sage
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(sāj) 
n.
n.
- Any of various plants of the genus Salvia, especially S. officinalis, having aromatic grayish-green, opposite leaves. Also called ramona.
- The leaves of this plant used as a seasoning.
- Any of various similar or related plants in the mint family.
- Sagebrush.
[Middle English sauge, from Old French, from Latin salvia, from salvus, healthy.]
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sage
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common sage
An aromatic plant originally from the Mediterranean region, of which there are several varieties. The most widespread is common sage. It has a pungent, intense and slightly camphorous flavor.
Buying
Dried sage leaves are sold whole, crushed or ground.
Serving Ideas
Sage flavors meat, poultry, charcuterie (sausages and deli meats), marinades, hams, stuffings, vegetables, omelettes, soups, stews and cheese. It works as well with dairy products as with fatty fish. It perfumes wine, beers, teas and vinegars. It flavors white meats and vegetable soups (France), roast pork (Provence), ham, sausages and beer (Germany), roast mutton and tea (China).
In England, it flavors and colors a cheese and is paired with onion in stuffings and sauces.
In Italy, it is an essential ingredient in saltimbocca and osso buco. Use sage in moderation, as it has a robust flavor. Only add at the end of cooking.
It can be made into herbal tea.
Storing
Dried sage keeps easily 1 year without any great loss of flavor.
Nutritional Information
| ground | |
| calcium | 12 mg |
| potassium | 7 mg |
| magnesium | 3 mg |
| iron | 0.2 mg |
| vitamin A | 4 RE |
| per 1 tsp/5 ml | |
ground sage
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Sage (Salvia officinalis) (credit: Ingmar Holmasen)
Sage (Salvia officinalis) (credit: Ingmar Holmasen)
For more information on sage, visit Britannica.com.
A shrubby perennial plant in the genus Salvia of the mint family (Limiaceae). There are several species, including garden, or true, sage (S. officinalis), the sage most commonly used in foods. Many varieties of garden sage are known, but the Dalmatian type possesses the finest aroma. Garden sage is native to southern and eastern Europe, and is still cultivated extensively there and in the United States and Russia. It is a plant of low stature (2 ft or 60 cm), with hairy, oblong grayish-green leaves about 1½–2 in. (4–5 cm) long. Sage does best in warm, dry regions, with full sun.
To preserve the essential oil content and leaf color, sage is dried, as are most other herbs. Once dried, sage is separated from the stems and made available to consumers as whole, rubbed (crushed), or ground leaves. The dried leaves are among the most popular spices in western foods. Sage is highly aromatic and fragrant, with a pungent, slightly bitter and astringent taste. Both the dried leaves and essential oil of sage are used in flavoring and for antioxidant properties in cheeses, pickles, processed foods, vermouth, and bitters. See also Lamiales; Spice and flavoring.
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Leaf of the Dalmatian sage, Salvia officinalis; fragrant and spicy; used to flavour meat and fish dishes, and in poultry stuffing. Other sages (Greek, Spanish, English) differ in flavour from the Dalmatian variety.
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[SAYJ] This native Mediterranean herb has been enjoyed for centuries for both its culinary and medicinal uses. The name comes from a derivative of the Latin salvus, meaning "safe," a reference to the herb's believed healing powers. The narrow, oval, gray-green leaves of this pungent herb are slightly bitter and have a musty mint taste and aroma. There's also a variety called pineapple sage, which has an intensely sweet pineapple scent. Small bunches of fresh sage are available year-round in many supermarkets. Choose sage by its fresh color and aroma. Refrigerate wrapped in a paper towel and sealed in a plastic bag for up to 4 days. Dried sage comes whole, rubbed (crumbled) and ground. It should be stored in a cool, dark place for no more than 6 months. Sage is commonly used in dishes containing pork, cheese and beans, and in poultry and game stuffings. Sausage makers also frequently use it to flavor their products. See also herbs.
