As a musician, I often (in fact more times than not) awake with a song playing in my head. This morning I awoke with a change of pace – and the herb sage dancing in my thoughts.

Not one to ignore such whisperings of the Spirit, I decided to see what I could learn about this gray-green colored herb. I love its color. I feels like peace to me. I have always cooked with it, but I have never investigated it the way I have today.

According to rxlist.com, sage is used to address many ailments, including many digestive problems that challenge me (hmm). It is also used to reduce overproduction of perspiration and saliva, as well as for depression, memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, sage is used by women for painful menstrual periods, to correct excessive milk flow during nursing, and to reduce hot flashes during menopause. It can be applied directly to the skin for cold sores, gum disease, sore throat, and swollen nasal passages, as well as inhaled for asthma. In short, sage could address many symptoms that ail me – and I always thought of this herb as just a spice to cook with! (Insert another hmmm here … could there be a reason Spirit is whispering this herb to me in my waking moments?)

According to the beautiful book Herbs – Gardens, Decorations, and Recipes I have on my bookshelf (by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead), sage is a bushy plant that grows to about 2 feet in height and is evergreen in warm climates (I think my Central Florida locale will work here!). It should be grown in well-drained, neutral soil and exposed to full sun.

In cooking, I love to use sage in my stuffing. It is also good with fatty meats and fish, cheese, pasta, rice and vinegars. You can find it in Wildtree’s Italian Sausage Seasoning. I am sorry to say I have not tried this yet, but I will be adding it to my next order, along with looking for some sage plants from my local nursery. I hope Danny won’t mind tending to some sage bushes outside our lanai!

Shalom!