Salvia officinalis: where it grows, how to collect, dry and brew. How to properly prepare medicinal sage When to collect sage for medicinal purposes

Description

How to dry sage at home so that it retains not only all its useful qualities, but also a wonderful and incomparable aroma, you will learn from the step-by-step photo of the recipe presented below. It is he who will clearly describe to you the easiest and most affordable way to independently stock up on the cold of one of the most popular medicinal spices. To dry sage leaves, we will use a regular oven, which everyone probably has. That is why any housewife will be able to afford such an important and necessary workpiece. We will also tell you about a method for drying leaves without using a technique, which will take more time, but will be much more useful.
Why is sage so useful, you ask. In fact, the scope of application of this plant, both in cooking and in medicine, is quite wide. Already by only one of its smell, which it owes to the essential oils contained in the leaves, sage is able to relieve ailments and nausea, as well as remove headaches. It is sage tea, on a par with chamomile, that is brewed in order to calm the nerves. Moreover, such a hot drink heals colds, improves memory, invigorates and makes the mind clear. If these beneficial qualities are still not enough for you, then it is worth noting that brewed sage improves stomach function and fights many digestive problems. Truly, a wonderful plant gives new colors to any dish. Very often this spice is used in Italian cuisine; sage is also often added to meat for grilling. You can store dried sage in small glass jars or in special cotton bags; tin cans are also suitable for preserving the smell of spices. Let's start harvesting dried sage leaves for the winter at home.

Ingredients

How to dry sage? - recipe

First of all, we will look at the most common way to dry sage without using various kitchen appliances. To do this, you need to collect the branches of the plant and rinse them under cold running water. Then cover the countertop with a kitchen or paper towel, put twigs on top at a distance from each other and let them dry completely and get rid of moisture.

Each branch of the plant must be disassembled into leaves, while leaving a sufficiently long green leg in order to then tie the leaves together in bundles of 8 pieces each, as shown in the photo. For tying, be sure to use a rope made of natural fabric.

Now we connect all the harvested bunches by the stems to each other in a rather long string: it is necessary that the beams are at a sufficient distance and do not touch the leaves of each other... We hang the workpiece on the wall in a place where they will not collect dust, moisture and where direct sunlight will not fall on the leaves. In this form, the leaves will dry at room temperature for 2 to 4 weeks, depending on the density of the plant.

The readiness of the sage can be checked as follows: if, when twisting, the leaf breaks along its entire length in the center and crunches, then the sage has dried well... You can then grind the workpiece and send it in sealed glass jars for storage in the pantry.

There is an easier, or rather, quick way to dry sage leaves yourself. For this we heat the oven in advance.

At this stage, we rinse the leaves in the same way, putting them on a kitchen towel. All moisture should evaporate from the surface of each sheet..

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Diseases and Effects: inflammatory diseases of the oropharynx, nasopharynx and upper respiratory tract, skin, festering ulcers and wounds, burns, frostbite, gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, inflammation of the bladder.

Active substances: flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, resinous substances, organic acids, vitamin P, vitamin PP, bitterness, phytoncides, pinene, cineole, thujone, thujol, borneol, salven, camphor, B vitamins.

Time of collection and preparation of the plant: June, September.

Botanical description of salvia officinalis

Perennial dwarf shrub 50-70 cm high, of the Labiatae family. In some sources it is referred to as a family of lamines.

Root woody.

Stem gray-green straight, branched, with short leafy shoots at the base, short, curly pubescent along the entire length. Below the stem is woody, covered with thin gray or brown bark, tetrahedral.

Leaves oblong, numerous, wrinkled, 5-8 cm long, 0.8-1.5 cm wide, obtuse or sharp. Above, the leaves are dark green, woolly, grayish below, with short hairs and finely reticulated veins.

Inflorescences sage officinalis are simple or branched with 6-7 ten-flowered false whorls spaced 1-2 cm apart. The flowers are large, on short pedicels, sitting in the axils of the bracts, collected in 1-5-flowered opposite whorls.

The smell, especially when rubbed, is strong, aromatic, and the taste is spicy.

Fetus consists of four almost round single-seeded nuts. Seeds are round-ovoid, smooth, black or dark brown in color. The size of the seeds is from 2.4 to 3.0 mm, the weight of 1000 seeds is 7-10 g.

Under natural conditions, medicinal sage grows in warm and mountainous areas. To obtain high yields, it requires a good supply of soil moisture, but at the same time does not tolerate an excess of it. The experience of sage cultivation has shown that in areas with unstable, cold weather, sage exhibits weak winter hardiness.

Salvia officinalis propagates by seeds. In the first year, it grows slowly, forming a small number of leafy shoots. Starting from the second year of vegetation, in early spring (late March - early April) forms up to 100 or more shoots. With age, the shoots lignify and persist in subsequent years. With the timely removal (before the start of sap flow) of old shoots, young ones are formed, on which larger leaves develop.