Features in a love divination procedure, reported only occasionally, such as:
On All Saints' Eve a young woman must go out into the garden alone at midnight, and while the clock strikes twelve she must pluck nine sage leaves, one at every stroke up to the ninth. Then, if she is destined to be married, she will see the face of her husband; if not, she will see a coffin. (Burne, 1883: 177).
A similar description, from Lincolnshire, calls for twelve leaves at midday on St Mark's Eve (quoted in Opie and Tatem). Like parsley, sage is said to grow best where the wife is dominant, while others claim a link between the plant and the prosperity of the family. Sage has also had its medicinal uses; to keep teeth clean, relieve sore gums, and boiled in water to make a drink to alleviate arthritis.
Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.
- Opie and Tatem, 1989: 335
- Vickery, 1995: 328
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sage, any species of the large genus Salvia, aromatic herbs or shrubs of the family Labiatae (mint family). The common sage of herb gardens is S. officinalis, a strongly scented shrubby perennial, native from S Europe to Asia Minor. The dried leaves are used as seasoning, especially in dressings for meat and poultry and also in sage cheese; sage tea, once popular as a beverage, has also been used as a domestic remedy for colds and other ailments and as a hair rinse. The oil is used in medicinals and flavorings and sometimes in perfumery. Prized since ancient times, common sage was thought to prolong life and to increase wisdom by strengthening the memory-whence the name.
The ornamental sages are often popularly called salvia. Of these the scarlet sage (S. splendens), native to Brazil, is best known. Clary (S. sclarea), native from the Mediterranean region to Iran, is a biennial sage whose seeds were once used to "clear the eye"; it has bluish or pinkish flowers, and its oil is sometimes used similarly to that of the common sage.
The seeds of some species of W North America, e.g., the thistle sage (S. carduacea) of California, were used by Native Americans for a flour and a beverage. Another species is S. carnosa, the purple sage of the western deserts. S. divinorum, native to S Mexico and known as diviner's sage or magic mint, has psychoactive properties and is used as a hallucinogenic drug. Most sages are good honey plants.
One of the lantanas (see verbena) is sometimes called red or yellow sage. True sages are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Lamiales, family Labiatae.
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Source: Sage Salvia officinalis L.; Spanish sage Salvia lavandulaefolia Vahl (Family Labiatae or Lamiaceae).
Common/vernacular names: Garden sage, true sage, and Dalmation sage (S. officinalis).
Salvia officinalis is a small, evergreen shrubby perennial with woody stems near the base and herbaceous ones above, much branched; up to about 0.8 m high; native to the Mediterranean region; cultivated worldwide (Albania, Turkey, Greece, Italy, United States, etc.). Part used is the dried leaf from which sage oil is obtained by steam distillation.
Salvia lavandulaefolia is closely related to S. officinalis. It grows wild in Spain and southwestern France. Spanish sage oil is obtained by steam distillation of its leaves.
A study found that most commercial sage sold in the United States (from 50% to 95%) was represented by S. fruticosa Mill. (S. triloba L. f.), characterized by compound or simple leaves with 1–2 pairs of lateral segments and a large terminal segment, rather than S. officinalis as purported (tucker 1–3).
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Mexican sage (Salvia leucantha), pineapple sage (Salvia elegans), or common sage (Salvia officinalis), (Dalmatian Sage, English Sage). Sage contains the chemical thujone. Thujone was responsible for the toxic side effects of absinthe, a drink banned in France around the turn of the century. See Spice, Chart 398.
Random House Word Menu:
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categories related to 'sage'
- Shrubs
- Herbaceous Plants
- Herbs and Spices
- Respectful or Admiring Reference
- Wise, Mature, or Experienced
- Individuals and Titles - sage: wise, pious person
- Enlightenment, Truth, and the Unknowable - sage: wise, learned, venerable one
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Salvia officinalis
| Salvia officinalis | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Flowers | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Lamiaceae |
| Genus: | Salvia |
| Species: | S. officinalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Salvia officinalis L. |
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Salvia officinalis (garden sage, common sage) is a perennial, evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the family Lamiaceae and is native to the Mediterranean region, though it has naturalized in many places throughout the world. It has a long history of medicinal and culinary use, and in modern times as an ornamental garden plant. The common name "sage" is also used for a number of related and unrelated species.
