Sage Uses and Plant Monograph
Sage has long been used to flavor meals and to aid digestion. In recent years it’s been shown to be a powerful ally against Alzheimer’s disease, imbalanced cholesterol levels, and type 2 diabetes.
For most people in North America, sage is used just a few times a year as a compliment to the turkey stuffing but sage has a long history of use.
The name Salvia comes from the roots of “to save” or “to heal.” Maude Grieve writes in A Modern Herbal that sage was even sometimes known as “Salvia Salvatrix” (Sage the Savior).
Grieve reports that in medieval times there was a saying,
“Cur moriatur homo cui Salvia crescit in horto?”
Which translates “Why should a man die while sage grows in his garden?”
Sage Uses & Plant Profile Summary:
- Botanical Name: Salvia officinalis
- Other Common Names: garden sage, common sage, culinary sage
- Family: Lamiaceae (mint)
- Parts Used: leaves, flower buds
- Energetics: warming, drying
- Taste: pungent, bitter
- Plant Properties: aromatic, astringent, carminative, diaphoretic, antiseptic, blood moving
- Plant Uses: sore throat, excessive sweating, infections, stagnant digestion, type 2 diabetes, hot flashes, toothache, sore muscles, high cholesterol, Alzheimer’s disease
- Plant Preparations: tea, culinary, tincture, tooth powder, facial steam, essential oil
Using Sage to Support Digestion
The taste of sage is both bitter and pungent and wonderfully aromatic. When we see these attributes blended together in an herb, we know it can be used to promote digestion. And sage is a wonderful carminative! It eases painful gas and bloating, moves stagnant digestion (which is when you eat food and it feels like you have an immobile rock in your belly), and even relieves painful intestinal cramping.
Sage is especially appropriate for people who cannot digest fats well. It can be taken as a tea before or after a meal or simply used as a spice within the meal.
Sage Strengthens Cognition and Improves Memory
Sage has grabbed headlines in recent years for its ability to support people with Alzheimer’s disease or other memory loss. It appears to work in a very unique way. One explanation is that sage inhibits the breakdown of acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is a chemical in the brain (neurotransmitter) that supports both memory and cognition. In patients with Alzheimer’s disease, acetylcholine breaks down too quickly and less of it is produced over time. Both of these actions result in a gradual loss of memory. Sage works as an anti-cholinesterase, inhibiting the breakdown of this important chemical.
Sage has been shown to help people with mild to moderate symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. In one study, those taking a sage extract for four months showed a significant improvement in cognitive functions and less agitation as compared with the placebo group.1
There’s no reason to wait until a diagnosis to use sage. Researchers have shown that an extract of sage improves memory and attention in healthy older volunteers.2 In fact, sage isn’t just for the elderly, it’s also been shown to improve both memory and mood in younger populations.3
Herbalists are not surprised that sage can benefit the brain. John Gerard, an English herbalist who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, wrote in his book, The Herbal, “Sage is singularly good for the head and the brain, it quickeneth the senses and memory.”4
Sage as an Astringent Herb
Sage is a wonderful astringent herb and can be used to tighten and tone tissues. This important action is used when tissues have become lax, have lost their tone, or have become swollen. It has a special affinity for the mouth and throat and can be used to relieve pain and heal mouth ulcers, canker sores, bleeding gums, spongy gums, and cold sores. Sage is a common ingredient in many tooth powder and mouthwash recipes.
Sage for Colds and the Flu
Herbalists have long used sage to soothe a sore throat. The astringent properties can bring relief to swollen tissues and the antimicrobial properties can address the infection. I like to gargle with sage infusion or drink sage tea with some lemon and honey for this purpose.
Modern day researchers are catching up to this time honored use of sage. In one human sore throat trial, researchers compared the effects of a sage and Echinacea extract with the effects of a spray made up of the antiseptic chlorhexidine and the anesthetic lidocaine. They concluded that the sage and Echinacea extract showed slightly better results than the chlorhexidine and lidocaine for reducing sore throat symptoms after three days.5
Another study showed that a fluid extract of sage worked better than placebo in reducing pain due to viral pharyngitis (a viral throat infection).6
In fact, sage is effective for a variety of discomforts that can accompany a cold or influenza. Taken as a warm tea it acts as a mild stimulating diaphoretic, making it a good choice for fevers when the person feels cold and is shivering. As an herbal steam, it can help to decongest the sinuses and loosen congestion in the lungs.
