Description
Sage is the dried leaf of Salvia officinalis.
It is a hardy sub-shrub. Stems are white,
wooly, 32-60 cm tall, leaves are greyish green,
aromatic, petiolate, oblong, 7-8 cm long.
On drying, leaves turns silvery grey with
soft velvety texture. The flowers are blue,
purple, or white in simple racemes.
Origin and Distribution
Sage is a native of Mediterranean
area. It grows wild in the Dalmatian region
of Yugoslavia. It is cultivated in Yugoslavia,
Italy, Albania, Turkey, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus,
England, Canada and USA. In India, it is sparingly
cultivated in Jammu.
Sage thrives well in rich clayey and loamy
soil. A hot and dry climate is not suitable
for its cultivation
Uses
Sage is used in
the culinary preparation in the West. The
taste is fragrant, spicy, warm, astringent
and a little bitter. It is used for flavouring
meat and fish dishes and for poultry stuffing.
Fresh sage leaves are used in salads and sandwiches.
Sage is used as a mild tonic, astringent
and carminative. It is diaphoretic and anti-pyretic.
Sage oil is used in perfumes as a deodorant.
Sage and sage oil exhibit anti-oxidant properties.
