Sage

Sage, Prairie Sage

Artamisia frigida Willd

bl’jikiwin’guck

Aromatic plant, 30-100 cm tall. Stems are covered in a dense mat of short white hairs. Most of the leaves are grey-green, opposite, entire, and reticulate veined, with the base leaves of a woolly white. Sage has an aromatic camphorous odour and warm, slightly bitter taste. Sage is part of a Mint family<br />Grows in poor soil containing hardpan clay, rocky material, or sandy dry, open places in the prairies. Native to southern Europe, but has been naturalized in North America for the last three centuries as a garden and wild herbal shrub.

Parts used: Leaves, whole above-ground plant when flowers are in the budding stage. Properties: diuretic, astringent, carminative, antibacterial. Sage is a very common herb used for smudging. It is a purifier, it cleanses an area, sweeping away negativity. Sage is also used as a tea in traditional sweat lodge ceremonies. Sage tea is excellent for sore throats, tuberculosis, and coughs. It also enhances memory and alertness in healthy young and older people. It is used to relieve gas pains and is now highly used to treat diarrhea and gastrointestinal problems. Sage was one of the chief medicinal herbs of the Middle Ages. It was considered good for the liver, for breeding new blood in the body, the best food for the brain, an excellent strengthener of the muscles, and a tonic for the stomach, heart, and nerves.