Sage officinalis is an herb of well-being and health. We grow sage in the country When to collect sage for medicinal purposes

Medicinal sage is a fragrant plant that can be found in the Caucasus, Ukraine, Moldova, Europe and America. It grows up to half a meter, blooms in July, the fruit ripens in September. It is widely used for medicinal purposes, often planted as a fragrant ingredient in the garden of aromas.

Medicinal sage: harvesting rules

Medicinal raw materials are leaves that are harvested before the flowering of the plant. The leaves are cut at least 10 centimeters from the ground, separating them from the stems, spreading them in a thin layer, dried in a shady place, good ventilation is required. Raw materials can be stored in closed containers for up to a year.

The active ingredients of sage are essential oils, flavonoids, organic acids, vitamin PP, bitterness, phytoncides, alkaloids, tannins.

The use of sage in medicine

Sage-containing preparations have anti-inflammatory, blood-restoring, expectorant, antimicrobial and soothing properties. From sage there is a decrease in sweating and breast milk secretion, the secretory activity of the gastrointestinal tract increases, and the formation of gases decreases. Sage is used externally and as a remedy for infertility.

To treat inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, rinses, inhalations and wet tampons are used. In this case, the infusion can be replaced with a tincture of 70% alcohol.

Medicinal sage effectively fights against staphylococci and streptococci, it is used in the treatment of wounds with pus, ulcers, skin inflammations.

How to cook sage infusion

To prepare the sage infusion, pour two large tablespoons of sage with a glass of boiling water and simmer for ten minutes over low heat. Let cool, strain after 30 minutes.

Sage tea is useful for patients with gastrointestinal spasms, inflammation of the gastric mucosa, low acidity of gastric juice, stomach ulcers, inflammation of the gall or urinary bladder, accumulation of gases in the gastrointestinal tract.

The recipe for making sage tea is simple: a spoonful of chopped sage is brewed with two glasses of boiling water, infused for half an hour, and a quarter glass of tea is taken three times a day during a meal.

Due to the presence of essential and tanning oils in the composition, sage has disinfecting and anti-inflammatory properties. A decoction of the plant is used for rinsing the mouth, throat for colds, tonsillitis, and catarrh of the respiratory tract. It is used as an external remedy for hair loss, inflammatory skin diseases, ulcers and purulent wounds, for the treatment of frostbite, minor burns.

Sage leaves have a spicy, pungent odor and a bitter, spicy taste, so they are used as a seasoning, adding to sauces, fish, meat dishes, soups. Sage goes well with rosemary.

In tincture of sage leaves, it is used in the form of douching, it can be drunk with a low level of estrogen, slowly growing. Shared baths or baths help with intervertebral, deforming osteoarthritis, radiculitis, chronic metabolic-dystrophic and inflammatory diseases of the joints. Sage tincture is used for peptic ulcer of the digestive tract, for the treatment of gastritis, for inflammation of the bladder, it is good for lowering blood pressure.

How to properly prepare sage and make an infusion

Sage leaves are harvested twice - in June (during budding) and in September (after plant regrowth). You need to collect it in the morning, in dry weather. The blank is carried out in two ways. In the first method, the leaves must be picked by hand and dried immediately. In the second method, you should cut off the herbaceous part of the plants at a height of about 10 cm from the ground, after that you need to dry the collected sage, and then separate the leaves from the stems by threshing.

Drying of raw materials is carried out under a canopy in the open air or in a well-ventilated area. The plant can be dried in special dryers at a temperature not higher than 35 ° C so that there is no loss of essential oils. Store sage in a cool dry place.

To prepare an infusion of sage leaves for ingestion, pour a tablespoon of raw materials with two cups of boiling water, leave for 50-60 minutes, strain and take 1/2 cup three times a day before meals. Infusion of sage leaves for external use (lotions, rinsing, washing) is prepared as follows: pour 2 tablespoons of raw materials with a glass of boiling water, leave for 20-30 minutes and strain.

It is not recommended to take sage for severe cough and kidney inflammation.

To prepare an infusion for douching, pour 4 tablespoons of raw materials with a glass of boiling water, leave for 10-15 minutes, strain and dilute with boiled cold water to 1 liter. Sage infused with 70% alcohol is prepared in a ratio of 1:10. This tincture should be taken three times a day, 20 drops.

There are a large number of medicinal plants, among which sage is not the last. The plant belongs to the perennials of the Lamiaceae family; today there are about 900 different species. Due to the large amount of chemicals that make up the sage, the plant is able to help humans in a number of cases.

