Sage

Salvia officinalis
Labiatae family

Intro and History

To the Ancients, Sage was sacred. Salvia means "the Savior." The name salvia, from the Latin salvere meaning to be in good health, to cure, to save reflects its benevolent reputation. To the Romans it was a sacred herb, gathered with ceremony. A long time ago the American Indian people learned that nature has its own language, and they discovered sage as a purifying herb. Grandmother Sage, or sagebrush, is known as the "Spirit Caller" and embodies the spirit in you, and those you invite to your home. Sister Sage or broadleaf sage is used in the cleansing and purification of your immediate environment and your aura. In Yugoslavia to this day, fields of sage are planted and harvested like wheat or hay, three crops a year, for cooking.

Special Features and Uses

Culinary

Sage is lemony, camphor-like and pleasantly bitter. Fresh sage is used to flavors vinegars, herbal butter, omelets, soups, and poultry stuffing. Flavored sages, like clary and pineapple sages, can stand in for regular sage with almost any food. Culinary Sages are best used fresh, but they can be dried or frozen.

Medicinal

In folk medicine Sage is used for appetite loss, excessive perspiration, sore throat, to sooth coughs and colds, bloating, diarrhea, intestinal inflammation, as an aid for indigestion, a rinse and gargle, and for bleeding gums. It can also be used to treat mild injuries and skin inflammation. In Asia, it's considered a remedy for hemorrhoids, blood in the urine, bloody phlegm, fluid in the abdomen; and homeopathic practitioners prescribe it for excessive flow of breast milk. However, its effectiveness for all of these problems remains unverified.

Sage is an antiseptic, antifungal, and contains estrogen. It is said that Sage stops the flow of perspiration that gush with some women's hot flashes, and regulate hormonal change and eliminate headaches. Sage's estrogenic effects have long been noted; our oldest foremothers used it to increase fertility, to ease irritated nerves, and banish depression. Mineral-consolidating sage is rich in mellowing calcium, calming magnesium, potassium, zinc, and anti-stress thiamine. It can relieve dizziness, trembling and emotional swings. Sage not only stops sweating and the resulting mineral loss, its rich mineral reserves help you make up for previous depletion. Sage contains flavonoids and phytoesterols.

Sage contains headache easing saponins which keep the blood flowing freely; carotins which nourish the liver and essential fatty acids which keep the blood vessels flexible. Sage's antispasmodic oils and sweat-stopping tannins give you prompt relief from pain and excess bleeding during menstruation.

Caution

Sage can be toxic when taken internally in large doses for long periods of time. The essential oils in sage can accumulate in the liver and kidneys. Internally, DO NOT USE sagebrush/desert sage, (Artemisia tridentata). DO NOT USE if you have a dry mouth or dry vaginal tissues.

Available Commercially

Dried whole or dried crumbled leaves. NOTE: The taste of dried sage is different than fresh, often less lemony, and sometimes a bit musty.

Ornamental

Sages foliage is a subtle foil to more colorful plants in the garden. When in bloom, it is as spectacular as any ornamental flower. The sages with colorful leaves bring that dimension to the garden and are especially fun to use in creating interesting color combinations. Sages can add a restful accent to the ornamental border and can serve as a beautiful background for brighter flowers. Sage is a must for any herb garden.

Cosmetic

Sage infusions have been used to color silver/gray hair. Sage also stimulates the skin when used in skin lotions or herbal baths. It makes a soothing, astringent aftershave and is sometimes mixed with lavender for this purpose. Can be used in facial steams and astringent cleansing lotions. Rub on your teeth to whiten, and use as a mouthwash.

Craft

The foliage of sage dries well and can be used in herb wreaths, especially a culinary wreath. As a dye, Sage tops yield a yellow-buff color to wool mordanted with alum; yellow to wool mordanted with chrome; and green-gray to iron-mordanted yarn.

Companion Planting

Try planting sage with cabbages, carrots, strawberries, tomatoes, or marjoram to encourage their growth. According to Seventeenth century herbalist Nicholas Culpepper, sage and onions do not grow well near each other.

