Sage - The Healing & Cleansing Herb
SAGE (Salvia officinalis [Latin]) – The Healing & Cleansing Herb
When many people think of Sage, they either think of a spice to rub on their chicken or a Sage wand to cleanse energy. Sage has been used by many cultures for Centuries and has many uses.
A Mediterranean native, it is an aromatic plant. Its Latin name means ‘To Heal’ and throughout the ages Sage has been associated with Wise-men or Sages.
I remember as a kid spending my summers on the island of Cyprus where both my parents are from. My father would sometimes take us to a cool little village up on a mountain called Kantara, This was where I first discovered Sage. My father has always been into healing himself naturally with herbs & Tea’s, he was not even registered with a doctor and still isn’t to this day. He used to tell me ‘Listen to your body, it will tell you what it needs’ I never understood what he meant until many years later when I developed some health issues in my late teens and early twenties. Doctors made me worse with prescribed medication and it took my Osteopath who was also a healer to tell me I needed to find out my Blood type and see what foods heal me with guidance from a book I still use today ‘EAT RIGHT 4 YOUR BLOOD TYPE’. This book and my father’s advice saved my life. By changing certain foods in my diet and ‘Listening’ to my body, I discovered how never to be sick again. You see, when you do not disguise your pain and symptoms with crappy medications, and recognize and accept them, your body really does tell you what it needs. You just need to be in tune with yourself and Listen!! Anyway, back to Sage. Sage Tea was something my father swore by and now that I was up on this mountain in Northern Cyprus, my father was going to show me where he got his Sage from, it grew wild up there and I remember reaching out over big mountain drops to pick this amazing healing Herb. We would dry it out, bring it back to London and it would be good to use to make tea whenever we needed its healing properties. Everytime my father would feel run-down, he would make this tea and heal himself naturally. Later on in my many travels I discovered that Sage was used by many Cultures in many different ways and had been used for centuries, it was like The MAGIC HERB!! One of my favorite ways was using The Sage wand the cleanse energies. I use it regularly on myself, on others and in rooms and houses and spaces to keep bad energies away and bring in good. I am very sensitive to energy and it has definitely become something that I carry around with me either as a wand, as Tea or as an essential oil. When I first went to Iraq in 2005, I knew the energy would be very intense with the war going on, with a lot of Death & Anger and also surrounding the project I was working on. I was out there shooting the 1st ever movie about Women’s rights. Now you can all imagine how a project like this could cause great animosity. A lot of people do not realize how energy can affect you, they just have unexplainable mood swings and feelings. I felt this a lot on set and not only was I the main actress, but I also found myself constantly healing people and cleansing our work space just so we were able to work. Sage really was a lifesaver during this time. I used a Sage wand. The Sage wand was something that was used by Native American Indians to cleanse energies.
So Sage can be used both internally and externally for healing & Cleansing, either through ingesting, burning or using the essential oil.
A Sage wand or Sage essential oil can be purchased at many New-age & Natural Health stores. Many super markets these days also carry fresh or dry Sage used to make Tea or add to food.
The way I personally use the Sage wand for energy cleansing is to burn it, then if it’s a room or space I start at the front door and walk clockwise to every corner until I reach the front door again, open the door and ask the bad energy to leave. Personal prayer can also be added to this method. If I’m cleansing myself, then I outline my whole body with the lit sage wand, then go over my Chakra’s individually, lastly, I draw a circle with the smoke and step through it. Everything is repeated 3 times, for the area & personal energy cleansing.
I use the oil to either burn in an oil burner or add to my bath or carry around with me to use a couple of drops on my body for extra energy cleansing.
To make Sage Tea, I simply use either fresh or Dried Sage and infuse it in boiling water for 5 – 10 mins.
Other uses of SAGE:
Over the past 2000 years Sage has been recommended by Herbalists for just about everything from Snake-bites to Mental illness
Can help reduce excessive perspiration
Liver (A stimulant for sluggish Livers with associated symptoms such as Headaches, Fatigue & reduced
Immunity)
Digestive problems
Premenstrual cramps
High blood sugar (drinking a sage infusion can reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes, but only when they drink the infusion on an empty stomach.)
Can treat fever
Used in natural mouthwashes, as its tannins kill bacteria that causes Gingivitis
Canker sores
Great for Respiratory infections
Bleeding gums, sore throat, tonsillitis, and laryngitis. (you can gargle with hot sage to soothe pain from sore throat & Tonsillitis)
Has the ability to fight against several infection causing Bacteria
Helps guard against depletion of the brain's concentration of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is crucial to proper brain function. A combination of ginkgo biloba, sage, and rosemary may help prevent or slow the development of Alzheimer's.
Gastrointestinal disorders
As an astringent (Sage can be used as a refreshing after-shave)
Powdered sage or sage tea helps to prevent blood clots from forming and is quite useful in the prevention and treatment of myocardial infarction and general coronary pains.
Contains Anti-oxidants to prevent premature aging of cells
Increases digestive enzymes & stimulates your liver to give you new vigor. It’s the herb of Longevity.
A Sage bath can heal & soothe
Use a Sage rinse for Dandruff
Indigestion
Memory
Menopause
Free radical protection
Yeast infections
To re-coup from illness and for overall well-being
Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, selenium, Silicon, Sodium, Sulfur, Zinc, Volatile oil, Bitters, Tannins, Triterpenoids, Resin, Flavonoids, Estrogenic compounds, Vitamin E
Values: Antispasmodic, Astringent, Antiseptic, Carminative, Relaxes peripheral Blood vessels, Reduces sweating, Anti-biotic, Lowers Blood sugar levels, Promotes Bile flow, Sedative, Circulatory stimulant, Cooling.
The list goes on but just as I’ve stated before, everything in moderation and definitely avoid if you suffer from Epilepsy.
Health, Love & Blessings
Oz x
