California White Sage

In the semi arid mountains of Southern California grows a particular type of sage that is highly revered by American Indians - White Sage (Salvia Apiana).

For spiritual or medicinal purposes white sage is a powerful herb. The name salvia comes from the Latin word salveo, meaning 'to heal' (as in salvation). Apiana refers to the many bees that are attracted to its small white flowers.

White sage does not like the shade but prefers to grow on well drained slopes where temperatures can reach as high as 110 degrees. While other plants die in this extreme heat, white sage absorbs the suns energy to create aromatic oils that keep its leaves supple and alive. Because of the abundant amount of essential oils produced, white sage burns well as incense or smudge. American Indians have said that the smoke is useful not only for the purification of the body, but for material objects as well. For this reason sage is considered a sacred plant to many tribes.  For sweat lodges, some tribes boil up wild sage into a tea to splash on the heated stones when more steam is required, as well as to splash on their own bodies. Other tribes have placed pieces of sage in between the firewood in the belief that the plant will help to purify even the fire itself. In the Lakota yuwipi ceremony, a stem of sage is placed behind the right ear so that the spirits will know you.  

From ancient times sage has been associated with longevity and strength;  its healing and fortifying properties have been realized through out the world. At one period in time the Chinese carried on a barter trade with Dutch merchants, exchanging as much as three times the weight of their own tea for the sage.  

As well as being a culinary herb which helps digestion, sage is antispasmodic, astringent, antiseptic, antibiotic, and carminative. It relaxes peripheral blood vessels, reduces perspiration, salivation, lactation, reduces blood sugar levels, and is a mild sedative. Sage is also useful for dysentery and the early stages of a cold or flu. Being an excellent astringent and antiseptic, it's a useful antidote for mouth infections, bleeding gums, cuts, burns, or insect bites. Some Indian tribes have used a salve of the leaves mixed with grease to treat skin sores.

Being an antispasmodic and astringent is of particular benefit in slowing the secretions of fluids. Thus it has been used for excessive perspiration, night sweats, or to stop the flow of milk. In many countries sage has been used as an anti fever remedy as well. Jamaicans use a cooling drink of sage tea as a treatment against fevers, while American Indians have applied sage tea rubdowns and sage baths to reduce fever.