{"id":10634,"date":"2015-01-01T01:10:23","date_gmt":"2015-01-01T06:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=11022"},"modified":"2014-12-31T14:45:44","modified_gmt":"2014-12-31T19:45:44","slug":"notes-from-the-apothecary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2015\/01\/01\/notes-from-the-apothecary\/","title":{"rendered":"Notes from the Apothecary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Notes from the Apothecary: Sage<\/strong><\/p>\n

Welcome to my new column, Notes from the Apothecary! Each month I’ll be talking about a different herb or plant. Some will be familiar to you, some may not, but I hope you will always find out something new and interesting, that will help you increase your medicinal and magical knowledge.<\/p>\n

\"apothecary1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Not much is still lively in my garden in late November, but the one plant that never seems to give up is my beautiful, purple tinged sage. You only have to brush your fingers against the slightly rough leaves to produce an aroma that is at once appetising and mystical.<\/p>\n

Sage has been used throughout the ages for medical and magical\u00a0 purposes. The Latin name, Salvia, literally means ‘to save’, as in to save one’s life. According to Mrs Grieves in her Modern Herbal, 1931, a proverb of the middle ages was<\/p>\n

Cur moriatur homo cui Salvia crescit in horto? <\/em><\/p>\n

Meaning, why should a man die whilst sage grows in his garden?<\/p>\n

The Kitchen Garden<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sage is, first and foremost, very tasty and makes a delightful, useful addition to any garden. You can also grow it in a pot on a windowsill, as the regular use of the leaves gives it all the pruning it needs. Sage has been used in meat dishes for centuries, and we now know that sage has chemicals which break down the fats in meat, making the food more flavoursome and easy to digest.<\/p>\n

As a medicine…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sage has been indicated in different cultures for epilepsy, seasickness, worms, measles and insomnia, but these days there is little proof that these ailments are helped by sage, other than by the psychological boost that we are ‘doing ourselves good’ by eating this nutritious plant.<\/p>\n

One proven<\/em> benefit of sage is that it is strongly antibacterial. Sage tea is excellent for sore throats as it fights the aggressive bacteria that add to the painful symptoms. It won’t rid you of a cold, but it will ease the nagging cough or the thickness around the tonsils. Cool the tea and gargle with it, or simply enjoy a couple of cups of it each day. Y<\/p>\n

You can make the tea by simply steeping the fresh or dried leaves until the aroma becomes apparent. This means the active oil has escaped its cell walls and is in your tea! At this point, you can drink the tea- just don’t burn your mouth.<\/p>\n

Science tells us…<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is some unusual folklore surrounding sage. Apparently in Buckinghamshire, UK, the more sage that grew in the garden, the more power the woman of the house held. Another tradition states that the vigour of the sage was intrinsically linked to the business success of the gardener. Gerard tells us that it was useful against serpent (snake) bites, although there is no modern evidence to back this up, I’m afraid.<\/p>\n

It has been proven, however, through studies by the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, that sage has an incredibly complex chemical composition. Its aforementioned antibacterial properties are affective against listeria, various bacillum and staphylococcus aureas, all horrible little nasties that hang around in your food waiting to make you poorly. No wonder we use it in cooking so much!<\/p>\n

And in the Witch’s Kitchen…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Magically, sage is commonly used for protection, particularly as a ‘smudge’ or as part of an incense. But what other esoteric uses does this versatile herb have?<\/p>\n

According to Cunningham, Sage is a masculine herb, aligned with the element of air and the planet Jupiter. Jupiter is associated with prosperity and good luck, so think blessings, charms and boosting the power of other magic.<\/p>\n

Jupiter is also the Roman god of thunder\/sky\/lightning and the Greek equivalent is Zeus, so if you are honouring either of these deities sage is ideal to use as part of an incense or whole leaves on the altar.<\/p>\n

Air is the element of the east and new beginnings, so sage is part of the magic of wishes, desires and ambition.<\/p>\n

Sage is also associated with money (and its increase!), helping overcome grief and even immortality.<\/p>\n

For you to try at home<\/strong><\/p>\n

Find a large sage leaf and write you intent or desire upon it. Place the leaf under your pillow, and keep it there for three nights as you sleep. If you dream of your intent on any of these three nights, you should expect it to come to fruition. If no dream occurs, bury the leaf in your garden to end the magic. (Cunningham, 1985)<\/p>\n

Carry sage leaves in your pocket for magical protection, or as part of a ‘mojo bag’ if using hoodoo.<\/p>\n

And one thing you didn’t know about sage…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"apothecary2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