Sage is a cross-pollinated plant. It blooms in May and June, the seeds ripen in a month, first the lower calyxes of the inflorescences, and then the upper ones.

Under favorable weather conditions and good care, sage plantations can be used for 4-6 years.

The average yield of a leaf is 12 c / ha, with irrigation the yield rises to 30 c / ha. There is more essential oil in the leaves of the upper tier, less in the middle and especially in the lower tiers, a small amount of it in the stems - 0.3%. Its highest content is in the phase of seed maturation. By October-November, the content of essential oil is significantly reduced. Therefore, one should not be late in harvesting the leaves, especially since this negatively affects the winter hardiness of sage.

Leaves are used for medicinal purposes.

Distribution of sage officinalis

The homeland of medicinal sage is Asia Minor, from where it spread to the countries of the Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean. Sage is cultivated in small quantities throughout Europe, and the centers of its culture are the region of Dalmatia (Yugoslavia) and France. It does not occur in the wild on the territory of the countries of the former USSR. The plant is cultivated as a medicinal raw material in Moldova, Ukraine, Crimea and the Caucasus.

The chemical composition of sage

Sage leaves contain flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins and resinous substances, organic acids (oleanolic, ursolic, chlorogenic, phenolcarboxylic, etc.), vitamins P and PP, bitterness, phytoncides, as well as a significant amount of essential oil containing pinene, cineole, thujone , tuyol, borneol, salvene and other terpene compounds. The leaves also contain camphor and B vitamins, phenolic compounds - derivatives of caffeic acid - tannins (4%).

Pharmacological properties of medicinal sage

The anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties of sage are associated with the content of tannic and flavonoid compounds in the leaves, as well as with the presence of essential oil and vitamins P and PP in the aerial part of the plant. The antimicrobial activity of the plant is most pronounced in relation to gram-positive strains of bacteria and, to a lesser extent, herbal preparations of sage affect gram-negative strains of microorganisms.

The anti-inflammatory effect of sage is due to a decrease in the permeability of the walls of blood vessels and capillaries under the action of drugs, as well as the presence of hemostatic properties in the plant. The combination of these properties significantly potentiates the overall effect on the main links of the inflammatory process, including the possibility of inhibiting the vital activity of pathogenic microflora.

In addition, it was experimentally established that sage leaves increase the secretory activity of the gastrointestinal tract due to the presence of bitterness in the plant. Galenic forms of the plant also have a slight splasmolytic effect. The plant's ability to inhibit perspiration has long been known.

The use of sage in medicine

Herbal preparations of sage are used for inflammatory diseases of the oropharynx, nasopharynx and upper respiratory tract, taking into account the astringent, anti-inflammatory, disinfecting and phytoncidal properties of the plant. Leaves in the form of infusion are used for rinsing, inhalation, lotions and wet turundas.

Sage infusions are also used for inflammatory diseases of the skin, for the treatment of festering ulcers and wounds, for minor burns and frostbite. For therapeutic purposes, gauze napkins moistened with sage infusion are used, general or local baths with infusion are prescribed.

There is clinical experience in the use of herbal preparations of sage for gastritis and gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer with reduced secretory activity of the gastrointestinal tract and acidity of gastric juice, as well as with a tendency of patients to spastic states of the stomach and intestines. Sage is prescribed for inflammation of the bladder. Separately, galenic preparations of sage are rarely used, usually sage leaves are included in complex collections.

Salvia officinalis reduces perspiration. This property is used in the climacteric period, with some febrile conditions, tuberculosis. The ability of sage preparations to suppress lactation in nursing mothers needs further study.

Dosage forms of medicinal sage

Sage tincture(Tinctura Salviae) is a clear greenish-brown liquid with a characteristic aromatic odor and taste. A 1: 10 tincture is prepared in 70% alcohol. It is used for rinsing.

Sage leaf infusion(Infusum folii Salviae): 10 g (2 tablespoons) of raw material is placed in an enamel bowl, 200 ml (1 glass) of hot boiled water is poured, heated in boiling water (in a water bath) for 15 minutes, cooled at room temperature for 45 minutes , filter. The remaining raw materials are squeezed out. The volume of the resulting infusion is brought up to 200 ml with boiled water. The prepared infusion is stored in a cool place for no more than 2 days.

The infusion is used as an emollient and anti-inflammatory agent.

Produced in packs of 50 g. Sage leaves are stored in a dry, cool place.

Harvesting of medicinal sage

Raw materials are harvested twice a summer: the first time - at the beginning of flowering, the second - in September. The leaves are picked by hand. During the first harvest, the lower leaves are plucked, and in the fall - all the leaves. Raw materials are dried in the fresh air, spreading out in a thin layer, stirring often.

Recommendations for growing sage in home gardens

Seeds are sown in early spring to a depth of 4 cm with a row spacing of 45-60 cm at the rate of 50 pcs. seeds per 1 running meter.

