Nature's Pharmacy: Ancient Knowledge, Modern Medicine

Sage
Salvia officinalis

Name, Habitat and Appearance
Sage is native to southern Europe and is now cultivated in temperate regions throughout the world. The aromatic evergreen perennial plant grows up to 2 feet high with oblong woolly leaves. It is a member of the mint family (Labiatae) and the violet-blue flowers are arranged in whorls at the ends of stems and branches. Salvia means healthy in Latin.

History
Greek and Roman medicine classified sage as a diuretic, especially useful for "women's complaints." Sage mixed with white wine or wormwood tea was used to relieve dysentery, and sage, applied externally, to heal wounds. Medieval physicians had a rhetorical question, "Why should a person die when sage grows in his garden?" This reflects the reputation sage had as a health-giver. Sage tea was thought to cleanse and purify the blood and dried sage leaves were once smoked in pipes as a cure for asthma. Today the plant is mainly a culinary herb that imparts a sweet, musky flavor to food.

Historical Uses

• Treatment for colic and fevers
• To expel worms
• To prevent epileptic seizures
• To ease gas pains

Modern Medicinal Uses
Today herbalists specify sage for external use as a gargle and in lotion for wounds. Sage tea is recommended for excessive sweating, nervous disorders, to reduce a nursing mother's milk flow when she is trying to wean her baby, and as a carminative (to relieve gas pains). Current research affirms that sage may be effective for relieving gas pains and perhaps for lowering a fever. Other uses are not confirmed and sage is enjoyed mainly for its flavor as a seasoning.