Salvia

Description

Greyish-green half-shrub with four-sided branched strongly leafy stems. Leaves opposite, oblong, wrinkled, small-bordered, below-grayish-green, with strongly protruding stems, pubescent. The flowers are blue-purple, double-edged, with ovate-rounded sharpened bracts. Calyx double-edged, pubescent. There are two stamens, a pistil with a two-part column and a four-lobed ovary. The flowers are collected in six to ten whorls, forming a spike-like inflorescence. The fruit is a globose four black nuts. Height 20 – 50 cm.

The time of collection. June-July.

Chemical composition

The leaves contain essential oil (0.5-2.5%), tannins substations, alkaloids, ursolic and oleanolic acids, paradiphenol. In the composition of the oil are eucalyptol, thujan, pinene, and bornyl alcohol, camphor and cedrene.

Application

Sage reduces the secretion of sweat, weakens the activity of the lactic glands and has astringent, disinfecting and anti-inflammatory effects. Water infusion of leaves is used for colds and as an astringent, disinfectant for diarrhoea of various origins. The infusion of leaves is drunk to reduce profuse sweats and weaken the activity of the lactic glands during weaning. Sage is a part of the main mixture of herbs used in folk medicine for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, and is one of the components of pectoral species, soft and stomach collections (teas).

In German folk medicine, an aqueous infusion of the plant is used for various respiratory diseases, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal diseases-diarrhoea, intestinal catarrh and stomach ulcers and inflammatory processes in the liver and kidneys. As an external anti-inflammatory and disinfectant, sage infusion is used for rinsing with sore throats and other throat diseases and for inflammatory processes in the oral cavity. Sage infusion is used for washing and compresses for poorly healing purulent wounds.

Method of application

2 teaspoons of garden sage leaves infuse 1/2 hour in 2 cups of boiling water in a closed vessel, strain. Take 1/2 glass for warm 3-4 times a day.