sage

1. 1. Any of various plants of the genus Salvia, especially S. officinalis, having aromatic grayish-green, opposite leaves. Also called ramona.
   2. The leaves of this plant used as a seasoning.
2. Any of various similar or related plants in the mint family.
3. Sagebrush.

[Middle English sauge, from Old French, from Latin salvia, from salvus, healthy.]

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.

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.

[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.

Description

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is native to the Mediterranean and naturalized throughout Europe and North America. Known as garden sage, meadow sage, and true sage, this pungent herb is a member of the Lamiaceae, or mint, family. The genus name is taken from the Latin salvare meaning "to save." The specific name officinalis indicates that sage was included on official lists of medicinal herbs. There are numerous species of sage, including clary sage (S. sclarea) named because of its traditional use as an eyewash. Native Americans used the roots and leaves of lyre-leafed sage (S. lyrata L.), also known as cancerweed, as a salve for sores and in a tea to treat colds and coughs. Another species, known as divine sage (S. divinorum), a native of Oaxaca, Mexico, has been used for centuries by local shamans to achieve altered states of consciousness in healing rituals. There are many more garden varieties, including red or purple sage (S. officinalis purpurascens), which is valued particularly for its medicinal purposes.

Sage thrives in full sun and well-drained soils, growing wild in some areas. It is a hardy evergreen shrub with a deep taproot and an erect root stalk that produces woody, square, slightly downy, branching stems that may reach a height of 4 ft (1.2 m). This familiar garden perennial has long, light-green leaf stalks that bear simple opposite lance- or oval-shaped leaves. The strong and pliable leaves are veined, with a velvet-like somewhat crinkled texture and may grow to 2 in (5.1 cm) long in some varieties. Leaf margins resemble a fine embroidery finish with rounded minutely toothed edges. They are a gray-green on the top and lighter on the underside. The entire plant is strongly aromatic, with a familiar pungency. Fresh leaves are bitter to the taste. Sage blossoms in the middle of summer with small white, blue, or purple flowers.

General Use

Sage is a celebrated herb long valued for its many uses in medicine, magic, and meal preparation. Poets, shamans, herbalists, cooks, emperors, and common folk have touted its virtues for thousands of years. The Romans revered the herb as a sacred plant, and the Egyptians used it to treat the plague. Nicholas Culpeper, the seventeenth-century herbalist and astrologer, believed sage was under the dominion of Jupiter. Folk belief placed the herb under the influence of Venus, and sage was traditionally used to aid conception. One folk tradition encouraged eating a bit of sage each day during the month of May to assure immortality. Although it failed to live up to this promise, sage was traditionally planted on graves.

Sage's main constituents include volatile oil, diterpene bitters, thujone, camphor, tannins, triterpenoids, resin, flavonoids, estrogenic substances, phenolic acids, including rosmarinic and caffeic acids, and saponins. It acts as a carminative, antiperspirant, antispasmodic, astringent, antiseptic, and antibiotic. More recently, sage has been discovered to have antiallergic effects.

Sage has been used as a general tonic. It is the preferred beverage tea in many cultures, particularly in China, where the root of the species S. miltiorrhiza, known as dan shen, is used for its soothing and healing qualities. Sage has antioxidant properties that have recently been used by the food industry to improve the stability of oils that must be kept in storage for long periods of time.

Sage is also high in calcium. It provides potassium, magnesium, and zinc as well as vitamins C and B-complex. Sage is calming to the central nervous system and may reduce anxiety. It can soothe spasms in smooth and skeletal muscles. Sage is a bitter digestive stimulant and acts to relieve digestive problems. The herb also contains estrogenic substances that help to regulate menstruation.

Taken cold, the tea is astringent and diuretic, and will help to reduce night sweats in menopausal women and reduce milk flow in breast-feeding mothers. Taken hot, a sage infusion acts as an expectorant and is good for common colds and flu. A strong infusion of sage used as a hair rinse may darken hair color and help reduce hair loss. The antibacterial properties in sage make it a useful mouthwash for gingivitis and an antiseptic sore throat gargle. Sage is still listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia as a treatment for bleeding gums and sore throats. A tea made from the leaves may be used as an antiseptic wash for wounds and sores. Crushed leaves may be applied to relieve insect bites. The powdered herb, added to toothpaste and powders, helps to whiten teeth.

