Sage is one of the most famous and common essential oil plants of the Iasnatkovye family. It grows on almost the entire Mediterranean coast. In this large family, there are about nine hundred plant species. True, not all of them have healing properties.
Decorative sage species have found application in landscape design. In folk medicine, the most commonly used are oak, nutmeg, steppe, meadow and medicinal species. This plant is grown in fields, gardens, in gardens. The medicinal properties of sage were known in ancient Egypt, where women used infusions from this herb to stimulate conception. In addition to the fact that the plant has decorative and healing properties, some types of sage are used in cooking. It is a wonderful seasoning for meat and fish dishes.
In this article we will present you the types, photos and names of sage, more precisely, its varieties, we will tell you how to properly use this culture in the treatment of certain diseases. According to the method of use and to designate plants, gardeners in everyday life call decorative sage species (photo you will see below), as well as varieties that are used to decorate various flower beds, salvia, from the Latin name of the genus - Salvia.
Plants used in medicine are called sage. Such a name, in fact, is an adaptation of the Latin name to the Russian language. The name of the plant, salvare, translates as “protect”, “save”.
Spread
Under natural conditions, various sage species grow in tropical and temperate regions of almost the whole world. The only exceptions are Australia and the Far North. In America alone, there are about five hundred sage species. Photos of plants can be seen in all directories and manuals for naturalists.
In natural conditions, the plant prefers sunny places - rocky slopes, light forests, flood and dry meadows, vacant lots.
Sage: types and varieties
A huge family of sages combines such a number of decorative species that it is quite possible to compose a variety of varieties of decorative grassy carpet, even for sophisticated gardeners. An amazing plant is sage. The types and differences between them allow you to choose a plant in accordance with your preferences: some differ in bright flowering, others create a durable and fragrant carpet, others differ in delicious taste.
Fast growing, unpretentious and undemanding to care sage is an excellent partner for many decorative, deciduous and flowering plants. Most types of sage, photos of which can be found not only in manuals for herbalists, but also in landscape design, to one degree or another have healing properties.
Infusions and decoctions of sage are used to treat infertility, colds and viral diseases. In addition, medicinal preparations based on this plant are effective in a number of skin diseases, endocrine and neurological problems.
Salvia officinalis
Types of medicinal sage, photos of which are in the article, were most widely represented in southeastern Europe - Yugoslavia and Albania, Greece and Italy. Over time, they spread throughout European territory, and even later - around the world. The leaves of this sage contain an essential oil rich in pinene, thujone, alkaloids, D-camphor, flavonoids and tannins.
The sage fruit of this species has an essential oil containing glycerides and linoleic acid. Different types of medicinal sage are most common in our country. Sometimes it is also called garden.
External features
Plant with a height of about eighty centimeters, with a straight stalk of a tetrahedral or round shape, branched and pubescent in the upper part. The leaves are painted gray-green with whitish villi. They are elongated - from lanceolate to ovoid, up to ten centimeters long. The upper leaves are located on the petioles, and the upper leaves without them. There are cold-resistant varieties:
- Aurea with creamy green leaves.
- Purpurascens with burgundy green.
- Cterina with golden yellow, green interspersed leaves.
- Tricolor with cream burgundy leaves.
In early summer, flowers appear light purple in color. Flowering continues throughout the summer. Sage is cross-pollinated. The fruits of the plant are small brown nuts, about three millimeters in diameter.
Sage elegant
A variety of medicinal sage. This plant is a meter high with funnel-shaped red flowers that appear on branches in late summer. If the sage leaves of this species are rubbed in the palms of your hands, you will feel a fruity smell. This plant has found application in cooking, for example in fruit salads. The most popular varieties: Scarlet Pineapple, Tangerine Sage.
Clary
Some types of sage, a description of which can be found in reference books on herbal medicine, have exclusively medicinal properties. For example, clary sage has long been used in medicine. In addition, it is grown to produce essential oils. Today, such types of clary sage as Voznesensky 24, Crimean early and late are popular.
This plant can also be attributed to the decorative species of sage (we posted a photo in this article) due to its compact size. This two-year-old plant does not exceed forty centimeters in height. Clary sage naturally grows in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe, and is cultivated everywhere.
This variety is also grown for the production of such a valuable product as sage oil. Sage grows mainly on sand, arable land, on clay and rocky soils. The roots of this species contain coumarins, and in inflorescences and leaves - aromatic resins. The plant has powerful antibacterial properties, and its roots, according to healers, prevent the development of tumors in the body.
