Natural Remedies
Sage and Rosemary are among the top ten anti-oxidant herbs, and both are well-renowned for their beneficial effects on memory, digestion, and for the prevention of colds and flus.
Sage, which originates in the Mediterranean region, has been known since Roman times. Its Latin name is Salvia officianalis, and Salvia literally means ‘health’, which gives an indication of the high estimation the Romans held for this herb.
Marshall Cavendish, in his booksimply entitled ‘Herbs’, says that the Romans used Sage for a wide range of ailments, including ulcers, consumption, grief, snake bites, and as a tonic and memory enhancer.
Culpeper, as well as praising Sage for improving a weak memory and to raise the spirits, lists many more complaints which Sage can be used to cure: He gives a combination of Sage juice and vinegar for treating the Plague, and he gives a recipe of Sage, Rosemary, Honeysuckle and Plaintain as a gargle for a sore mouth or throat.
Drinking sage tea is said to decrease the amount one perspires, although care should be taken with using sage tea for this purpose on a regular basis. Both sage and rosemary are strong herbs which have a strong effect. It is not recommended that expectant or breast-feeding mothers drink too much sage or rosemary tea.
Recipe For Sage and Rosemary Body Powder
For External Use: This is a very simple, non-toxic little recipe you can try as a body deodorant. It can be used as an underarm deodorant or as a foot powder for preventing sour feet.
Unlike most commercial underarm deodorants and foot powders, it is absolutely free of toxic chemicals.
Its main active ingredients are the aromatic herbs of dried sage and rosemary.
As well as possessing sweet aromas, these herbs both have strong antibiotic and antiseptic qualities, which make them effective in neutralizing and reducing body odours.
Recipe For Herbal Deodorant
Home-grown and home-dried herbs are best if you have them. Shop-bought dried herbs can sometimes be a bit old, with little of the active, volatile oils left in them.
Take one tablespoon of dried and finely powdered sage.
One tablespoon of dried and finely powdered rosemary.
Two tablespoonsful of fine powdered cornmeal or peaflour.
Two tablespoonsful of dry bicarbonate of soda.
Mix altogether and keep in an air-tight container.
A little finely powdered peppermint can also be added if desired.
To use, simply sprinkle a pinch or two over the area you wish to deodorize and massage gently into the skin.
Use as an underarm deodorant, or as a foot powder to help prevent odours. The natural antibacterial qualities of the sage and rosemary will help discourage bacteria from breeding. It is these bacteria, which thrive in warm places such as the socks in your shoes, that cause unpleasant odours.
Sage Tea
A strong brew of sage tea can be used instead of the above.
This can also minimize bacteria on the skin which cause bad odours.
Simply pour one cup of boiling water over a tablespoonful of chopped fresh sage leaves, or crumbled dried sage.
Let cool, and then bathe under the arms, and the feet, as necessary.
Natural Remedies
Culpeper says of Sage that it ’causes the hair to become black’.
Garden sage has many therapeutic uses.
In the garden, its flowers provide medicine and nectar for the bees, as well as a herbal tonic to the neighbouring plants.
It is well-known as an aid to oral hygiene. It has strong antiseptic qualities and is supposed to whiten tooth enamel.
Sage is still used today in some tooth-pastes. It is reputedly one effective remedy for bleeding gums, and improving gum health: The crushed fresh leaves are massaged several times a day onto the gums and teeth.
The tea is gargled to relieve sore throats, colds and flu, and ulcers in the mouth.
It can be effective to reduce fevers, and has been used in the past for thyphoid fever. (see ‘Herbal Remedies and Homeopathy’ published by Geddes and Grosset.)
It is a valuable nerve medicine, and is a useful stomach remedy for improving a weak appetite.
Natural Herbal Hair Dye and Tonic: Sage can help restore healthy hair and improve the colour.
Strong sage tea encourages hair growth and darkens the hair, if it is used on a regular basis. Many herbalists describe it in their writings: see John Heinerman’s ‘Encyclopedia of Fruits Vegetables and Herbs’.
Rosemary is another wonderful herb which can help hair growth, but it does not have such a darkening effect on the hair, as sage does.
Recipe For Sage Hair Dye: Here is a simple, natural hair dye and tonic which you can try. It is perfectly safe to use, as it does not contain any harmful additives such as you might find in commercial dyes for darkening the hair.
Take two cups of fresh sage leaves and put into a stainless steel saucepan.
Add one cup of dry black tea leaves
Add half a cup of cider vinegar and eight cups of water.
Simmer very gently, with no lid, for one hour on a very low heat. You should have around half the original quantity of liquid left at the end of an hour. If you need to add a little more water, make sure you do so well before you finish simmering the brew. If you add more water at the end of the simmering, then your mixture will not keep so well.
Take off the heat after an hour of simmering. Set aside to cool.
Once your sage mixture has cooled properly, strain it off.
To the liquid remaining add the same amount of vodka.
Put into a bottle with a screw-top lid and store in a cool place.
Massage around a tablespoonful of the sage infusion into the hair each day. Use more or less, depending on how much hair you need to cover.
Massage the sage tonic well into the roots of the hair as well, so that it feeds the scalp and hair follicles. Massaging the scalp with the sage tonic will help the hair to grow again.
The oils in the sage leaves will put a natural shine to the hair.
Once the hair is sufficiently darkened, which may take several weeks, you can reduce the amount of applications each week. Once or twice a week may be enough to maintain the darker colour.
Sage is really very good for the hair in so many ways.
Alternative Sage Tonic Without Alcohol: You could make up your sage tea without the alcohol if you wish. Only, remember that your mixture will not keep for longer than a week, and it must be kept in the fridge. You could make up a lesser amount, enough to last a week, and then make up a fresh brew of tea for the following week.
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