Sage

This small shrub grows all over the Mediterranean and is one of the evocative memories of any Greek holiday; the smell of fresh sage bruised by feet on mountain paths. It has square stems covered with soft hairs and broad hairy leaves. The flowers are pale blue to deepest violet.

Cultivation

Sage plants can be started from seed, or root cuttings or transplants, which are small plants which you find on sale in garden centres. It prefers a warm, sunny location but not extreme heat. It is not particular about soil, except that it prefers well drained conditions. It loves growing in containers but if you want to grow it indoors, it has to be in strong direct light. Pruning after flowering will keep plants attractive and prevent them from getting too woody and leggy.

Parts Used

Leaves, fresh or dried, for cooking or medicinal purposes.

Uses

Sage leaves can provide relief of the itching and swelling resulting from insect, use fresh leaves in a poultice. A tea made from dried leaves – one tablespoon to a litre of water brought to the boil and allowed to cool provides soothes sore throats, loss of voice and tonsillitis, as well as helping to remove mucous from congested lungs. It’s said that you can turn grey hair back to black or brown by mixing 2 tablespoons of dried sage and black tea each in a bowl cover with boiling water, cover, cool and strain. A small quantity of the infusion can then be rubbed into the roots of the hair 4-5 times a week. Apparently the hair will become darker.

Sage photograph by cyancey from flickr under a creative commons attribution license.