Sage and The Season

The holidays are approaching and it’s a wonderful time to talk about a common yet powerful herb, our culinary Sage! For most people in North America, sage is used just a few times a year. Think about what you would use sage in? Turkey stuffing? Meat on the grill?

The genus, Salvia is the largest in the mint (Labitae), family with over 800 species represented, but sage has a long history of use. The name Salvia comes from the roots of “to save” or “to heal.”

Pliny the Elder was the first author known to describe a plant called "Salvia" by the Romans. During medieval time, 12^th century, it is said that Martin Luther asked: "Cur moriatur homo cui Salvia crescit in horto?" ("Why should a man die whilst sage grows in his garden?").  To which Hildegard of Bingen (1150 ad) said: "Why should a man die whilst sage grows in his garden, if not because nothing can stand against death?"     

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.”

In modern times? Sage was officially listed as a “medicine” in the United States Pharmacopoeia from 1840 to 1900.

Sage is wonderful herb for: Memory, cold & flu, stomach and digestive issues, hot flashes and so on. So many wonderful ways to use Sage!  

For all the details be sure to watch the video