HOME REMEDY: Sage
Following on from the last few weeks about spring cleaning and using sage in your home, here is a little more about it. Sage has one of the longest histories of medicinal use of herbs as a ‘cure all’; the Romans used it to darken hair and at one point in medieval history it was thought it was able to bring immortality.
Long before Europe imported Indian or Chinese tea, sage was used in Britain as a tea, thought to calm the nerves and strengthen the digestion. This versatile herb has myriad uses: antibacterial and antiseptic properties, hence its use in mouthwashes or gargles for gum infections and mouth ulcers.
These properties also help loosen phlegm and soothe sore throats and coughs. You can make a sage tea with a handful of leaves and sweeten with honey.
Sage’s active constituent is thujone – which helps with excessive sweating and eases some symptoms of the menopause. However, prolonged use of sage is not recommended, due to increase in heart rate, and it should not be used in pregnancy.
Sof McVeigh: www.thehomemadecompany.com
Long before Europe imported Indian or Chinese tea, sage was used in Britain as a tea, thought to calm the nerves and strengthen the digestion. This versatile herb has myriad uses: antibacterial and antiseptic properties, hence its use in mouthwashes or gargles for gum infections and mouth ulcers.
These properties also help loosen phlegm and soothe sore throats and coughs. You can make a sage tea with a handful of leaves and sweeten with honey.
Sage’s active constituent is thujone – which helps with excessive sweating and eases some symptoms of the menopause. However, prolonged use of sage is not recommended, due to increase in heart rate, and it should not be used in pregnancy.
Sof McVeigh: www.thehomemadecompany.com