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Taxonomy
Salvia officinalis was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It has been grown for centuries in the Old World for its food and healing properties, and was often described in old herbals for the many miraculous properties attributed to it.[1] The specific epithet, officinalis, refers to the plant's medicinal use—the officina was the traditional storeroom of a monastery where herbs and medicines were stored.[2] S. officinalis has been classified under many other scientific names over the years, including six different names since 1940 alone.[3]
Description
Cultivars are quite variable in size, leaf and flower color, and foliage pattern, with many variegated leaf types. The Old World type grows to approximately 2 ft (0.61 m) tall and wide, with lavender flowers most common, though they can also be white, pink, or purple. The plant flowers in late spring or summer. The leaves are oblong, ranging in size up to 2.5 in (6.4 cm) long by 1 in (2.5 cm) wide. Leaves are grey-green, rugose on the upper side, and nearly white underneath due to the many short soft hairs. Modern cultivars include leaves with purple, rose, cream, and yellow in many variegated combinations.[1]
History
Salvia officinalis has been used since ancient times for warding off evil, snakebites, increasing women's fertility, and more. The Romans likely introduced it to Europe from Egypt as a medicinal herb.[4] Theophrastus wrote about two different sages, a wild undershrub he called sphakos, and a similar cultivated plant he called elelisphakos. Pliny the Elder said the latter plant was called salvia by the Romans, and used as a diuretic, a local anesthetic for the skin, a styptic, and for other uses. Charlemagne recommended the plant for cultivation in the early Middle Ages, and during the Carolingian Empire, it was cultivated in monastery gardens.[4] Walafrid Strabo described it in his poem Hortulus as having a sweet scent and being useful for many human ailments—he went back to the Greek root for the name and called it lelifagus.[5]
The plant had a high reputation throughout the Middle Ages, with many sayings referring to its healing properties and value.[6] It was sometimes called S. salvatrix (sage the savior), and was one of the ingredients of Four Thieves Vinegar, a blend of herbs which was supposed to ward off the plague. Dioscorides, Pliny, and Galen all recommended sage as a diuretic, hemostatic, emmenagogue, and tonic.[5]
Uses
Common sage is grown in parts of Europe for distillation of an essential oil, though other species, such as Salvia fruticosa may also be harvested and distilled with it.
As a kitchen herb, sage has a slight peppery flavor. In British cooking, it is used for flavoring fatty meats, Sage Derby cheese, poultry or pork stuffing, Lincolnshire sausage, and in sauces. Sage is also used in Italian cooking, in the Balkans, and the Middle East. It is one of the major herbs used in the traditional turkey stuffing for the Thanksgiving Day dinner in the United States. Despite the common use of traditional and available herbs in French cuisine, sage never found favour there.
Salvia and "sage" are derived from the Latin salvere (to save), referring to the healing properties long attributed to the various Salvia species.[5] It has been recommended at one time or another for virtually every ailment by various herbals. Modern evidence shows possible uses as an antisweating agent, antibiotic, antifungal, astringent, antispasmodic, estrogenic, hypoglycemic, and tonic.[7] In a double blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial, sage was found to be effective in the management of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.[8]
The strongest active constituents of sage are within its essential oil, which contains cineole, borneol, and thujone. Sage leaf contains tannic acid, oleic acid, ursonic acid, ursolic acid, cornsole, cornsolic acid, fumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, niacin, nicotinamide, flavones, flavonoid glycosides, and estrogenic substances.[7]
Investigations have taken place into using sage as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease patients.[8][9][10][11] Sage leaf extract may be effective and safe in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.[12]
Common names
Salvia officinalis has numerous common names. Some of the best known include sage, common sage, garden sage, golden sage, kitchen sage, true sage, culinary sage, Dalmatian sage, and broadleaf sage. Cultivated forms include purple sage and red sage. In Turkey, salvia officinalis is widely known as adaçayı, meaning "island sage". in the levant its called maramia.
