Sage Salvia Officinalis
Sage is a powerful garden herb widely used around the world for medicinal and culinary purposes. The most common variety of sage comes from the Mediterranean. The whole sage plant is aromatic, especially when rubbed, and is rendered conspicuous by its long spike of purplish-blue flowers, first dense, afterwards becoming rather lax.
The plant is in bloom from June to August. The seeds are smooth, and like the Garden Clary, produce a great quantity of soft, tasteless mucilage, when moistened. If put under the eyelids for a few moments the tears dissolve this mucilage, which envelops any dust and brings it out safely. Old writers called this plant 'Oculus Christi,' or 'Christ's Eye.
Sage Use & Benefits
Spice up your food and your memory with sage. If your grandmother spiked your tea with sage and told you to drink up, she probably knew this secret that was first discovered some 400 years ago by herbalists. They wrote in 1597 that sage quickens the nerves and memory.
Sage Research And Development
Now researchers from the northern English universities of Newcastle and Northumbria have confirmed it scientifically: Healthy, young adults who took sage oil extract in capsule form in the medically-controlled study experienced a marked improvement in their memory capabilities and performed significantly better on a word recall test than those who took a placebo.
Researchers at the Universities' Medicinal Plant Research Center concluded that sage can possibly help Alzheimer's patients by protecting a key chemical that the disease destroys."This research does have serious implications for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, as it will inform drug research and development," lead researcher Nicola Tildesley said in a statement.
This proves how valuable the work by old herbalists is, and they shouldn't just be ignored because they were writing centuries ago. Best of all, sage has no side effects. The next step: Researchers will try to figure out how sage actually boosts the memory, especially in Alzheimer's patients. The findings were published in the British journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior.
Sage Culinary Recipes
Garden sage (Salvia officinalis) is the most universally useful sage. Pick the leaves before the plant goes to flower and dry thoroughly on screens. Then, rub the leaves through a screen to produce the fluffy, ground sage that makes such a savory addition to roasted fowl or protein dishes. Garden sage is also a valuable antibacterial, anti fungal, and antiviral agent.
Taken internally or gargled in the form of tea or diluted tincture, the garden sage will fight infection and will also diminish secretions of all kinds, including perspiration and saliva. Garden sage is also a specific for drying up milk production during weaning. The herb stimulates memory. For more information on the preparation and use of sage in home herbal medicine.
The health benefits of sage makes it one of the most popular garden herbs used around the world for cooking, drinking, and eating for its many healing properties. Find sage recipes and learn how to cook with sage and enhance the flavors and taste of your home cooking