Sage Can Move Blood
The red sage of China is well known for its affinity for the blood, but our Western culinary sage can also be used for a variety of stagnant blood conditions, such as blood clots and varicose veins. In the Earthwise Herbal, herbalist Matthew Wood describes using sage on multiple occasions for dissolving blood clots. The term for this action in traditional herbalism is “blood mover.”
As a blood mover, sage can be used for people with poor circulation resulting in cold hands and feet. Improving the blood flow to all parts of the body, including the brain, could provide us with another explanation of how sage improves cognitive function and can help prevent memory loss.
Sage for Night Sweats and Hot Flashes
Sage is commonly used for easing menopausal complaints such as night sweats and hot flashes. Herbalist Phyllis Light says sage is
“…specific for the transition from fertility levels of estrogen to post-menopausal levels. In other words, it helps the adrenal cortex take over the manufacture of sexual hormones as the gonads atrophy. It is specific for symptoms of ‘drying out.’”
A human clinical trial in 2011 showed that women who took a tablet of sage leaves saw a significant reduction in the intensity of frequency of their hot flashes.7
Sage Can Improve Imbalanced Cholesterol and Type 2 Diabetes
In human clinical trials, sage has been shown to have positive effects on blood sugar levels, cholesterol (including triglycerides), and antioxidant defenses. All of these beneficial effects can be especially useful to those with type 2 diabetes.8 9
Sage for Pain and Injury
While I haven’t seen sage commonly used for pain and injuries by modern herbalists, historically it was used for a variety of painful ailments. Culpepper recommends it for headaches, rheumatic pains, and joint pains.
In her book, The Modern Herbal, Maude Grieve lists this sage recipe as a cure for sprains:
“Bruise a handful of sage leaves and boil them in a gill of vinegar for five minutes; apply this in a folded napkin as hot as it can be borne to the part affected.”10
Botanically Speaking
There are many sage varieties from around the world that are revered as medicine.
In China, the roots of the red sage Danshen (S. miltiorrhiza) have been used for thousands of years as blood mover, blood tonic, kidney remedy, and as part of a formula for treating type 2 diabetes.
The white sage of California (S. apiana) is used extensively in ceremonies, both historically and in the present day.
Our common culinary sage, S. officinalis, is native to the Mediterranean and southern Europe, and is now cultivated all over the world.
It grows anywhere from 1-3’ high.
Plant Preparations
Sage can be used as a culinary spice (not just for Thanksgiving stuffing!) or simply enjoyed as a tea. However, this delicious and aromatic herb can be used in practically every herbal preparation you can think of.
It can be extracted into alcohol to make a tincture. This can be used daily for general benefits, or used diluted in warm salted water as a mouth wash or gargle.
Similarly sage can be extracted into vinegar and used as a gargle or as an ingredient in homemade salad dressing. A diluted sage vinegar can be used externally to relieve sunburn pain (1:3 dilution with water works great). This diluted vinegar can also be applied to the scalp to address dandruff.
The fresh or dried leaves can be infused in oil and then used to make salves, lotions, and creams. It also infuses well into witch hazel extract, which can be used as a facial toner, on varicose veins, or as a deodorant.
A cup of warm sage tea can relieve a sore throat and bring comfort while sick. Using a strong tea as a steam inhalation can also help to break up mucus in the lungs and sinuses.
Sage is also commonly used as an essential oil.
Dosage Suggestions
Sage can be enjoyed in culinary amounts.
The therapeutic doses for sage are:
- As tea (dried): 1 to 2 grams, 2 to 3 times per day
- As tincture: 1:5, 30% alcohol, 1.5 to 2 mL, 3 times per day11
Special Considerations
Sage is generally considered safe for everyone. However, large amounts of sage are contraindicated in pregnancy. It can also dry up the flow of milk during lactation, so should be avoided unless the mother is preparing to wean.
Footnotes
The Herbal Remedy Vault has all of our printable recipe cards...