How sage can be used:

• to combat inflammatory processes in the throat, mouth, bronchi;
• to disinfect and help skin cells (recover faster after frostbite, burns, pustular diseases);
• to improve digestion, relieve spasms in the intestines, eliminate bloating;
• to strengthen the immune system;
• to enhance hair growth, prevent hair loss.

In addition, sage-based products help with insomnia and stressful situations, save from increased sweating of the legs.

All these positive qualities speak for the fact that dried sage has the right to be present in the home medicine cabinet. And already to engage in its collection and procurement or to buy it in dried form, everyone decides independently. So when to cut sage for drying?

Sage harvest

When to harvest sage? The most favorable period for collecting leaves and flowers is early summer. At this point, the plant contains a large amount of essential oils. The collection begins after the inflorescences bloom.

Important! To prepare a medicinal base, you must choose a sage with dark green leaves and lilac inflorescences.

For medicinal purposes, the flowering tops of the plant are used, as well as leaves saturated with healing essential oils. The collection and harvesting of sage for the first time after planting is carried out in early autumn, then foliage with inflorescences are harvested twice, when summer and autumn are on the calendar:

• onset of budding (June-July);
• ripening of fruits (September).

Need to know.After sowing for a two-year period, only the lower leaves of the sage can be plucked, having petioles of at least 20 cm.After this period, medicinal raw materials can be harvested from all ground parts of the plant.

Sage harvesting can be done in two ways:

• manual breakage of hardwood parts followed by drying;
• cutting with improvised means (sickle, pruning shears, scissors) of the entire ground part of the plant, drying and threshing leaves and flowers.

Sage - how to prepare correctly? To obtain high-quality raw materials, the collection of plants is carried out on dry and sunny days, after the morning dew has dried. If the medicinal herb is dusty and dirty, then it must be rinsed with water and dried properly.

Having determined the time for collecting sage, it is worth going directly to the harvest.

On a note.Dried, damaged by insects or diseased leaves should not fall into the workpiece.

How to dry sage

This plant has a pleasant aroma that will persist even after drying. But if the harvesting conditions are violated, the raw material will smell musty.

It is necessary to dry sage immediately after harvesting. Inflorescences with leaves are washed in water at room temperature. You should not use hot liquid - this leads to the loss of half of the healing properties of the culture. After that, you need to lay out the raw materials on parchment or newspaper sheets.

The room where the plants are laid out (hung) must be dry and well ventilated. The procedure can also be carried out outdoors, but only if there is a canopy. It is important not to forget to periodically turn parts of the plant.

How to dry sage properly? This can be done without cutting the leaves and flowers from the shoots. It is enough to collect all the plants in small bunches and hang them under a canopy so that the tops are looking down.

Dried sage in a bunch

Using dryers

You can dry a medicinal plant in a special dryer or oven. The maximum temperature in the drying chamber should not exceed 40 ° C, otherwise the loss of aroma and essential oils will occur.

When selecting raw materials for drying, you should avoid extraneous branches, thick stems and other impurities. To understand whether the raw material is ready or not, it uses simple testing. Light fragility of the leaves indicates high-quality drying, but if the stems are simply bent, then the process must be continued.

Storage subtleties

You can store whole leaves with inflorescences or grind them beforehand, but in this case the essential oils will evaporate much faster. Medicinal plants must be placed in cardboard boxes, a canvas or paper bag, in a dry jar with a nylon lid. There is only one requirement for the room - it must be constantly ventilated.

Note! If all the rules are followed, then the raw materials obtained after drying can be used for two years.

Security measures

After it became clear when to collect and harvest sage, it's time to mention not only the beneficial properties of this plant. After all, like many others, it has its own contraindications. This is because some substances can be beneficial or harmful to human health. There are a number of cases in which the plant is best not consumed for treatment:

• the use of sage or medicines in which it is included leads to the accumulation of substances in the body that negatively affect the function of the kidneys;
• the use of sage inside is not recommended for children due to the effect of thujone on the fragile nervous system;
• polycystic kidney disease or other inflammatory processes impose a ban on the use of sage as a medicine;
• at an early stage of pregnancy, it can cause a miscarriage, at a later stage it provokes exfoliation of the placenta;
• contraindicated in breastfeeding (suppression of lactation);
• intolerance in the individual case.

Using sage

It is important to know not only how to prepare sage, but also how to take it correctly. Having familiarized yourself with the contraindications and, if none were found, you can prepare a tea that will have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects.

To prepare a drink you will need:

• sage - 2 teaspoons;
• boiling water - 250 ml.

Using sage

Pour boiling water over dry sage, let it brew for 30 minutes, strain before use. If in winter you had to face such unpleasant diseases as tonsillitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, then this drink is more effective with the addition of honey.

