Sage the Savior

Sage – Kitchen Sage, Small Leaf Sage, Garden Sage, Common Sage

BOTANICAL NAME

Salvia officinalis L.

PLANT TYPE

Perennial Herb

SUN EXPOSURE

Full Morning Sun; Full Sun Only

SOIL TYPE

Well-drained loamy and sandy soil

SOIL pH

6.0-6.5

FUN FACTS       

                

Sage plant is known for the unique, pungent and aromatic smell scent produce by its attractive grayish-green leaves [1]. This bushy perennial, evergeen subshrub can grow up to 2 feet tall and wide, at a moderate rate.  It is native to Mediterranean region and a member of the mint family Lamiaceae. It has a woody stems, with lavender flowers, but it can also be white, pink, blue, or purple. The prizes leaves are range in size up to 2.5 inch long to 1 inch wide; oblong in shape, grey to green is the common colour though other variety can also be in purple, rose, cream and yellow. The unique leaves are rugose or corrugated on the upper side, and appearance of white underside due to the many short soft hairs.

  

Medicinal Uses

Sage has been known and used in various ancient civilization for healing properties attributed to it hence the specific epithet, officinalis, as a reference to monastery’s storeroom of herbs and medicines called officinal [2]. Form the most recent curator of knowledge of plant life like Carl Linnaeus, John Gerard, Walafrid Strabo to historical philosophers like Galen, Dioscorides, Pliny the Elder, Theopharatus, mentioned sage long list of medicinal qualities and uses like:

appetizer, stimulant [5],

tonic [3], aromatherapy,

cholagogue, antidiarrheal, carminative, diuretic [3],

antihydrotic, astringent , antiseptic,

antispasmodic [5],

styptic or antihemorrhagic [3]

mucolytic (essential oil), vasodilator,

galactofuge, emmenagogue, increases female fertility,

local topical anesthetic for the skin, toothaches [1]

anti-inflammatory: to reduce fever and treat snakebites, insect bites, wasp stings, and rheumatoid arthritis(essential oil)

Essential oil from sage contains cineole, borneol and thujone. While the sage leaves contain tannic acid, oleic acid, ursonic acid, carnosol, carnosic acid, fumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, niacin, nicotinamide, flavones, flavonoid glycosides, and estrogenic hence associate female fertility. In contemporary medical research, a chemical compound called thujone is present in sage extract and it may be neurotoxic [4].

It be toxic when used in excess or when taken for an extended period. Known symptoms include: giddiness, restlessness, vomiting, vertigo, tremors, seizures. It is contraindicated during pregnancy and people with epileptic fits.

NTS: This blog initially decline to present any medicinal uses of the plants as most are unfounded claims, but for safety reason inclined to provide the general effects with the hopes that precaution would be taken when utilizing the plants. Moreover, this blog cannot take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of the plant. Always seek advice from a professional before using for medicinally purpose.

Culinary Uses

In the western civilization, sage has been listed as one of the essential herbs together with rosemary, thyme and parsley. The edible part is the aromatic grayish-green leaves, used as flavoring in cooked foods. It appears in many European cuisines, especially Italian cookery but not much in French. It is use a condiment and  accompaniment, as it savory, peppery flavor and sweet aroma compliments with poultry like turkey and chicken dishes, hence it is use in soups, stews and poultry stuffing. Given it aids in digestion, having a cholagogue quality, often used with heavy and oily food like rich meat dishes, example flavouring pork chops, sausages and cheeses.

The young leaves and flowers can be eaten raw, boiled, pickled or used in sandwiches. The flowers can be sprinkled in salads to add colour and fragrance. Herbal tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves.

Essential oil from sage is also used commercially to flavor ice-cream, sweet and baked goods.

  

Other Uses

Rubbing the top side of the sage leaves over teeth and gums make an excellent tooth cleaner. The essential oil from leaves is used in perfumery as an effective “fixer.” The essential oil is also used in hair shampoos, and said it is good for dark hair [5].

In agriculture, the flower of the plant is an alternative compost activator, where dried and powdered can be added to compost heap to speed up bacterial activity and shorten the time needed to make compost. It is claimed that growing and dried plants repel insects, it is a good companion plant for cabbages and carrots. It repel or distract insects like cabbage flies, carrot fly, black flea beetle, cabbage looper and cabbage maggot, bean parasites and woodworm,  but it attracts bees and  butterflies, excellent for pollination. For sunny positions it is a good ground cover plants after 1-2 years established growth.