Cultivars
There are a number of cultivars, with the majority grown as ornamentals rather than for their herbal properties. All are valuable as small ornamental flowering shrubs, and for their use as a low ground cover, especially in sunny dry environments. They are easily propagated from summer cuttings, and some cultivars are produced from seeds. Named cultivars include:
- 'Alba', a white-flowered cultivar
- 'Aurea', golden sage
- 'Berggarten', a cultivar with large leaves, which rarely blooms, extending the useful life of the leaves
- 'Extrakta', has leaves with higher oil concentrations
- 'Icterina', a cultivar with yellow-green variegated leaves
- 'Lavandulaefolia', a small leaved cultivar
- 'Purpurascens' ('Purpurea'), a purple-leafed cultivar
- 'Tricolor', a cultivar with white, yellow and green variegated leaves
See also
References
- ^ a b Clebsch, Betsy; Carol D. Barner (2003). The New Book of Salvias. Timber Press. p. 216. ISBN 978-0-88192-560-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=NM0iwB8GrQYC&pg=PA216.
- ^ Stearn, William T. (2004). Botanical Latin. Timber Press (OR). p. 456. ISBN 0-88192-627-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=w0hZvTFJUioC&pg=PA456.
- ^ Sutton, John (2004). The Gardener's Guide to Growing Salvias. Workman Publishing Company. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-88192-671-2.
- ^ a b Watters, L. L. (1901). An Analytical Investigation of Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis, Linne). New York: Columbia University.
- ^ a b c Kintzios, Spiridon E. (2000). Sage: The Genus Salvia. CRC Press. pp. 10–11. ISBN 978-90-5823-005-8.
- ^ An Anglo-Saxon manuscript read "Why should man die when he has sage?" Kintzios, p. 10
- ^ a b "Sage". OBeWise Nutriceutica. Applied Health. http://www.appliedhealth.com/nutri/page8453.php. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
- ^ a b Akhondzadeh S, Noroozian M, Mohammadi M, Ohadinia S, Jamshidi AH, Khani M. (2003). "Salvia officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a double blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial". J Clin Pharm Ther 28 (1): 53–9. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2710.2003.00463.x. PMID 12605619.
- ^ Dos, Santos-Neto, Ll; De, Vilhena, Toledo, Ma; Medeiros-Souza, P; De, Souza, Ga (December 2006). "The use of herbal medicine in Alzheimer's disease-a systematic review" (Free full text). Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM 3 (4): 441–5. doi:10.1093/ecam/nel071. PMC 1697739. PMID 17173107. http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=17173107.
- ^ Perry, Ek; Pickering, At; Wang, Ww; Houghton, P; Perry, Ns (Winter 1998). "Medicinal plants and Alzheimer's disease: Integrating ethnobotanical and contemporary scientific evidence". Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) 4 (4): 419–28. doi:10.1089/acm.1998.4.419. ISSN 1075-5535. PMID 9884179.
- ^ Iuvone, T; De, Filippis, D; Esposito, G; D'Amico, A; Izzo, Aa (June 2006). "The spice sage and its active ingredient rosmarinic acid protect PC12 cells from amyloid-beta peptide-induced neurotoxicity" (Free full text). The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 317 (3): 1143–9. doi:10.1124/jpet.105.099317. PMID 16495207. http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=16495207.
- ^ Kianbakht S, Abasi B, Perham M, Hashem Dabaghian F"Antihyperlipidemic Effects of Salvia officinalis L. Leaf Extract in Patients with Hyperlipidemia: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Phytother Res. 2011 Apr 19;
Further reading
- The Herb Society of America New Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses, Deni Bown (New York: DK, 2001)
External links
- American Botanical Council
- USDA Plants Profile
- Historical medicinal use: from botanical.com
- Salvia officinalis in Plantarium Database - A Photo Guide.
- Salvia officinalis Israel native Plants
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