In the article, we consider the benefits and harms of sage.
This plant has been used in folk medicine since ancient times. Its medicinal properties are described in the works of the healers of Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome. Hippocrates called it "sacred grass" and advised it to be used to rejuvenate and strengthen the body, as well as the treatment of a number of diseases. The birthplace of this medicinal plant is the Mediterranean, from where the grass fell into other regions along with trade caravans.
Not everyone knows what sage looks like.
General characteristics
Salvia officinalis is a cross-pollinated herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the family Lamiaceae. Sage looks like this:
- the height of branched straight stems at the base of woody reaches about 70 cm;
- leaves are greenish-gray, oblong, densely pubescent;
- flowers are collected in inflorescences, have purple corollas.
Flowering time is summer, June-July, and fruit ripening occurs in late summer and first half of autumn. Wild sage is not found in Russia, but is cultivated almost everywhere. This plant is a good honey plant. Sage leaves are harvested as medicinal raw materials, as well as tops with inflorescences, which are dried in well-ventilated areas. The plant substrate is recommended to be stored in rooms with low humidity.
Active components
What does sage look like, see the photo below.
The leaves of the plant, as well as its inflorescences, contain a large amount of essential oil. It also found some organic acids (acetic and formic), bioflavonoids, pinene, tannins, vitamins C, B1 and P, camphor, tannins, phytoncide salvin, paradiphenol and linalool (terpenoid compound). The seeds of this plant contain many oils and proteins, and coumarin is found in its roots. What are the benefits and harms of sage?
Beneficial features
Due to the increased concentration of a number of biologically important components, sage has antibacterial, hemostatic, anti-inflammatory properties, has an astringent and restorative effect. Preparations based on this plant contribute to an increase in the secretory activity of the digestive organs, act as a diuretic and allow you to fight excessive sweating. Grass is also a powerful immunostimulant.
Plant damage
Despite the fact that sage is very useful for the body and is used in the treatment of many pathological processes, it is dangerous to abuse it. With prolonged use of drugs based on this healing plant, allergic reactions can develop, and use in high dosages can cause poisoning.
Indications for use
Means based on this medicinal plant are indicated for the following pathological conditions:
- digestive tract diseases;
- pathology of the urinary tract and kidneys (cystitis, pyelonephritis);
- hypertension;
- liver disease
- viral infections (as a general strengthening agent to enhance immune defense);
- cholecystitis;
- bronchitis of any form;
- pneumonia;
- neuritis;
- angina;
- diabetes;
- radiculitis;
- polyarthritis;
- bronchial asthma (to eliminate seizures);
- inflammatory pathologies of the oral cavity (stomatitis, gingivitis);
- mumps;
- dermatological diseases (psoriasis, mycoses);
- nervous diseases;
- chronic fatigue;
- excessive sweating.
Outwardly, such agents are prescribed for wound healing, chemical and thermal burns, ulcers and frostbite. Traditional medicine recommends using this healing herb to treat lesions of the respiratory system, for example, with pulmonary tuberculosis. Sage has a high concentration of natural analogues of estrogen, so it is used for disorders that occur during menopause (nervousness and hot flashes).
Hemostatic properties can reduce blood loss during prolonged and heavy menstruation. Also, the grass is used to prepare baths for hemorrhoid therapy. Sage is included in the contents of gastric collections, with which you can fight flatulence, increase appetite, improve intestinal motility, stimulate the production and discharge of bile. The plant well strengthens the immune system, increases physical endurance and mental activity.
Sage essential oil is used in aromatherapy to eliminate headaches during fatigue and to relieve emotional stress. In cosmetology, sage decoctions are prescribed to combat dandruff, acne and to reduce oily skin.
Contraindications
Sage preparations can not be taken with acute inflammation of the kidneys, hypothyroidism (low production of thyroid hormones), as well as with hypersensitivity to plant substances. Since the herb has estrogenic qualities, it is contraindicated in women with myoma, polycystic ovary and endometriosis. Another contraindication is pregnancy and lactation.