Perennial sage species: photo, description
Despite the fact that this is a thermophilic plant, some of its varieties tolerate winter frosts pretty well. These include meadow and oak species.
Sage meadow
The plant is distributed in Europe. This type of sage prefers to settle on grassy and rocky slopes. Sage meadow in folk medicine is used in the form of tea, infusions for scrofulosis, dermatomycosis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, scabies. In addition, infusions are effective for diseases of the respiratory tract, as well as for external use in the form of compresses, as well as rinses for periodontal disease, stomatitis, tonsillitis.
Meadow sage essential oil has an antimycotic effect. It has found application in cosmetology and perfumery. Salvia pratensis is much more aromatic than medicinal. Young leaves have an astringent taste, while older leaves are bitter. For harvesting and drying, young shoots are cut before flowering. Popular varieties are Superba, Sensation White. The plant tolerates summer heat perfectly, losing bitterness. It is added to various dishes, mainly from fish and veal.
Sage Oak
This variety of sage is found in the European part of our country, in Central Europe, the foothills of the Crimea. The plant prefers forest edges, upland meadows and steppe slopes. Sage oak in its composition contains volatile, mineral salts, essential oils and tannins. Its bloom falls on the period from the end of June to September.
This type of sage, a photo of which can be seen in flower growing guides, has wrinkled leaves, the size of which decreases from the bottom up. The plant is represented in our country by many varieties that differ from each other in shades of inflorescences (lilac, purple, blue), flowering time, size of bushes. The most common varieties are Schwellenburg, Caradonna, Adrian,
Schneehugel, Marcus, Plumosa.
Sage of the Fortune Teller
In nature, there are banned for growing in our country sage species. You can see a photo of the Salvia divinorum plant below. This variety does not have any cardinal differences in structure from other representatives of its kind. This is a perennial rhizome, at the beginning of development - a herbaceous, and later - a shrub plant.
In vivo, it grows in the subtropics throughout the year. This is a fairly rare species in its family, the most widely represented in remote mountain regions of Mexico. The sage of the fortune tellers has long been used by the indigenous inhabitants of the country - the Indians of the Masatek tribe - for ritual rites and predictions.
The thing is that the leaves of this plant contain the strongest hallucinogen - salvinorin A, for this reason even today lovers of narcotic mixtures smoke the sage of the predictors. That is why the plant is prohibited for cultivation on the territory of our country.
Decorative sage
Types of decorative sage are actively used in landscaping country and garden plots, territories of country houses, parks and squares. Brilliant sage looks spectacular on flower beds, discounts. Compact varieties can be planted on balconies in pots and containers; they are used in mixed compositions to create bright spots. These plants are decorative throughout the season.
Sage Ethiopian
This shrub is perfect for planting on a background of stones. Its large and beautiful sockets with pubescent leaves in the first year and huge airy inflorescences in the second are unusually spectacular.
Compact sage
Sage Yurisicha and dandelion - look great in mixboders in the foreground and in rockeries. Sage is practically not used for cutting, but powdery sage is an exception in this sense. Its velvety dark blue inflorescences in a vase retain their decorative effect for a long time, and when dried, they are an interesting material for creating winter bouquets. For the same purpose, a faded whorled sage of the Perple Rhine variety with very beautiful purple cups and sage green is suitable.
The article introduced you to many types of sage. A photo and description will help you choose the suitable variety for growing in your garden or summer cottage. In addition to the species that we talked about, in natural conditions there are: sage green (motley) and red, pigeon and golden, mountain silver and Remera, etc. Moreover, each type of plant has dozens of varieties. And now it's time to talk about the healing properties of this plant.
Leaves
Sage leaves contain:
- alkaloids;
- tannins;
- essential oils.
In folk, as, indeed, in traditional medicine, tinctures and infusions of plant leaves are used in the treatment of diseases of the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx. In addition, due to the large number of vitamins and active substances in them, the leaves have an astringent, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial property. Sage leaves reduce perspiration and improve gastrointestinal tract function.
Sage seeds
Since ancient times, the infusion of sage seeds has been used for the early onset of pregnancy. Traditional healers use this tool in the treatment of both men and women. They claimed that this drug increases the “suction” properties of the cervix and promotes conception.
Root system
But the roots of this plant are used by folk healers only in some countries. For example, in Korea they are considered a powerful painkiller and anti-inflammatory. In addition, in some cases they are used to treat algic dysmenorrhea and rheumatoid arthritis, to normalize the menstrual cycle.
