Written by Endeavour College of Natural Health | Wednesday, 10 August 2022
A proud member of the mint family, sage is one of the most valued herbs from ancient times. This woody and sweet-smelling plant was associated with long life and wisdom in European traditions and is closely related to oregano, rosemary, basil, and thyme.
It was used medicinally in Egyptian medicine and Romans referred to sage as ‘the holy herb’, employing it for religious rituals.
Let’s discover more about the health benefits and uses of glorious sage.
Botanical name: Salvia officinalis
Common name: Sage, common sage, garden sage, kitchen sage, true sage, culinary sage
Medicinal parts used: Leaves
Energetics:
Family: Lamiaceae (Mint family)
A popular way to consume this small but mighty plant is tea! One of many studies conducted on the benefits of drinking sage tea saw a raised lipid profile and improved antioxidant defences in those who participated in the trial (Sá et al., 2009). Scientific research has also been testing and supporting the health benefits of drinking sage tea, one of which includes improved cognitive function and brain health. The primary health benefits of sage are thought to come from it being a salvia species, which contains a variety of active compounds that may enhance cognitive activity (Lopresti, 2016).
(Pursell 2018) (Mcintyre, 1994)
Sage is loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. One teaspoon of ground sage contains 2 calories, 0.1 grams of protein, 0.4 grams of carbs, and 0.1 grams of fat. (Raman, 2018)
Percentage of the recommended daily intake:
Primarily, sage comes in fresh, dried, or oil forms. If you’ve grabbed a fresh bunch of sage, the best way to store your sweet-smelling loot is to wrap the leaves in paper towels and keep them in a bag or container in the fridge. Fresh sage will last around four to five days, however, if you’re looking to prolong the bunch, you can cover the leaves in olive oil – increasing the shelf-life to three weeks.
Whether you’re using it to spice things up in the kitchen, brewing it for a batch of tea, or lighting it to smudge bad energy from a living space – there really is no downside to welcoming sage into your daily life.
If this blog post has piqued your interest in medicinal plants, you can read more in this blog post.
References
Lopresti, A. L. (2016, November 25). Salvia (Sage): A Review of its Potential Cognitive-Enhancing and Protective Effects. Drugs in R&D, 17(1). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5318325/.
Mcintyre, A. (1994). The complete Woman’s Herbal A manual of healing herbs and nutrition for personal wellbeing and family care. Gaia books.
Purcell, JJ. (2018). The Woman’s Herbal Apothecary. Quarto Publishing Group.
Raman, R. (2018, December 14). 12 Health Benefits and Uses of Sage. Healthline. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sage#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3
Sá, C. M., Ramos, A. A., Azevedo, M. F., & Lima, C. F. (2009, September 9). Sage Tea Drinking Improves Lipid Profile and Antioxidant Defences in Humans. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, (10). https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/10/9/3937
Wood, M. (2008). The Earthwise Herbal Volume 1. North Atlantic Books.
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