decorate the house at this time of year.

Leaves come in an incredible variety of hues such as purple, green, silver and green, white and green; while spikes of flowers are found in white, blue, purple, red and scarlet.

I have to admit, though, my main use for sage leaves is tea. This is why I have the herb growing in beds all around the house; it’s easy to pop out and snip some on a whim. It’s also an excuse to step outside for a minute when I’m working, as opposed to reaching into the cupboard for dried tea.

Did you know that sage tea has been proven to lower blood sugar in diabetics?

And speaking of tea, the Chinese were willing at one time to trade their own tea leaves in exchange for sage leaves at a ratio of four to one.

Theirs wasn’t the only civilization to covet the herb. Ancients in the East and Middle East as well as throughout Europe have long used sage to produce longevity and increase mental abilities.

“Why should a man die, when he can go to his garden for sage?” The medical school in Salemo, Italy coined this aphorism. To this day, residents in the former Yugoslavia grow sage as we would wheat and hay. Usually three crops are harvested a year.

Like most herbs, sage is easily cultivated. The soil should be fair to poor, even on the slightly alkaline side, and it likes the sun and good drainage. Once established, sage is an extremely drought tolerant plant, taking almost no care.

It is also one of the rare herbs whose leaves are actually stronger flavored dried than when fresh.

Tip: Sage infusions have been used for ages to colour silver hair. This is a lovely, subtle rinse with one shortcoming; you daren’t quit using the treatment once started — your hair will take on a greenish tint when you stop (this isn’t permanent).

Trivia: Sage has long been used as a smudge to clear an area or a body of negativity. “

Tags: Herbs //