The Encyclopedia of Crystals, Herbs, and New Age Elements: An A to Z Guide to New Age Elements and How to Use Them - Adams Media 2016

Sage
The Power of Herbs: Herbs and Spices

ORIGINS

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is a perennial herb in the mint family with blue to purplish flowers and aromatic grayish-green leaves. Native to the Mediterranean region, sage has a long history of culinary and medicinal use. The word sage comes from the Latin salvus, meaning “healthy.” A related herb, clary sage, is covered in Chapter 4: The Power of Scent: Essential Oils.

HISTORY/LORE

According to Greek legend, Cadmus, the founder and first king of Thebes, discovered the medicinal properties of sage when the leaves were offered to him in a religious ceremony. In the Middle Ages, sage was used to treat fevers, liver disease, and epilepsy. It was once believed that young women could use sage in magic to see their future husbands.

USES

Healing Uses: Sage treats many common mouth and throat ailments, including inflamed gums, laryngitis, and tonsillitis. Chewing the leaves cleans the teeth and freshens breath. For sore throats, gargle with sage tea. As a hair wash, sage helps eliminate head lice. Sage’s antiseptic qualities make it useful as a compress or salve for treating wounds. As a facial steam bath, sage acts as an astringent for the skin and relieves congestion associated with head colds.

Magical Uses: Sage is used in smudging practices to cleanse a person, object, or space of negative energies or influences. This process, also called “saging,” involves burning a bundle of dried sage leaves and letting the smoke waft over the person, object, or space. The smoke attaches to the negative energy and carries it away (be sure to keep windows open when saging to allow smoke to escape).

Personal/Spiritual Growth: Sage is a powerful herb, cleansing both the body and mind of impurities. Burn sage as incense to re-establish physical, spiritual, or emotional balance or to de-stress and relieve anxiety. In aromatherapy, sage essential oil stimulates the mind and relieves mental fatigue and depression.