The benefits and harms of sage must be taken into account.
Application in gynecology
Sage contains many active phytohormones, which are similar in nature to the sex hormones of women. Biological compounds compensate for the lack of estrogens and stimulate the processes of their synthesis. Thanks to this, sage can be successfully used for infertility, provoked by violations of ovulation processes.
The healing properties of sage for women are unique.
This plant is also recommended for the treatment of frigidity. If a woman wants to conceive a child, it is recommended to take an infusion of this herb from 4 days of menstruation to the period of ovulation. After it, the infusion should not be taken, since it increases the tone of the uterus and may interfere with the implantation of a fertilized egg.
Baths with sage in gynecology are used for inflammatory pathologies of the external genital organs, with vaginitis, candidiasis, etc.
Other female diseases in which the use of sage will help:
- disruptions in the regularity of menstruation;
- various inflammations;
- pathological discharge of unknown origin;
- cervical erosion.
When breastfeeding
When it’s time to wean a baby, sage will help. If there is no urgency, and you can stop maternal feeding gradually, then with the help of this plant you can make the process the most easy and painless. When using preparations based on sage or independently prepared broths of milk, it will gradually become less and less, and the child will understand that you can eat other dishes.
With menopause
What else are the healing properties of sage for women?
In the period of menopause - profuse sweating, hot flashes, irritability also helps sage. The fact is that menopause begins against the background of insufficient synthesis of female hormones. The phytohormones of this plant make up for the lack of estrogen and stimulate its natural production. Thanks to this, the patient will cease to feel discomfort in such a pronounced degree.
In the treatment of throat diseases
Below will be presented instructions for use with pills with sage.
The plant has antiseptic properties, and because of this it is used in the manufacture of a variety of medications for the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the throat (tonsillitis, pharyngitis, etc.)
Such products with sage from the throat can be produced in the form of lozenges and lozenges with a pleasant aroma and refreshing taste.
It is necessary to take them after meals, dissolving in the oral cavity, 4-5 times a day.
Instructions for use with pills with sage should be strictly observed.
In addition, you can independently prepare solutions for gargling at home, brewing grass in a thermos. Rinses are also carried out several times a day until complete recovery.
For diseases of the digestive system
Sage from the throat helps very well. Also, medicines based on it are successfully used to eliminate many diseases of the digestive system. For example, this herb enhances the formation of bile and stimulates its removal from the gallbladder, establishing the processes of food processing. Sage also normalizes intestinal motility, which is due to its ability to increase the activity of muscle fibers. Thus, this plant is used for gastritis, when the gastric mucosa, constipation, cholecystitis and pancreatitis are affected. However, it must be borne in mind that the herb is best used in the chronic form of such pathologies, because if the disease is acute, a sage-based remedy can only aggravate unpleasant symptoms.
Use in children
The use of medicinal herbs in childhood helps to avoid many troubles in the form of side effects that almost all medicines have. Traditional medicine is the safest and most effective way to solve many childhood problems.
Often use sage for bathing newborns. The grass is brewed and broth is added to the bath when bathing the baby. Such water will have a healing and antiseptic effect on children's skin, which will help to avoid diaper rash and various rashes.
In addition, sage helps with respiratory diseases in babies. His infusions are gargled with a sore throat, they are used if a child has a strong cough with a cold. Up to three years, this plant is allowed to be used only externally, and then it can be taken orally in the form of medicinal tea.
The properties of sage grass contribute to the baby’s quick recovery, strengthen immunity, and contribute to the removal of pathological secretions from the bronchi in diseases such as bronchitis, laryngitis, tracheitis and pneumonia.
Sage can be used for dermatitis in children, psoriasis, eczema as a wound healing agent, as well as for burns.
We examined the benefits and harms of sage.