Salvia: Its Properties / Rebeca Monzo

Rebeca Monzo, 12 July 2015 — This plant is native to the Mediterranean region. Its name comes from the Latin term, “salvare,” which means to cure. In English it is known by the name of “sage.” Despite having multiple uses, it is famous mostly has a culinary herb. It has also been utilized for thousands of years as a medicine.

It is an aromatic plant belonging to the labiate family (lamiaceae). These plants grow in bushes measuring some 30-40 cm in height, and they are cultivated in fields, orchards or gardens. It’s leaves are of a velvety grayish-green, with attractive flowers that are colored in lilac, purple or green. It requires rich soil, good drainage, and sunlight.

Its active agents are distributed throughout the entire plant, which makes its leaves, stems and flowers usable. Its fresh leaves can be used to make extracts for gargling. The essential oils of salvia include thuja, camphor and eucalyptus. It also contains bitter components such as tannin (rosmarinic acid), flavonoids, and substances that produce an anti-perspirant and estrogenic effect.

It is often used to treat respiratory infections, nasal congestion, cough, tonsillitis, and as an effective anti-inflammatory. It stimulates the appetite (when ingested as an infusion), relieves indigestion and has a beneficial effect on the liver, relieves urinary tract problems (cystitis), and in some women it relieves the discomforts of menopause.

Interesting fact:

When brushing the teeth, add ground-up salvia leaves to the dentifrice. Salvia, a powerful antiseptic, helps to eliminate bacterial plaque and acts as a disinfectant, and strengthens bleeding gums.

Tips:

It is recommended to all those who have trouble falling asleep, to make a small pillow stuffed with dried salvia leaves, and place it at the base of the head at bedtime, to achieve a restorative sleep.

If you do not have a garden, where one of these bushes would be indispensable, it is recommended to prepare a large flowerpot with charcoal placed at the base for good drainage, filled with enriched soil to sow this plant, then placed in full sun. Its features make it, as well, a good ornamental shrub.

Translated By: Alicia Barraqué Ellison