A mixture of lemon juice and tea is used as a gargle for sore throats in winter.

Having received an answer to the questions of when to collect and how to dry sage, everyone can independently collect a useful plant and use it for their needs for medicinal purposes.

Sage is grown in the country quite often. This perennial ornamental medicinal plant is loved by many gardeners. It can grow in the southern regions, northern regions, and the middle lane. The culture belongs to the Lamb family, has a second name Salvia.

Growing conditions

Perennial garden sage can be bred as annuals or biennials. Garden sage should be planted in an open, well-lit, sunny area. Slight shading of bushes is allowed. A heat-loving plant does not tolerate drafts.

The semi-shrub prefers light sandy loam or loamy, nutritious, neutral, breathable soils. He does not like slightly acidic soils. Their acidity should be: pH \u003d 6.5 - 7.0. If necessary, you can use chalk powder, dolomite flour, eggshells. To make the earth loose, humus, compost, river sand are added before digging up the bed.

Note! Sage in the country can grow in one place for more than 8 years.

The culture does not tolerate excessive moisture. Do not use a lot of humus. This can lead to the elongation of the bushes in height.

A favorable neighborhood is important for a plant. You can not plant sage in the garden in the place where the clear crops grew: mint, oregano, basil, thyme, corn. It is better that the predecessors were vegetables such as:

• Potatoes;
• Cabbage;
• Beans;
• Peas.

On a note! Irises, cereals, and strawberry bushes will be wonderful neighbors for sage.

Reproduction

You can grow sage:

• dividing the bush. In the fall or spring, they dig up a plant, divide it into the required number of fragments. Places of cuts are powdered with charcoal. Small bushes should have aerial parts and roots.
• by cuttings. Cut off healthy branches of dwarf shrubs. They are lowered into a container filled with water. After the roots are formed, the culture is planted in the ground.
• seeds. This is the most popular method of breeding sage in the country, it is worth considering it in more detail.

Sage seeds

Seeds are sown in February or March, early April. It depends on when it will be possible to transplant sprouts into open ground, summer residents should focus on the local climate.

Important! Sage belongs to plants with long daylight hours. Therefore, it is necessary to highlight it with phytolamps.

Seed material is bought in a store or harvested in the fall from the bushes at their summer cottage. In the latter case, you need to prepare them for sowing: the achenes are kept in the refrigerator for 30 days. Before planting, leave in a pink manganese solution for 15 minutes and dry.

It is necessary to prepare the land in advance (5 - 6 days before planting). You should spill the soil with boiling water with the addition of potassium permanganate or warm it up in the oven. This will destroy fungal infections, suspected pests. Next, you need to act like this:

1. Prepare containers. They are poured over with boiling water, washed with laundry soap. Drainage - expanded clay is poured at the bottom. Then they spread the earth.
2. Sage has very small seeds, so experienced gardeners recommend mixing them with sand. Then sprinkle gently on the surface of the soil and spray with water from a spray bottle. Cover with glass or plastic wrap. Comfortable temperature for landings + 20-25 degrees.
3. When the first shoots appear, the shelters are removed. The trays are put on the window. The crop should be watered sparingly. The first shoots appear after two weeks.
4. The shoots dive when two leaves appear on each sprout (use the same land as when sowing). For a couple of days, the pots are left in a light (openwork) shade. This way they take root better. Then they are returned to a bright place.

Advice! To make the bushes lush and give a lot of lateral processes, you need to pinch their tops above every sixth leaf.

Sage in the garden: planting and care

Before planting sage outdoors in the country, the seedlings should be hardened for 14 days. It is necessary to take plants out into the air so that they can get used to their habitat. To begin with, they are left for a few minutes, gradually increasing the time.

Young seedlings are planted when the threat of frost has passed (depending on the region, climate). For example, in the Moscow region, you can plant Salvia seedlings in the last days of May. So that the bushes do not interfere with each other, the distance between them should be at least 70 centimeters.

Planting sage

It is not necessary to grow sage seedlings; you can also sow its seeds directly into the ground in spring or fall. It should be noted that during autumn planting, the seeds must be dry. Thus, natural stratification occurs in winter.

Seeds are laid to a depth of 6 - 7 mm. When the seedlings grow up, they should be thinned out.

Care

Salvia is not fastidious, it is quite simple to take care of her.

Although sage tolerates drought well, it requires moderate watering. Otherwise, its leaves will become tough. Water the plant as needed, avoiding excessive moisture. Otherwise, pests may attack it: spider mites, slugs, thrips, snails. After irrigation, the soil around the bushes must be loosened.