Preservative

Sage has antibacterial properties and can be used as a natural preservative for meats, poultry, fish, and condiments. Sage and rosemary together work better then either alone. Distilled sage extracts recently have been made into flavorless antioxidants to increase the shelf life of foods. An odorless and tasteless antioxidant prepared from sage and rosemary improve the stability of soy oil and potato chips.

Cleansing

Put dried leaves among linen to discourage insects. Burning sage in an Abalone shell or used as a smudge stick will purify your environment.

Aromatic

Sage has been used as an ingredient of perfumes, soaps and cosmetics. It is also used as an insect repellent, sending away flies, and in the garden, cabbage moths and carrot flies. It attracts bees, and the result is a splendidly aromatic honey. Some people say its fragrance induces sleep.

Other

Sage has been smoked as a tobacco.

Hardiness

This is a large group of hardy and tender perennials, annuals and shrubs. Woody, evergreen perennial. Zones 4 to 8.

Growth Habit

Sage is a hardy sub-shrub with woody, wiry stems that are square and covered with down. Height ranges from 18" to 3' tall, with a spread of 2' to 3'. It forms branched clumps.

Sage blooms in late spring to early summer. Flowers form on spikes that grow above the foliage. The spikes may be 2' wide and 6" long. The flowers may be white to blue and all shades of red, purple, pink, rose, or violet.

Propagation, Germination, Transplanting

Sage seeds store poorly, and you should test its germination before planting a lager amount. Sow seeds indoors eight weeks before the last spring frost. Germination is erratic, but may be helped by freezing the seeds three days prior to planting. Transplant outdoor one week before the last spring frost. Space 18" to 24" apart.

Some experts advise starting from plant cutting or divisions because it takes two years to grow good sized plants from seed. When you do divide, use the outer, newer growth for replanting. Sage can also be propagated from 4" stem cuttings taken in the fall for use the following spring, or from crown divisions.

Pruning

Prune plants severely in the spring to keep them from setting seed. Replace them every three years or so, or they will become woody and less productive.

Soil

Sage grows best in rich clay loam with a good supply of nitrogen. It will grow in a wide range of soils if they have a reasonably high nitrogen content and are well drained. It prefers a pH of 6.4.
NOTE: In the northern states, sage will not survive the winter if soils are wet when they freeze. Sage will withstand temperatures lower then 0°F(-18° C) if protected by snow or a mulch of leaves or straw.

Sunlight

Full Sun.

Pests and Diseases

Sage is susceptible to wilt and root rot. Pests that might bother this plant include slugs, spider mites and spittlebugs.

Sage Species and Varieties

Sage represents a large genus comprising more then 500 species of annuals and perennials of the Mint family. They are cultivated as herbs for their medicinal, culinary and ornamental value. Below are a few of the more commonly know sages.

Salvia officinalis. Garden Sage. The most common sage, considered a culinary sage by most gardeners.

Salvia officinalis. Holt's Mammoth has larger, rounder leaves then garden sage. It grows quickly and is good for cutting and drying in bulk quantities.

Salvia Clevelandii. Blue sage has blue flowers, is used in potpourris and recommended as a substitute for S. officinalis in cooking.

Salvia officinalis. Aurea / Golden Sage. Compact dense growth, which makes a very showy border plant with its striking gold and green variegated leaves.

Salvia Sclarea. Clary Sage. A most unusual and showy sage with huge, pebbly gray leaves and spectacular lilac and pink flowers.

Salvia officinalis. Purpurea Purple Sage. A compact plant, 18", aromatic purple foliaged sage that is used like garden sage in cooking.

Salvia elegans. Pineapple Sage. A pineapple scented sage with brilliant red flowers that is used in drinks, jams and jellies. Will grow indoors in good light.

References

Mountain Valley Growers

Botany.com

The Secret Garden

Garden Sage: The Wise and Wonderful Herb by Brenda Hyde

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs
by Claire Kowalchik and William H. Hylton (Editors)

Culinary Herbs by Maggie Oster
A National Home Gardening Club Book.

The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening
by the Editors of Organic Gardening Magazine