White Sage is the sage commonly used for the smudges you can buy in those amazing little shops or from your friendly online witchy supply website. But please bear in mind that white sage has been massively overharvested, and any<\/em> fragrant sage, particularly the easy to grow salvia officianalis<\/em> will work just as well for magical purposes.<\/p>\n

Sage is such a beautiful, comforting plant. The best way to find out how this plant will work for you is to grow it, touch the leaves, smell the glorious and mouth-watering aroma, cook with it; learn everything you can about the plant hands on!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Notes from the Apothecary: Sage Welcome to my new column, Notes from the Apothecary! Each month I’ll be talking about a different herb or plant. Some will be familiar to you, some may not, but I hope you will always find out something new and interesting, that will help you increase your medicinal and magical knowledge.   Not much is still lively in my garden in late November, but the one plant that never seems to give up is my beautiful, purple tinged sage. You only have to brush your fingers against the slightly rough leaves to produce an aroma that is at once appetising and mystical. Sage has been used throughout the ages for medical and magical\u00a0 purposes. The Latin name, Salvia, literally means ‘to save’, as in to save one’s life. According to Mrs Grieves in her Modern Herbal, 1931, a proverb of the middle ages was Cur moriatur homo cui Salvia crescit in horto? Meaning, why should a man die whilst sage grows in his garden? The Kitchen Garden Sage is, first and foremost, very tasty and makes a delightful, useful addition to any garden. You can also grow it in a pot on a windowsill, as the regular use of the leaves gives it all the pruning it needs. Sage has been used in meat dishes for centuries, and we now know that sage has chemicals which break down the fats in meat, making the food more flavoursome and easy to digest. As a medicine… Sage has been indicated in different cultures for epilepsy, seasickness, worms, measles and insomnia, but these days there is little proof that these ailments are helped by sage, other than by the psychological boost that we are ‘doing ourselves good’ by eating this nutritious plant. One proven benefit of sage is that it is strongly antibacterial. Sage tea is excellent for sore throats as it fights the aggressive bacteria that add to the painful symptoms. It won’t rid you of a cold, but it will ease the nagging cough or the thickness around the tonsils. Cool the tea and gargle with it, or simply enjoy a couple of cups of it each day. Y You can make the tea by simply steeping the fresh or dried leaves until the aroma becomes apparent. This means the active oil has escaped its cell walls and is in your tea! At this point, you can drink the tea- just don’t burn your mouth. Science tells us… There is some unusual folklore surrounding sage. Apparently in Buckinghamshire, UK, the more sage that grew in the garden, the more power the woman of the house held. Another tradition states that the vigour of the sage was intrinsically linked to the business success of the gardener. Gerard tells us that it was useful against serpent (snake) bites, although there is no modern evidence to back this up, I’m afraid. It has been proven, however, through studies by the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, that sage has an incredibly complex chemical composition. Its aforementioned antibacterial properties are affective against listeria, various bacillum and staphylococcus aureas, all horrible little nasties that hang around in your food waiting to make you poorly. No wonder we use it in cooking so much! And in the Witch’s Kitchen… Magically, sage is commonly used for protection, particularly as a ‘smudge’ or as part of an incense. But what other esoteric uses does this versatile herb have? According to Cunningham, Sage is a masculine herb, aligned with the element of air and the planet Jupiter. Jupiter is associated with prosperity and good luck, so think blessings, charms and boosting the power of other magic. Jupiter is also the Roman god of thunder\/sky\/lightning and the Greek equivalent is Zeus, so if you are honouring either of these deities sage is ideal to use as part of an incense or whole leaves on the altar. Air is the element of the east and new beginnings, so sage is part of the magic of wishes, desires and ambition. Sage is also associated with money (and its increase!), helping overcome grief and even immortality. For you to try at home Find a large sage leaf and write you intent or desire upon it. Place the leaf under your pillow, and keep it there for three nights as you sleep. If you dream of your intent on any of these three nights, you should expect it to come to fruition. If no dream occurs, bury the leaf in your garden to end the magic. (Cunningham, 1985) Carry sage leaves in your pocket for magical protection, or as part of a ‘mojo bag’ if using hoodoo. And one thing you didn’t know about sage…   White Sage is the sage commonly used for the smudges you can buy in those amazing little shops or from your friendly online witchy supply website. But please bear in mind that white sage has been massively overharvested, and any fragrant sage, particularly the easy to grow salvia officianalis will work just as well for magical purposes. Sage is such a beautiful, comforting plant. The best way to find out how this plant will work for you is to grow it, touch the leaves, smell the glorious and mouth-watering aroma, cook with it; learn everything you can about the plant hands on!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":206,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/206"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10634\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}