Important! Stagnation of water should not be allowed.

Mulching with small stones or pebbles will retain moisture

In the spring, the plants are fed before flowering, or 14 - 20 days after the seedlings have been planted (with nitrogen substances, mullein infusion). When flowers appear, use phosphorus, potassium (25g / m2). In the fall, when the bushes are pruned, the soil is fertilized with phosphorus-potassium compounds

They begin to prune the plants in the second year after planting, leaving the stems 10 centimeters high from the ground. Sage bushes are cut in spring and autumn. This procedure rejuvenates the seedlings, stimulates the growth of new branches, and strengthens the roots. The first years, when sage grows, carry out autumn pruning. Later, a similar event is carried out only in the spring.

Important! Stems grow stiff after 3 - 5 years. It is necessary to replace old bushes with young seedlings. They are usually cut in water. After a month, roots appear and cuttings are planted in the ground.

All types of sage do not tolerate winter colds and frosts. In autumn, the plants are prepared for winter: they are cut off, leaving hemp, mulched with dry humus. When the temperature outside becomes -5 - 6 degrees, sprinkle with earth, cover with foliage, spruce branches.

Sage collection

Everyone knows that sage has undeniable medicinal properties. Both the leaves and the tops with flowers bring benefits. Medicinal material can be harvested throughout the summer season until early autumn. The best period for harvesting is considered to be the flowering time of the culture. The plant is harvested in dry, sunny weather.

Sage harvest

You can pluck the leaves separately or cut the twigs, forming them into bouquets. For young seedlings (1 - 2 years old), it is advisable to take only the upper leaves, without touching the branches.

Medicinal herbs are dried in well-ventilated rooms (no more than +35 degrees). The sun's rays should not fall on it. Raw materials are scattered in a thin layer or hung in panicles. You can use an oven or electric dryer (permissible temperature 50 - 60 degrees). The dried plant is stored in glass jars, cloth bags, paper bags.

Sage application

Interesting! It is used fresh and dried to flavor various meat, fish, vegetable dishes, it is included in complex spices. Also added during preservation.

For prophylactic, medicinal purposes, all kinds of decoctions, infusions, rinses are prepared from sage. It has an antibacterial effect, stops blood, improves vascular tone, cleanses the body. They treat wounds, burns, use it for compresses.

Sage is considered to be an excellent cosmetic product. Beneficial features:

• slows down the aging process;
• restores skin cells, cleanses, refreshes it;
• eliminates various inflammations on the skin, normalizes its fat content;
• rinse the hair with sage infusion.

Sage is widely used in cosmetology

The plant also has contraindications. Its preparations cannot be used for the following diseases:

• acute inflammation of the kidneys;
• hypothyroidism (decreased thyroid function);
• polycystic;
• endometriosis;
• myoma;
• individual intolerance;
• pregnancy;
• breast-feeding.

On a note! The most common variety of salvia, which is planted in summer cottages, is Muscat sage (Voznesensky 24). It has a delicate aroma of nutmeg (the presence of essential oil 0.25%), for which it got its name. It is a perennial (usually biennial) plant. Differs in high winter hardiness. Its height is 1, 5 - 2 meters. If the crop is grown in the suburbs, the growth will not exceed 1m.

Clary sage is grown in the country in the same way as other types of salvia.

Sage is not difficult to grow in a summer cottage. It is easy to care for, and the beautiful appearance of the flower will decorate any garden.

Sage (salvia) is used both medicinally and in cooking. The choice of drying method depends on what you need sage for.

Sage is harvested in early summer, when it is just beginning to bloom, and until autumn. It is during flowering that the concentration of essential oils in the plant reaches its peak.

Cut the stems completely, so it is more convenient to transport them, and sort out at home. Try not to take contaminated plants. Sage stems can of course be washed, but this is not advisable.

This drying method is suitable for medical purposes, where the whole plant and flowers and stems and leaves are used. Tie the sage stalks into small bunches and hang the flowers upside down in a dry, ventilated area.

Sage essential oils are very volatile, so after drying, fold the dried herb bunches into a cardboard box and store in a dry room at room temperature. Grind only the amount of grass you need right now.

Drying sage for seasoning

For seasoning, you need the lower, largest sage leaves.

Tear them off, rinse and dry on a cloth, or blot gently with a paper towel, but do not press down, otherwise you can damage the structure of the leaf, the essential oil will begin to stand out, and very quickly the leaf will lose its aroma. Spread a layer of leaves on a dryer tray, and supervise the drying process to prevent the leaves from drying out.

Grind dry sage leaves in a blender or coffee grinder and put in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.