Sage-based medicines: infusion
To prepare the infusion, you will need one part of dry raw material, which is poured with ten parts of boiled warm water. You can take one part of fresh, pre-washed and chopped leaves and pour them with five parts of water. Leaves must be infused for at least two hours. Such a composition can be used as a disinfectant and anti-inflammatory agent for lotions, rinses, compresses, etc.
Decoction
To prepare this product, fill in a spoon (tablespoon) of dry leaves with 200 ml of water and place the container in a water bath for twenty minutes. You can prepare a broth of sage on red wine. This tool has beneficial effects on the kidneys and liver. The effect of sage will be even more intensified if wormwood grass is added to the broth.
Decoctions are used to treat hypertension, atherosclerosis, and tremulous paralysis. For various diseases of the oral cavity and throat, rinsing with a decoction is recommended. You can forever forget about gum disease, if you regularly rinse your mouth at least once a day with a decoction of this plant.
Sage tablets
This is an effective and safe drug, widely used to treat diseases of the throat, mouth, upper respiratory tract. This tool has undeniable advantages:
- natural composition;
- does not contain sugar, therefore it can be used by patients with diabetes;
- the effect occurs fifteen minutes after the tablet is dissolved.
Sage oil
It has many medicinal properties. It reduces or completely relieves pain, reduces lactation if necessary, raises low blood pressure, promotes faster scarring of tissues and wound healing, and eliminates excessive sweating. The oil has antispasmodic, tonic, antimicrobial, antirheumatic, blood-purifying, diuretic action.
It has been widely used in cosmetology. It is used to narrow pores, to care for oily skin. It normalizes the balance of sebum secretion, stops hair loss, and eliminates dandruff.
Contraindications to the use of sage
The use of sage for medicinal purposes is allowed only after consultation with a specialist, especially when it comes to taking drugs inside. We should not forget that sage treatment is not a panacea for all diseases, the plant has quite a few contraindications, which include:
- individual intolerance to its individual components;
- pregnancy and breastfeeding;
- age up to five years;
- acute jade;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- hypothyroidism;
- uterine fibroids;
- polycystic ovary;
- endometriosis.
With prolonged use of drugs based on sage, some disturbances on the part of the nervous system, irritation of the mucous membranes may occur.
Growing plants
Despite the variety of sage species and the differences between them, there are also growing requirements that unite all varieties:
- plants develop more actively on sandy loamy soil;
- prefer normal soil acidity (pH 6.5);
- perennial species need shelter and spring pruning.
There are three ways to grow this plant: from seedlings, sowing seeds into the ground, dividing bushes. If you want to grow sage at home, the seeds should first be soaked in a solution of "Energy", which is a growth stimulator. To do this, dilute five drops of the drug in a quarter liter of water. Put the seeds in a cotton bag and lower them into the solution for a day. After that, dry them a little and sow one small seed in small separate containers. Experienced growers recommend the use of peat pots.
In the spring, in sprouted form, seeds can be sown immediately in open ground. Pre-dig the selected area, make grooves and moisten them a little. Seeds are sown to a depth of not more than three centimeters. The distance between them is about fifteen centimeters. If sage is planted in late autumn, dry seeds must be used. Although this plant is not demanding on the composition of the soil, gardeners note that it is more actively developing on well-moistened and fertile soil.
Decorative types are photophilous. This must be taken into account when choosing a place for landing.
Care
Even a beginner in floriculture can take care of sage: the plant is undemanding in care. He needs only a rather rare watering, regular loosening of the soil around the shrub, weeding and top dressing. Every year, in early spring, organic fertilizers must be applied under the plant. Judging by the reviews of gardeners, liquid formulations - Agricola Vegeta, Effekton-O - are most suitable for this purpose.
In summer, you need to feed the shrub twice. Sage can be grown in the same place for no more than six years. A plant older than four years should be rejuvenated. Usually this procedure is carried out in early April. Shoots should be cut at a height of fifteen centimeters from the soil. This simple operation will make your plants more branched and flowering more active.
Raw material collection
Sage is harvested twice a season. The first collection is held in early June. It was at this time that essential oil accumulated in the leaves. The second time sage is harvested in September. The grass is dried in the open air, laying it out on a fabric or paper with a thin layer.
You can carry out drying in the oven or in an electric dryer at a temperature of + 30-35 ° C. At higher temperatures, volatile oils evaporate. Raw materials retain their beneficial properties for a year and a half. Store harvested grass in canvas or paper bags.