Sage

Salvia – fragrant perennial herbaceous plants and bushes of family of Yasnotkov which homeland is the Mediterranean from where it was extended and successfully introduced worldwide.

The sort a sage contains about 700-900 types and subspecies of herbaceous and woody plants.

The most widespread and known types of a sage are:

• Gold;
• Muscat;
• Medicinal;
• Ordinary;
• Green;
• Lugovoi;
• Lavandolistny.

Bushes of a sage reach up to 120 cm in height and have uneven or wrinkled fluffy, gray-green or white-green oval leaves. Sage flowers depending on a version can be violet, white or red shades. Fruits of a plant are small, 2,5 mm in the diameter nutlets of brown color.

Are a part of a sage:

• Essential oils (туйон, baras camphor, cineol, camphene, гумулен, pinene, etc.);
• Saponins;
• Flavonoids;
• Diterpenic alkaloids;
• Triterpenoida;
• Calcium oxalate;
• Phosphoric acid;
• Pitches;
• Estrogen;
• Phytosterols;
• Salts;
• Minerals (calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, etc.);
• Vitamins A and With;
• Riboflavinum;
• Niacinum.

Use of a sage

The sage was widely used in cookery where it is used as spice and spice since the end of the 17th century. As seasoning the sage is well combined with meat and bird dishes, fish, apples, tomatoes, eggs and cheese.

Italy adds a dried sage to pizza and macaroni with cheese, and in France strew with it the fried bread with garlic watered with olive oil. The sage is added to home-made forcemeat, pastes and sausages, vegetable soups, salads, tomato sauces and pastes, omelets, bread, bean also by desserts.

Sage leaves in a small amount add to salads, tea, meat, ragout, fish and various stuffings. It is also possible to freeze infusion from sage leaves in ice cubes for preparation of soft drinks.

In a dried look the sage can be stored up to 6 months in a glass container, in a fresh look at the correct storage leaves of a sage will preserve the useful properties and aroma up to 2 weeks.

In America long since for Thanksgiving Day a sage flavored a traditional turkey, and in medieval Europe tea from a sage was considered as the best means for memory strengthening.

In medicine use of a sage became popular in the end of the 19th century, however long before it this plant was considered as medicine for all types of diseases. On its basis in house conditions it is possible to make efficient means for pain relief in a throat and destructions of infections of an oral cavity.

Elixirs from a muscat sage reduce stress and a depression, weaken cold, delete an unpleasant smell from a mouth and improve digestion. Essential oils from a medicinal sage use as anti-cold balms for grindings.

Ointments on the basis of a medicinal sage have antiseptic properties and are applied at cuts and wounds. Use of a sage as means for rinsing of hair promotes recovery of natural color and decrease in loss of hair.

In cosmetology the sage is applied as fragrance in production of soap and cosmetics.

Useful properties of a sage

The sage is a source of vitamin A, calcium, iron and potassium which are especially important for maintenance of health of teeth, bones and skin.

Drugs on the basis of a medicinal sage are used at treatment of diabetes, gynecologic diseases and allergies, herpes, diarrhea, gastritis, heartburn, and also at appetite loss, an ulitis, a meteorism, Alzheimer's disease, loss of memory and for reduction of inflows during a menopause.

It is also possible to refer to useful properties of a sage availability in it of antioxidants which protect organism cells from damage to result of oxidation that can lead to formation of cancer cells.

Contraindications

Prolonged use of a sage in high doses is unsafe. Some types of a sage contain toxic agent under the name туйон which is capable to collect in an organism. This chemical can cause spasms, injuries of a liver and a nervous system.

Pregnancy and the period of a lactation are a contraindication to a sage as the use of a tuyon can cause loss of milk and lead to abortion.

At a hypertension it is necessary to exclude the use of a sage as this plant increases arterial pressure.

Contraindication to a sage is also epilepsy as туйон can cause spasms. You should not combine use of a sage with drugs for a diabetes mellitus as this mix can seriously reduce sugar level in blood.

Use of warfarin and other anticoagulants is a contraindication to a sage as the coumarin which is a part of a plant at a combination to these medicines can cause bleeding.