Some research indicates that sage may boost insulin action and be helpful to treat non-insulin dependent diabetes. The herb may reduce blood sugar levels and promote bile flow. Among its many virtues, sage is said to improve memory and bring prosperity to the household. Dried sage, burned as a smudge, is used in Native American rituals as a purifying and cleansing herb believed to promote healing, wisdom, protection, and longevity.

Preparations

The leaf is the medicinal part of the herb. Both fresh and dried leaves may be used for medicinal or culinary purposes. The leaves are harvested when the herb begins to flower in the summer of its second year. The leaves are removed from the woody branches and spread in a single layer on a tray or screen in a warm, airy, and shady place. Exposure to direct sunlight during the drying process will result in a significant loss of the volatile oil. Dried leaves are stored in a dark, airtight container.

To make an infusion, 1 pint of nonchlorinated water that has just reached the boiling point is poured over 2–3 tsp of dried or fresh sage leaves in a glass container. The mixture is covered and steeped for 10–15 minutes. This liquid can be drunk warm or cold, up to 3 cups daily, or used as a gargle or hair rinse.

Tinctures of sage are available commercially. A standard dose is 16–40 drops, taken up to three times daily.

To make a sage compress, a clean cotton cloth is soaked in an infusion of sage leaves and then applied to wounds or sores to aid healing.

Precautions

Sage preparations in medicinal doses should not be used during pregnancy, although use of small amounts of sage for culinary purposes is safe. Breast-feeding women should avoid sage unless they are using the herb to reduce the flow of breast milk when weaning. People with epilepsy should not use sage due to the thujone content in the herb. Thujone may trigger convulsions in these people, and the essential oil contains as much as 25% thujone. The essential oils may accumulate in the system, so long-term use of essential oils (more than two weeks at a time) should be avoided. Those allergic to sage or other plants in the mint family should avoid this herb.

Side Effects

There are no adverse side effects when sage is taken in designated therapeutic doses. However, sage may interfere with absorption of iron and other minerals

Interactions

As of 2002, no interactions have been reported between sage and standard prescription medications.

Resources

Books

The Herbal Healer, Prevention Health Library. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, Inc., 1998.

McIntyre, Anne. The Medicinal Garden. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1997.

PDR for Herbal Medicines. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, 1998.

Prevention's 200 Herbal Remedies, 3rd edition. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, Inc., 1997.

Reid, Daniel. Chinese Herbal Medicine. Boston, MA: Shambhala, 1996.

Periodicals

Miura, K., H. Kikuzaki, and N. Nakatani. "Antioxidant Activity of Chemical Components from Sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) Measured by the Oil Stability Index Method." Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50 (March 27, 2002): 1845-1851.

Shi, T. Y., and H. M. Kim. "Inhibition of Immediate-Type Allergic Reactions by the Aqueous Extract of Salvia plebeia." Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology 24 (May 2002): 303-314.

Zainuddin, A., J. Pokorny, and R. Venskutonis. "Antioxidant Activity of Sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata Wahlnb.) Extract in Lard and Rapeseed Oil Emulsions." Nahrung 46 (February 2002): 15-17.

Organizations

United States Pharmacopoeia (USP). 12601 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, MD 20852. (800) 822-8772. .

Other

"1001 Herbs for a Healthy Life." .

[Article by: Clare Hanrahan; Rebecca J. Frey, PhD]

(click to enlarge)
Sage (Salvia officinalis) (credit: Ingmar Holmasen)

Aromatic perennial herb (Salvia officinalis) of the mint family, native to the Mediterranean. Its leaves are used fresh or dried as a flavouring in many foods. The stems, 2 ft (60 cm) tall, have rough or wrinkled, downy, gray-green or whitish green oval leaves. The flowers may be purple, pink, white, or red. Since the Middle Ages, sage tea has been brewed as a spring tonic and a stimulant believed to strengthen the memory and promote wisdom. See also salvia.

