If you had turkey and stuffing on Thanksgiving, you probably ate sage. Sage was used in biblical times for food and medicine and was thought to improve brain function, fertility, heart blockages, and even longevity. Modern science is proving that sage is a useful plant medicine. Three medicinal or traditional uses for sage include winter illness, specific health conditions, and brain health.

Personal Story

Last year, I planted a purple sage plant in my garden. I enjoy its beauty. This year I harvested some of the leaves and dried them to use in our cooking and to make a botanical medicine.

How to Plant and Harvest Sage

Sage, Salvia officinalis, is a perennial in the mint family that is fun to grow and use for herbal remedies.

• It grows to twenty-four inches tall.
• It likes well-drained soil in full sun.
• It can be grown as a container plant.
• Plant sage twelve inches apart in mid- to- late spring.
• This herb needs light to moderate watering.

At any point in the growing season, we can harvest the upper half of the aerial parts with scissors. It will produce multiple harvests each season.

How to Use Sage

Sage is useful for winter health, specific health conditions, and brain function.

Winter Illness

People can use sage as a gargle for an inflammation of the mouth, gums, and throat, including:

• sore throat
• laryngitis
• tonsillitis
• hoarseness

Individuals can also use sage for:

• respiratory illness, such as a runny nose

Specific Health Conditions

• Mouth symptoms, such as canker sores, gingivitis
• Digestive symptoms, such as lack of appetite, flatulence, and indigestion
• Excessive perspiration
• Menopausal hot flashes: some women have a spray bottle beside their bed of lavender spray (3-4 drops of sage essential oil in 2 ounces of lavender aromatherapy spray) to aid cooling down from a hot flash.
• Sage, often combined with parsley, has been used traditionally to reduce breast milk production.

Brain Health

• When combined with ginkgo biloba, it has been used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

Safety Information

Sage is contraindicated in pregnancy and breastfeeding. When using it as a food spice, the caution might not be relevant.

It is not recommended for long-term therapeutic use or to exceed the recommended dosage.

Action Step

Try using sage when you have a winter illness, a specific health condition, or need to improve brain health.

May God bless your healthful endeavors!

Joni

P.S. Please encourage others by writing about using sage in the comment section above.