harmonise to ancient herbalists , people who drink sage tea never grow old . aboriginal to the Mediterranean region , both herbalists and cooks prize the long argent - fleeceable leaves of the culinary sage flora , which get as a small bush and sends up stalks of pallid purple flowers in the spring . salvia belongs to the genus Salvia , meaning " to save , " and with motley find around the macrocosm , it is not surprising that this medicinal herb has a storeyed history .

History

The earliest records of culinary salvia occur in ancient Egypt , where it was used to promote fecundity in women . From there , allot to Spiridon E. Kintzios of the Agricultural University of Athens , Greece , it was brought into Rome , where its medicinal place were celebrated by notable writers , such as Pliny the Elder . To demonstrate its regard to the ancient , simply pick salvia in ancient Rome need a ceremonial occasion , white apparel and especial pecker . Sage continued its northward migration , becoming an essential constituent of herb gardens in the Middle Ages . In the New World , native specie of Salvia were prized by the Aztecs , who used the leaf and seeds as a food for thought source and medicine and to produce aspect paint used to refer an person ’s rank in society .

Wisdom and Immortality

allot to traditional Gaelic lore , salvia signify soundness , and feed sage provides immortality in soundness and in body , the latter of which is in all likelihood attached to sage ’s numerous medicative uses . In traditional medicinal drug , sage is used as a dry out federal agent , clearing mucous congestion and relieving Nox sweats , while its astringent properties make it worthful in care for wounds and huffy throats . In the Middle Ages , the impression that sage prolonged liveliness was express in the adage , " Why should a military man die if salvia grows in his garden ? "

Banishing Evil

In increase to promoting physical wellness , salvia was also consider as valuable in protecting ghostly sanctity . It was believed to ward off vicious smell , and sage was used also to treat snakebite in recognition of both its antiseptic and protective property . Modern Pagan practitioners use sage heather to clean spaces of negative influence .

Virtue and Vice

The ancient Greeks and Romans had complex , sometimes contradictory , beliefs about the import of sage . Sage is colligate with the satellite Jupiter , which the ancients believed correspond domestic virtuousness . At the same time , it also belonged to the lech , half - man , half - butt mythological animate being that enjoy drinking and debauchery .

Eastern History and Lore

Varieties of sage native to China were also highly valued for their medicinal properties . The first mention of medicative uses of salvia pass in Chinese writings from 206 B.C. standardised to its uses by other cultures around the world , salvia was believed to impart physical strength and wisdom to those who consumed it . In the 17th century , Dutch traders discovered that the Chinese appreciated salvia to the extent that they would deal three dresser of afternoon tea leaves for a unmarried chest of salvia .

References

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