Some years ago I spent a season working in a yoga retreat in Turkey the Aegean Coast. In the dining area there were urns full of hot water and tea available all day: either the black sweet tea or sage. The sage was picked daily from around the retreat centre and you simply took a sprig of leaves and infused it with hot water. I grew to really enjoy the taste and the drying quality of it was very helpful as doing massage treatments in 40 degree heat resulted in a lot of sweating even with a fan going!
In her book “Passage to Power: Natural Menopause Resolution” Lesley Kenton writes that sage ‘is a plant with an affinity with female energy, which has a powerful force for deep cleansing and for drying out that which is too wet. This is one of the reasons it can be so helpful in the treatment of night sweats and the kind of hot flushes that produce copious perspiration.” The drying effects of sage are partly due to the tannins it contains and it can also help to dry up menstrual excess and flooding.
Here are some other benefits of sage:
- Sage is a plant which is rich in phyto-sterols and flavonoids. The photo-sterols give the plant a hormone-balancing ability which is particularly useful during times of transition such as menopause.
- The phyto-hormones in Sage also help ease joint inflammation and pain.
- Sage is rich in calming minerals such as magnesium, calcium and zinc. It can help balance emotional mood swings , anxiety and depression.
- Sage contains antibacterial essential oils which help banish infections such as UTIs and sore throats.
- Sage supports the liver and encourages good circulation and contains saponins all of which can help relieve headaches.
- Sage essential oils help the liver and stomach produce more digestive enzymes making digestion work better and relieving nausea and gas.
- Sage is full of anti-oxidants and is thought to help reduce signs of ageing such as grey hair and wrinkles.
CAUTION: Sage is a drying herb and should not be used by a woman experiencing vaginal dryness or dry mouth.
The name sage means to “to save” and having looked at the many benefits of the herb one can see why many ancient cultures considered it a sacred plant. We also associate the word “sage’ with wisdom and we can see from the following profile of the Californian FES flower essence of sage how the plant works on a mental, emotional and spiritual level to aid the distillation of experience into wisdom:
“Sage flower essence enables the Self to learn and reflect about life experiences, particularly enhancing the capacity to experience deep inner peace and wisdom. This remedy addresses a natural distillation process which occurs as the healthy person ages. Throughout the course of life, trials and tribulations are placed in the soul’s path so that it can distill impurities and volatile emotions, reaching an even more clarified and refined state…[sage] is particularly indicated for advanced stages of the life biography, when the Self must learn to survey the life experience , and to glean wisdom and insight. Through sage the soul comes more in touch with its spiritual meaning and purpose and thus acquires profound wisdom to heal and counsel others.”
I use flower essences in my practice especially in Homeobotanical Potion blends. The Homeobotanical blends of potentised herbs work on the physical level to cleanse and nourish the cells while the vibrational essences of flowers and gems catalyse shifts on the emotional, mental and spiritual levels. If you would like to find out more about natural menopause book a free chat with me below: