Sage: useful properties and contraindications, instructions for use

The benefits and harms of sage are of great importance in traditional medicine. For the treatment of ailments, this medicinal plant is used everywhere, so it is important to study its unique properties and understand when sage is really useful.

What does sage look like and where does it grow?

The perennial evergreen sage belongs to the Lamiaceae family. The plant looks like a short grass with gray-green pointed leaves and blue, purple, white or pink flowers. Sage blooms in July, and at this time it gives off a strong pleasant aroma.

Sage originally grew in the countries of southwestern Europe and the Mediterranean. At the moment it can be found in Greece and France, Italy and Slovakia, in Moldova and Ukraine. But on the territory of Russia, wild sage does not grow, although at the same time it is actively cultivated.

Composition and calorie content of sage

The healing properties of sage herb are explained by the composition of the plant, it includes many valuable components. Sage contains:

• vitamin A in huge quantities - 196% of the daily requirement in 100 g of dry raw materials;
• vitamins C and B;
• potassium and manganese;
• zinc, copper, iron and calcium;
• magnesium;
• essential oils;
• tannins;
• glycosides and flavones;
• natural acids - caffeic, nicotinic, fumaric, chlorogenic;
• borneol and cineole.

The calorie content of a useful plant is low - only about 50 kcal per 100 g. It is almost impossible to get better on it, especially when you consider that the benefits and harms of sage for the body are used only in small dosages.

Why is sage useful?

The benefits of sage for the human body are manifested in a variety of areas. But its main valuable properties can be distinguished.

Sage:

• helps to fight colds, viruses, infectious and bacterial diseases;
• has a slight analgesic effect;
• effectively removes toxins from the body, has a beneficial effect on metabolic and digestive processes;
• has a healing effect on inflammation and skin damage;
• helps to heal diseases of the oral cavity;
• regulates blood pressure and dilates blood vessels, helps to cope with the symptoms of vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• has a relaxing and calming effect on the nervous system;
• helps with severe gynecological disorders - even infertility can be cured with it.

For men

The plant improves potency and protects the prostate gland from inflammation - this is the benefit of sage for men. The medicinal herb enhances attraction, increases the level of the hormone testosterone, the intake of sage has a positive effect on the quality of the genetic material.It is not for nothing that in case of problems with conception, it is recommended to use plant-based products not only for women, but also for men.

For women

The healing properties of sage for women are manifested mainly in the urogenital area. The plant helps to overcome frigidity and cure infertility, relieve soreness during menstruation. It is useful to consume the herb during menopause, it gently regulates hormones and maintains good health.

The benefits of sage for women also include its positive effects on the skin and hair. The healing plant has a rejuvenating effect and allows you to preserve beauty until old age.

For children

The healing properties of sage are very useful for children, the plant strengthens the immune system and protects the baby from colds and inflammatory diseases. In addition, the herb rarely causes allergies and, accordingly, almost never causes harm.

However, to avoid harm, it is forbidden to offer sage-based products to children under 12 years of age. For babies, only external use of the plant is allowed for skin irritations, abrasions and burns.

Is sage possible during pregnancy

During pregnancy, the plant is strictly contraindicated, despite all the benefits. The fact is that its properties stimulate increased uterine contractions. This is very harmful, as it can result in a miscarriage or premature birth.

Sage-based traditional medicine recipes

The healing properties of sage are used to treat a variety of ailments. To get the full benefit from the plant, you must adhere to proven recipes for medicinal drinks.

Sage broth

One of the simplest remedies based on a useful herb is an aqueous decoction. To prepare it you need:

• pour a glass of boiling water over 2 large tablespoons of dry herbs;
• hold in a water bath for a quarter of an hour;
• cool, strain the drink through cheesecloth, and then squeeze out the remaining raw materials and add boiling water to the original volume.

Use the product warm. As a rule, the medicinal properties of sage broth are not used for drinking - a concentrated agent can be harmful. On its basis, rinses are carried out, lotions and compresses are applied, and sitz baths are made to treat hemorrhoids.

Sage water infusion

The properties of sage leaves show themselves well in medicinal water infusion. A large spoonful of dry grass is poured with a glass of boiling water and kept under the lid for 40 minutes, and then filtered.

They drink a medicine for flatulence and low acidity of the stomach, for pain in the abdomen and problems with bile flow. The beneficial properties of the plant are manifested in bronchitis - sage promotes expectoration.

The dosage depends on the specific disease and the corresponding formulation. You can take an aqueous infusion up to 3 times a day in a volume of up to a quarter of a glass.

Sage alcohol tincture

The medicinal properties of sage are fully revealed in alcohol tincture. To prepare it, you need to pour 3 large tablespoons of dry leaves with 500 ml of vodka or alcohol, and then insist in a dark place for 14 days. From time to time, the vessel needs to be shaken so that the beneficial properties are better distributed.

When the tincture is ready, you will need to strain it. Take the remedy once a day in the amount of 1 teaspoon - to cleanse the blood vessels and with atherosclerosis. Also, the tincture has a good effect when rubbing, it quickly relieves joint inflammation and pain.

Sage tea

A very tasty and healthy drink is sage-based tea, it helps with colds and malfunctions of the intestines, cleanses blood vessels and liver, increases endurance and tones the body.

Prepare the drug as follows:

• a teaspoon of dry leaves is mixed with the same amount of fresh leaves;
• raw materials are poured with 2 cups of boiling water;
• under the lid, the tea is kept for 10 minutes to half an hour, and then the tea leaves are filtered through a strainer.

You can add honey, a slice of lemon or a slice of orange to the finished tea - they will improve the taste and increase the benefits. The benefits and harms of sage tea will remain balanced if you take the drink no more than twice a day, 1 cup.

The benefits of sage tea bags are not much lower than those of a home-made collection. If a dried plant is not at hand, then raw materials for tea can be purchased at the pharmacy.

Sage oil

In folk medicine, sage essential oil is widely used. You cannot get it at home, because the steam distillation process requires special equipment. However, the drug is available at pharmacies.

The properties of sage oil are used exclusively externally - for medicinal baths and compresses, in order to get rid of acne, for aromatherapy. With the help of essential oil, bruises, sprains and joint inflammation are treated. It will not harm the treatment of the room with essential oil vapors during the autumn colds season, the valuable substances in the composition of the product kill viruses and bacteria.

How to drink sage

In order for medicinal herbs not to cause harm, they must be consumed in accordance with proven recipes. Many diseases are treated with sage-based drinks, the plant is especially good at helping against diseases of the genital area.

With infertility

The main property of sage in gynecology is its effective aid in the treatment of infertility. In order to activate the work of the ovaries, the following scheme is used.

1. Immediately after the completion of the next menstruation, twice a day a woman needs to drink sage infusion - in the morning on an empty stomach and in the evening shortly before bedtime.
2. You need to use the remedy before ovulation occurs, usually it comes on the 12th or 14th day of the cycle.
3. With the onset of ovulation, therapy is interrupted, and if the effect does not occur, treatment is continued after the next end of menstruation.

You can take a useful plant for infertility no longer than 3 months in a row, then you need to take a break for at least 2 months.

From frigidity

The benefits of sage seeds and its leaves are expressed in the fact that the medicinal plant helps to cope with female coldness. Dry raw materials are mixed with dried linden in equal proportions, a large spoonful of herbal collection is measured and poured with 2 cups of boiling water. For half an hour, the product should be kept in a water bath, and then filtered and strained.

You need to drink the infusion twice a day in a glass - the tool will raise the level of the female hormone estrogen and help get rid of frigidity.

During lactation

The properties of the plant help to interrupt lactation, sometimes it needs to be done earlier than the natural term. A large spoonful of dry grass is poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted for half an hour, and then they drink 5 sips three times a day.

You need to continue the course for a week. Before starting therapy, the breast is carefully expressed. Excess milk is also removed if it appears during the use of the infusion.

With menopause

Benefit from the properties of sage for menopause. The infusion is prepared as follows:

• 2 large spoons of raw materials pour 500 ml of boiling water;
• insist for an hour;
• filtered and taken up to 5 times a day, 100 ml.

If desired, you can add a little lemon juice or honey to a useful product. The medicinal drink relieves nervousness and improves hormones, helps to cope with hot flashes and improves mood.

For skin diseases

The benefits of the medicinal plant are manifested in a wide variety of skin ailments. Decoctions and infusions are used to wipe purulent wounds and fungal lesions, remedies based on medicinal herbs help get rid of eczema and psoriasis.

It is recommended to treat diseased areas of the skin several times a day - this will accelerate healing and help tissues to recover.

For problems with the gastrointestinal tract

The properties of the plant are often used to treat flatulence, diarrhea and other gastric disorders. It is necessary to hold 1 large spoonful of dry leaves filled with 500 ml of boiling water in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. The finished strained drink is consumed four times a day for half a glass, this must be done before meals.

For resorption of bumps on hands and feet

Ugly bumps on the feet and hands cause a lot of problems and spoil the appearance. You can get rid of them with the help of sage - it is enough to regularly make useful baths.

100 g of dry raw materials must be brewed in 5 liters of water and cooked for about half an hour. You can add a mullein agent to the broth - 100 g of seeds, brewed in 2 liters of water. The legs are kept in a useful bath for about 15 minutes, the procedure must be repeated every 2-3 days.

Instructions for the use of sage tablets

The healing plant can be taken not only in the form of infusions and teas. In pharmacies, tablets are sold from compressed raw materials, each of which contains about 2.5 g of the substance. The tablets have a beneficial effect on inflammatory processes and colds, they are not harmful for diabetics, since they do not contain sugar.

The standard daily dosage is 6 tablets for adults and only 2 tablets for children. In this case, adults can take the medicine at intervals of 2 hours, and children need to take breaks of 4 hours between taking pills. The total duration of treatment should be no more than 3 months, since with prolonged use, the plant causes harm.

The use of sage in cosmetology

Homemade recipes often use sage for the face and curls. The medicinal plant restores the tone of the epidermis and helps to strengthen the hair follicles. With regular use, the results become noticeable quickly - after just a few treatments.

For facial skin

The beneficial properties of sage relieve irritation and inflammation, eliminate acne and help to establish fat metabolism in skin cells. For oily skin, the following mask will benefit:

• a large spoonful of leaves is poured with 250 ml of boiling water;
• under the lid, the product is kept for about half an hour;
• wipe the face with filtered cooled broth.

The product is left to soak for a few minutes, and then washed again with water.

For hair health

Benefits of sage for hair - it is considered an effective remedy for baldness. A medical mixture for hair is prepared like this - add 3 drops of sage ether and the same amount of rosemary and mint essential oil to a large spoonful of olive oil. With the prepared product, you need to massage the scalp twice a day.

Helps with hair loss and sage rinse. You can wash your curls with decoctions from a medicinal plant after each shampooing.

The use of sage in cooking

The useful plant is widely used in cooking; it can be found in the national cuisines of European countries, the USA and South America. The popularity of the plant is ensured by its spicy, bitter leaves with a bright aroma.

The plant is added as a spice to salads and soups, side dishes and pie fillings, marinades and sweet dishes. The herb goes well with most foods - fish, meat, vegetables and cheeses.As a rule, sage is not subjected to heat treatment during the preparation of dishes; a small amount of dried herbs is sprinkled on food before serving.

In addition, the beneficial plant is used in the preparation of drinks. It can be found in teas and liqueurs, for which it provides an unusual and tart taste.

Sage harm and contraindications

For all the undeniable benefits, the properties of sage can cause serious harm if used carelessly. Contraindications are:

• high blood pressure - a medicinal herb is recommended for hypotensive patients, but poses a danger to hypertensive patients;
• severe kidney disease;
• epilepsy;
• severe cough - from the use of the drug, it can only intensify;
• the presence of tumors in the body;
• endometriosis.

It is not worth using the herb after operations to remove the mammary glands and uterus. It is necessary to use sage with caution during lactation, it stops the production of breast milk, and if this is undesirable, it is better to refuse the plant.

When using a medicinal herb, you must adhere to small dosages so as not to get harm. The plant is not consumed for a long time, it is imperative to take breaks in use.

How to choose and store sage

The plant in Russia cannot be collected by yourself, but you can buy it in pharmacies and specialized stores. It is sold both in ready-made tea bags and in the form of fresh or dried raw materials.

It is much more useful to acquire raw materials, it retains more valuable substances, although it requires certain processing. It is quite simple to choose leaves - you need to make sure that the plant is a rich silvery-green color and does not have strange spots.

Keep fresh leaves of the plant in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. Before that, they must be wrapped in damp paper towels to keep them fresh for a week. As for the dried plant, it is kept in a plastic or glass container in a dark place, it retains its properties for 2 years.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of sage are determined by the presence or absence of prohibitions on its use and the literacy of its use. If you use the plant according to proven recipes and do not exceed dosages, sage will help to overcome even severe ailments.

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