Sage: traditional uses, how to prepare it, and when to leave it alone

Partager

0

Sage (Salvia officinalis) is a woody Mediterranean perennial with grey-green, velvety leaves and a warm, camphor-bitter flavour. This page is for anyone who has a sage bush by the door and wants to know what to do with it tonight: which leaves to pick, how to brew them, what the herbal tradition credits them with, and where the real limits are.

What it is credited with

Everything below belongs to tradition and to herbal practice. None of it is a treatment, and none of it replaces a consultation.

• Digestive comfort. Sage infusion is traditionally taken after a heavy meal, and herbalists have long recommended it for a sluggish appetite and for the feeling of a slow, weighed-down digestion.
• Bitter tonic. Naturopathy classes sage among the aromatic bitters, credited with waking up the appetite when it has gone flat.
• Perspiration. Sage has an old and remarkably consistent reputation across European herbalism as the plant for excessive perspiration, including night sweats.
• Women’s traditional uses. Herbalism credits sage with a place in the difficult moments of the cycle and in the discomforts women associate with menopause, hot flushes in particular. The same tradition has always treated it as a plant to avoid in pregnancy.
• Mouth and throat. A cooled decoction used as a gargle or mouthwash is one of the classic domestic remedies, traditionally reached for when the throat is scratchy, the gums tender, or a mouth ulcer is smarting.
• After a tiring stretch. Old herbals list sage among the restorative plants taken during convalescence and periods of flat, drained tiredness.
• On the skin. Bruised fresh leaves are a country remedy for the itch of an insect bite; the tannins give the leaf its astringent, drying character.
• Aching muscles. Sage-infused oil and sage ointments are traditionally used for massage after effort, and a handful of leaves is a long-standing addition to a hot bath.

How to use it

The everyday infusion

• Use about a level teaspoon of dried leaves, or three to four fresh leaves, per cup.
• Pour water just off the boil over them, cover the cup, and leave to steep 5 to 10 minutes.
• Strain. The taste is frankly bitter and resinous — a slice of lemon or a little honey rounds it off.
• Traditionally taken after a meal, one to three cups across the day, in short courses of a week or two rather than continuously.

The gargle decoction

• Put a generous handful of leaves in a small pan of cold water.
• Bring to the boil, simmer 5 minutes, then cover and leave off the heat 10 minutes.
• Strain and let it cool to lukewarm. Gargle or rinse the mouth, and spit it out.
• Repeat two or three times a day for a few days. Make it fresh daily; it does not keep.

In the bath and on the skin

• Bath: steep two or three large handfuls of leaves in a jug of boiling water for 15 minutes, strain, and pour into the tub.
• Infused oil: pack a clean jar with dry leaves, cover with olive or sunflower oil, close, and leave on a sunny windowsill three weeks. Strain and bottle in dark glass for massage.
• Fresh leaf: crush a leaf between the fingers and rub it on an itchy bite.

In the kitchen

• Sage lifts tomatoes and potatoes, and it is the traditional partner of veal, pork, poultry and oily fish.
• Cooks use it in rich, fatty dishes precisely because it makes them feel lighter to eat.
• Fry whole leaves a few seconds in butter for gnocchi and pasta; add chopped leaves early to stews so the resinous edge mellows.
• Go carefully: sage dominates. Two or three leaves are plenty for a dish for four.

Growing your own

• Sage wants full sun and warmth, and light, deep, sandy soil — poor ground suits it better than rich ground.
• It hates wet feet. Plant on a slope or add grit if your soil holds water in winter.
• In a pot about 8 inches (20 cm) deep it does well, provided you water regularly in hot weather.
• Gardeners plant it beside roses, and among brassicas, where it is said to keep cabbage moth at bay.
• Trim lightly after flowering to stop the base going woody and bare.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: use the leaves, in an infusion or a cooled gargle, in short courses — and leave the essential oil out of the house.

Fresh leaves or dried, which is better for tea?

Both work. Dried leaves are more concentrated, so a level teaspoon per cup is enough; with fresh leaves, count three or four per cup. Fresh gives a greener, softer flavour, dried a more resinous one.

How much sage tea can I drink in a day?

Tradition keeps it modest: one to three cups a day, in courses of a week or two, then a break. Sage is an active aromatic plant and is not meant to be drunk like everyday tea, month after month.

Can I use sage while pregnant or breastfeeding?

No, not in medicinal amounts. Sage is avoided in pregnancy because tradition attributes possible abortive effects to it, and while breastfeeding because of its long-standing reputation for reducing milk supply. A pinch in cooking is a separate question — ask your midwife or doctor if in doubt.

Is sage essential oil the same thing as sage tea?

Not at all. The essential oil is a concentrated distillate and can be toxic to the nervous system because of its thujone content. It should not be swallowed or applied at home. Stick to leaves, infusions and cooled decoctions.

When is the best time to pick sage?

Late spring to early summer, when the leaves are at their most aromatic, picked in the morning once the dew has dried. You can take a few leaves for the kitchen from mid-spring right through to early autumn.

Read also: all the tips on how to grow sage and our other articles about sage.

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.