The Sage Remedies I Actually Use on My Homestead (From Tea to Chicken Feed)

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Sage is one of my all-time favorite herbs to grow and use.

Its grounding flavor is perfect in hearty fall dishes. As a medicinal herb, sage offers quite impressive benefits.

Nicknamed garden sage, common sage, or culinary sage, Salvia officinalis is a staple in my garden. It’s also an herb I used to grow indoors and still cook with often to support my family’s health and wellness.

Now that we have been reclassified as zone 5 (instead of zone 4), sage overwinters here well, especially in the nice microclimate we have between the garage and the house that keeps it protected from the harshest parts of winter in New Hampshire.

Sage Benefits

When it comes to health benefits, most medicinal plants have more than one area of expertise. And sage is no exception.

Sage is often celebrated for its positive effects on the brain, oral, and digestive health. It also has antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anti-cancer properties—as noted in this 2019 journal article.

Other notable sage health benefits include: 

Sage Benefits On Oral Health

Folk medicine references sage as an effective remedy for oral health and throat ailments. And modern science seems to agree. 

A 2015 study found that using a sage herb mouthwash significantly reduced the presence of cavity-causing bacteria in girls ages 11-14. 

Researchers also found that sage can be used to help treat fungal infections caused by specific Candida strains, as noted in this 2018 study. Candida often causes oral and vaginal fungal infections. 

Sage Herb For Brain Function and Mental Health

As a woman in my 40s now, I’m noticing I’m forgetting things a lot more than I ever did before. I attribute part of it to having to do too many things as a single mom (work and childcare and running a household and running a homestead… it’s tiring just typing it out.)

Research is beginning to focus on how sage may impact memory and brain function. In 2017, a review published in Neural Regeneration Research stated that sage could be an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease and other memory problems. 

I’ve started incorporating sage tea into my morning routine. So we’ll see if it helps. I certainly like the flavor!

Sage is also beneficial when it comes to treating nerve pain. This study, published in 2019, looked at sage as a treatment for sciatic nerve pain in mice. Researchers found that sage effectively treated the nerve pain based on mechanical, chemical, and thermal sensation tests.

Sage For Digestive Health

Sage benefits on human digestive health haven’t been widely studied. Yet, traditional sage uses include easing diarrhea and relaxing the stomach muscles. 

A variety of animal studies exist to back up these claims, including this article published in the International Journal of Biology. According to researchers, sage is a promising treatment for diarrhea in mice. 

The research on humans is thin, but in my experience, any strong herbal tea tends to settle my stomach — sage’s intensity makes that easy to believe. 

Sage Herb For Menopause Relief

Although a natural cycle, menopause is no picnic for most women. Luckily, sage is a well-tested natural remedy that can help. 

According to this 2019 article published in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, sage can soothe hot flashes and extreme sweating due to menopause. Additionally, the study states that fresh-picked sage improves results over dried leaf extracts. 

Just another great reason to always have fresh sage growing nearby! I haven’t reached that stage yet, but I plan to keep sage in regular rotation as I approach it — it’s one of the better-studied natural options for hot flash relief. 

Sage Benefits On Skin

Sage health benefits extend to skincare, as well. 

A 2017 study found that sage extract was effective in healing wounds on rats. Additionally, a 2019 article showed that antioxidant-rich sage extract worked well to reduce aging signs due to UV exposure.

As more people look to natural remedies, we’ll likely see further evidence of sage’s benefits on human health and wellness. And that’s something I’m looking forward to! 

I’m also experimenting with creating a sage healing salve, since we use so much of it in my house.

Sage Herb Uses

Sage is an excellent herb to use for both its culinary and medicinal properties. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it as well as some new ideas I’m playing around with:

• Cook with fresh or dried sage. The grounding flavor complements robust, hearty soups and stews, especially during the fall and winter. I use sage in my breakfast sausage as well as a rub for roasted chicken. 
• Drink sage tea to help with cold and flu symptoms. Herbalists agree that sage is an excellent herb for relieving sore throats and boosting the immune system. Infuse one tablespoon of dried sage (or 3 tablespoons fresh) in one cup of just-under-boiling water for 20 minutes. Add a bit of honey and sip as you desire. The honey adds a little additional throat-soothing properties, and obviously it tastes amazing too!
• Use sage in a traditional herbal steam. Sage’s strong aroma is perfect in a warming herbal steam. Add a handful of fresh or dried sage leaves to a heat-safe container. Pour boiling water over the leaves and let the bowl sit for a few moments to cool slightly. Hold your face over the bowl and cover your head (and the bowl) with a towel. Breathe in the steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Herbalists recommend this for clearing chest and nasal congestion. This has been my go-to whenever I’m congested.
• Make an herbal mouth rinse by infusing fresh or dried sage with water. Rinse with it twice a day to help heal and prevent mouth sores and cavities. My kid’s dentist has recommended they use a fluoride mouthwash for years, but instead I look fro healthier alternatives like this simple sage mouthwash recipe I’m going to try.
• Make a sage tincture. Take 2-3 droppers full a day to relieve hot flashes and night sweats due to menopause.  Because tinctures are a very concentrated version of the herb, they tend to be good for times when you need the healing properties of the herb more immediately and directly. 
• Make your own deodorant. Sage’s natural drying abilities make it an excellent addition to homemade deodorant. Add sage essential oil or infuse sage herb into the coconut oil before making your deodorant.
• Make an herbal foot soak using sage. Sage has such a grounding, warming aroma, perfect for an at-home spa treatment when you are feeling under the weather. Fill a small tub with hot water and add about two ounces of fresh or one ounce of dried sage in a muslin bag. Soak your feet for 20-30 minutes. 
• Use sage branches when you’re outside in the summer when the bugs come out. I wave them around, and it seems to keep the bugs away. I’ll also throw some into the fire to let the essential oils enter the smoke and keep bugs away that way. I also rub the leaves on my skin as a quick bug repellent. It’s not as good as a complete bug spray formula, but it does help!
• Add fresh or dried sage to the chicken coop to repel insects or into the chickens’ food as an anti-parasitic supplement. Here’s a great recipe for a natural anti-wormer, but I also just add sage and oregano to their food straight from the garden since both are very safe.

Sage uses extend far beyond this list. But if you are looking to add this herb into your everyday life, these are excellent places to start.

Sage Benefits Abound!

Sage is a beautiful herb to know and grow on the homestead. From its robust flavor to its potential health benefits, using sage for cooking and medicine is an excellent way to get well-acquainted with this versatile herb.

How have you used sage before? Which sage health benefits surprised you the most to learn about?

If you haven’t planted sage yet, here’s how I grow it in my Zone 4/5 garden

Citations

Al-Maamori, Jafar Abbas Issa. “Evaluation of the Anti-Motility-Related Diarrhoeal Activity of the Sage Tea Salvia Officinalis L. in Laboratory Mice.” International Journal of Biology, vol. 3, no. 4, 2011, doi:10.5539/ijb.v3n4p36. 

Beheshti-Rouy, Maryam, et al. “The Antibacterial Effect of Sage Extract (Salvia Officinalis) Mouthwash against Streptococcus Mutans in Dental Plaque: a Randomized Clinical Trial.” Iranian Journal of Microbiology , vol. 7, no. 3, June 2015, pp. 173–177., www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4676988/. Retrieved from PubMed Central.

Gabbas, Zineb El, et al. “Salvia Officinalis, Rosmarinic and Caffeic Acids Attenuate Neuropathic Pain and Improve Function Recovery after Sciatic Nerve Chronic Constriction in Mice.” Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2019, 24 June 2019, pp. 1–17., doi:10.1155/2019/1702378. Retrieved from PubMed Central.

Karimzadeh, Sirvan, and Mohammad Reza Farahpour. “Topical Application of Salvia Officinalis Hydroethanolic Leaf Extract Improves Wound Healing Process.” Indian Journal of Experimental Biology , vol. 55, no. 2, Feb. 2017, pp. 98–106., pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30183236/. Retrieved from PubMed.

Khare, Ruchi, et al. “Exploring the Potential Effect of Methanolic Extract of Salvia Officinalis against UV Exposed Skin Aging: In Vivo and In Vitro Model.” Current Aging Science, vol. 12, 8 Aug. 2019, doi:10.2174/1874609812666190808140549. Retrieved from PubMed. 

Kerkoub, Neila, et al. “Bioassay-Guided Isolation of Anti-Candida Biofilm Compounds From Methanol Extracts of the Aerial Parts of Salvia Officinalis (Annaba, Algeria).” Frontiers in Pharmacology, vol. 9, 10 Dec. 2018, doi:10.3389/fphar.2018.01418. Retrieved from PubMed Central.

Poulios, Efthymios, et al. “Current Advances on the Extraction and Identification of Bioactive Components of Sage (Salvia Spp.).” Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, vol. 20, no. 10, 2019, pp. 845–857., doi:10.2174/1389201020666190722130440. Retrieved from PubMed Central. 

Tober, Carsten, and Roland Schoop. “Modulation of Neurological Pathways by Salvia Officinalis and Its Dependence on Manufacturing Process and Plant Parts Used.” BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 19, no. 1, 13 June 2019, doi:10.1186/s12906-019-2549-x.