For more information on sage, visit Britannica.com.

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).

Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.

• Opie and Tatem, 1989: 335
• Vickery, 1995: 328

Salvia officinalis
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.

Salvia officinalis (Sage, Common sage, Garden sage, Kitchen sage, Culinary sage, Dalmatian sage, Purple sage, Broadleaf sage, Red sage) is a small perennial evergreen subshrub, with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue to purplish flowers. It is a member of the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and commonly grown as a kitchen and medicinal herb or as an ornamental garden plant. The word sage or derived names are also used for a number of related and non related species.

Contents 1 Uses 1.1 Culinary 1.2 Medicinal 2 History 3 Cultivars 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 External links

Uses

Common sage is also grown in parts of Europe, especially the Balkans for distillation of an essential oil, though other species, such as Salvia fruticosa may also be harvested and distilled with it.

Painting from Koehler's Medicinal Plants (1887)

Culinary

As an herb, sage has a slight peppery flavor. In Western cooking, it is used for flavoring fatty meats (especially as a marinade), cheeses (Sage Derby), and some drinks. In the United States, Britain and Flanders, sage is used with onion for poultry or pork stuffing and also in sauces. In French cuisine, sage is used for cooking white meat and in vegetable soups. Germans often use it in sausage dishes, and sage forms the dominant flavoring in the English Lincolnshire sausage. Sage is also common in Italian cooking. Sage is sautéed in olive oil and butter until crisp, then plain or stuffed pasta is added (burro e salvia). In the Balkans and the Middle East, it is used when roasting mutton.

Medicinal

Sage leaves

The top side of a sage leaf - trichomes are visible.

The underside of a sage leaf - more trichomes are visible on this side.

The Latin name for sage, salvia, means “to heal". Although the effectiveness of Common Sage is open to debate, it has been recommended at one time or another for virtually every ailment. Modern evidence supports its effects as an anhidrotic, antibiotic, antifungal, astringent, antispasmodic, estrogenic, hypoglycemic, and tonic.^[1] 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.^[2]

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.^[1]

Caution is indicated when used in conjunction with central nervous system stimulants or depressants.^[1] Sage is used as a nootropic for its acetylcholinesterase inhibitor properties. An "Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor" promotes the availabilty of Acetylcholine.

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. Theophrastus wrote about two different sages, a wild undershrub he called sphakos, and a similar cultivated plant he called elelisphakos. Pliny the Elder said that 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. During the Carolingian Empire of the early Middle Ages, monastery gardens were cultivating the plant. 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.^[3]

The plant had a high reputation throughout the Middle Ages, with many sayings referring to its healing properties and value.^[4] 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.^[3]

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:

• 'Purpurascens', a purple-leafed cultivar, considered by some to be strongest of the garden sages,
• 'Tricolor', a cultivar with white, yellow and green variegated leaves,
• 'Berggarten', a cultivar with large leaves,
• 'Icterina', a cultivar with yellow-green variegated leaves,
• 'Alba', a white-flowered cultivar,
• 'Extrakta', has leaves with higher oil concentrations.
• 'Lavandulaefolia', a small leaved cultivar.

See also

• Aroma compound
• Essential oil
• Sage oil
• Salvia
• Thujone

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Sage". OBeWise Nutriceutica. Applied Health. http://www.appliedhealth.com/nutri/page8453.php. Retrieved 2008-02-04. 
2. ^ 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. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Kintzios, Spiridon E. (2000). Sage: The Genus Salvia. CRC Press. pp. 10-11. ISBN 9789058230058. 
4. ^ An anglo-saxon manuscript read "Why should man die when he has sage?" Kintzios, p. 10

Sources

• The Herb Society of America New Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses, Deni Bown (New York: DK, 2001)

External links

• USDA Plants Profile
• Medicinal use: from appliedhealth.com
• Medicinal use, modern and historical: from botanical.com

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Salvia officinalis

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