It was used as a strewing herb and burnt to fumigate rooms.

PLANTING

Preparation

Cold frame or greenhouse if in seasonal zone 

Shallow container if propagating by seed; Temporary containers or preferred large permanent pot/s if propagating by stem cuttings

Broken pottery for drainage

Well-drained loamy or sandy soil; prefer calcareous soil, containing calcium carbonate and chalky with adequate supply of nitrogen

Propagation

By Seed

When to sow/plant:

In Spring, March or April in a greenhouse;

Seed Depth:

Depth not indicated; Sow seed or plant by scattering in the soil, thinly

Cover lightly with 1/8 inch of soil to keep moist

Seed/Row Spacing:

Not indicated

Days to Sprout/Germination:

10-21 days

When to transplant seedlings:

In early summer or in June, when seedlings are large enough to handle.

Seedling Spacing:

Set seedlings at least 18 inches apart or individual containers

When to transplant:

Keep seedlings in greenhouse for the first winter and plant out in late spring of the following year.

By Cutting

Part to cut:

A. Cuttings of heeled shoots taken from a woody stems of an established plant

B. Cuttings of half-ripe wood

C. Cuttings of mature wood

Length of cutting:

A. Taken from stem

B. About 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) with heel

C. About 3-5 inches (7-10 cm) with heel

When to cut and plant:

Cutting indoors: six to ten weeks before last spring frost 

A. In May

B. In June to August, plant in a frame

C. In November to December, in a cold frame

Layering in spring or autumn

Depth:

Not indicated

Cutting/Plant Spacing:

At least 18 inches apart or individual container

Days to Roots:

Not indicated; mounding soil up into plants encourage rooting

When to transplant:

A.   Plant directly into the soil.

B/C. After 6-12 months from rooting

Plant Spacing:

Plant 2-3 feet apart [6]

CARE AND CULTIVATION

Care Level:

EASY

Watering:

Sage has average watering needs.

Water on a regular schedule, let soil goes almost completely dry between watering.

Do not overwater.

In the tropics, water preferably, in the morning when the soil is cool or cooled down in the late afternoon. Protect plants during rainy season

Growing Notes:

Full sun only, cannot grow in the shade

Tolerates alkaline soil

Drought and frost tolerant, but killed in a winter-wet condition

Plants need trimming and pruning of the heavier and woody stems every late spring in order to keep them compact.

Best replaced after every 4 years to ensure the best quality

Flower Blooming:     

From late spring to mid-summer, it sends up purple flower spikes.

Blooms range from shades of Niagara, lavender, purple and blue flowers.

The flowers are hermaphrodites, and pollinated by bees.

Seed Ripens:     

From August to September

Companion plants:

Rosemary

Thyme

Oregano

Beans

Cabbages

Carrots

Cut flowers

Dislikes: basil, rue, cucumber and squash

Pests and Diseases:

Powdery mildew

Rust

Stem rot

Fungal leaf spot

Whitefly

Aphid

Mealy bug

Red spider mite

HARVESTING

Days to Harvest:

During the first year, harvest lightly until they are fully grown.

For minimal use, sage leaves could be harvest anytime. For bulk amount, sage leaves should be harvest prior to blooming.

Favorably harvest in the morning when the aroma are the strongest.

Storage:

Sage’s flavor is best when fresh, but it can be stored frozen or dried.

Dry in a well-ventilated room on screens away from direct sunlight and then store in a tight jar.

Let us know If you like this article and comment below. Feel free to post questions, inquiries and requests, as well as reactions, suggestions, and corrections. Do not forget to follow and help this blog post better content. Thank you!

As always enjoy all plants and gardening!

References

1. Bown, D. (1995). Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. London: Dorling Kindersley.

2. Stearn, W. T. (2004). Botanical Latin. London: Timber Press.

3. Kintzios, S.E. (2000). Sage: The Genus Salvia. United States: CRC Press.

4. Olsen, R. (25 April 2000). "Absinthe and gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 97 (9): 4417–8. 

5. Grieve, Maud (1971). A Modern Herbal: The Medicinal, Culinary, Cosmetic and Economic Properties, Cultivation and Folk-lore of Herbs, Grasses, Fungi, Shrubs, & Trees with All Their Modern Scientific Uses, Volume 2.

6. Sheat, W. G. (1948). Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. London: MacMillan and Co.