Garden Sage

It’s November and the month of Thanksgiving.  With much gratitude for a very useful plant, I thought I’d write about an herb that is often used in traditional turkey stuffing, or dressing, as some say.  That herb is Garden Sage, Salvia officinalis.

Garden Sage likes to grow in the full sun and in dry soil. It is a native to the northern shores of the Mediterranean and likes our limestone soils or lack of soil.  Sage is a good garden plant for Central Texas. The light gray/green leaves are a beautiful contrast to the darker green of many of our garden plants, and in the spring, if you’re lucky, a profusion of luscious pink flowers will bloom and last quite a long time.  Even though Sage is a perennial herb, in Texas it seems to last only about three years.  Then becomes leggy and thins out, so it needs replacing.

Sage is not only tasty but it has several strong medicinal properties.  The leaves of Sage act as a powerful astringent, slowing down the secretions of fluids. A Sage tea can be used for excessive sweating (including those night sweats), vaginal discharge, and diarrhea. Sage will stop the flow of mother’s milk, so use it only if you are ready to wean a nursing baby.  The Native Americans rubbed the fresh leaves of Sage on their teeth as a cleanser as well as using it to treat infected gums and mouth ulcers.  When I get an annoying canker sores inside my mouth, I simply go out in to the garden, pick a Sage leaf or two, chew it a bit and then place it on the sore.  I leave this poultice on the sore for an hour or so and soon the irritation is eased and the sore begins to disappear.

Sage tea, mixed with honey and lemon is excellent for sore throats and colds.  You can also gargle with the tea.  Add a little apple cider vinegar as a bonus to aid in the healing process.  Finally, Sage, most often White Sage, Salvia apiana, is used by Native Americans and by many spiritual groups as a Smudge Stick to clear the environment of negative energy.

It is important to limit the use of Sage to only a week or two.  Sage contains a volatile oil, Thujone, which may act as a neuro-toxin.  Therefore, overdoses, or long term use of Sage, may be detrimental to the functioning of the nervous system. When taking responsibility for using herbs for your health, it is always wise to be aware of any contra-indications related to the use of the herb.  For the most part, herbs are very safe and have little side effects.

I hope you will enjoy using Sage in turkey stuffing to flavor the bird as well as to aid in the digestion of fatty foods.  Enjoy the benefits of drinking Sage tea, as needed for sore throats and remember to incorporate Sage when a strong astringent action is needed.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.