At a later date, when the soil warms up, you can sow with pre-germinated seeds, 30-40 pieces per 1 m.

Seedlings require careful maintenance. With a lack of moisture, watering is required. Caring for plants during the growing season consists in loosening row spacings and controlling weeds. Starting from the second year, in early spring, rejuvenation is carried out - the plant is cut off the very ground. At the same time, the number of flowering shoots is significantly reduced and the collection of leaves increases.

Harvesting in the first year can be carried out not earlier than September, on older plants - at the beginning of seed ripening. Re-collection of leaves in autumn is possible. Leaves are dried in the shade under awnings. Raw materials are stored in various containers with good sealing. Shelf life is 1 year.

Industrial cultivation of salvia officinalis

Usually a sage plantation is used for collecting leaves for 4-5 years, so the sowing of the plant must be placed in specialized crop rotations, choosing for it areas that are free of weeds. The best precursors for medicinal sage are pure fallow or winter cereals.

The main cultivation of the soil for medicinal sage is carried out according to the general rules of autumn cultivation. When sowing on non-fallow predecessors, the main attention should be paid to timely stubble plowing and plowing to a depth of 25-27 cm with simultaneous rolling with a ring roller. As the weeds grow, the soil is cultivated to a depth of 10–12 cm, followed by a decrease in the tillage depth by autumn to 5–6 cm.

Presowing soil cultivation is carried out depending on its physical properties, as well as on the state after overwintering. On light, non-swimming, loose soils, seedbed preparation for sage sowing is limited to harrowing. On heavier and floating soils, before sowing sage, cultivation can be applied to a depth of 5-6 cm, however, in dry spring conditions this method leads to excessive drying out of the soil and seedlings may be sparse.

The main method of sage cultivation is spring wide-row, band sowing with germinated seeds, with row spacing of 60-70 cm. The sowing depth is 4 cm, the seeding rate is 6-8 kg / ha of first class seeds.

For sowing, a seeder (for example, SO-4,2) with disc coulters should be used with the installation of seeding depth limiters on them.

Plantation maintenance is no different from other row crops and should provide optimal conditions for plant growth and development.

Seedlings appear on the 18-21st day. Usually by this time weeds appear, which in growth overtake sage seedlings. Therefore, by the time of the mass appearance of weeds, it is necessary to time the first inter-row tillage. The row spacings are cultivated with cultivators (for example, KRN-4.2) to a depth of 5-8 cm, weeds are removed in the rows and the soil is loosened by hand. In total, 2-3 manual weeding and 5-6 inter-row soil cultivation should be carried out during the growing season.

In the first and subsequent years, sage forms leafy shoots, which lignify by the end of the growing season. A large number of flower stalks with inflorescences appear on such shoots in May. Peduncle formation and seed formation have a negative effect on leaf growth and development. They become small, turn yellow prematurely, yields and their quality are noticeably reduced. In addition, in the presence of lignified shoots, peduncles and inflorescences, mechanized harvesting of leaves, as well as their subsequent cleaning, is difficult.

To obtain higher yields of high-quality raw materials, it is necessary, starting from the second year of the growing season, to rejuvenate the plantation - to cut sage plants near the ground. Rejuvenation should be carried out at the end of winter or in the earliest spring periods and end before the start of sap flow in plants.

Rejuvenation of transplanting plantations of medicinal sage significantly increases the yield and quality of medicinal raw materials. After rejuvenation, during regrowth, fewer flowering and more vegetative leafy shoots with large leaves are formed. As weeds appear on the plantations, both inter-row tillage and weeding in rows should be carried out.

Salvia officinalis is responsive to fertilizers. In the south, it needs, first of all, nitrogen, then phosphorus and potassium. As the main fertilizer on dry land, 20 tons of humus should be applied together with mineral nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers at 30 kg / ha of active ingredients - or some mineral fertilizers N 120 P 60; in the second case, in the first year of the growing season, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers can be omitted. From the second and subsequent years of vegetation in the fall, it is necessary to add 1 centner of ammonium sulfate and 1.5 centners of superphosphate, and in the early spring, fertilize with ammonium sulfate at a dose of 1.5 centners / ha. Fertilizers should be applied to a depth of 10-12 cm.

Under irrigation conditions, the dose of mineral fertilizers during the main application should be increased to N 180 P 90. Top dressing is carried out at the same time as on dry land; in addition, in addition, after each mowing, 1.5 c / ha of ammonium nitrate is introduced. When sowing, together with the seeds, you can apply 20-30 kg / ha of granulated superphosphate.

Irrigation is an important factor in increasing sage yields. Plants of the first year develop slowly, so they start watering in early June. However, on transitional plantations, regrowth begins early and watering can be carried out in April-May.

According to experimental data, medicinal sage during the growing season consumes up to 5 thousand m 3 of water per 1 hectare. To meet the water demand of plants, it is necessary to carry out from 4 to 5 vegetation irrigations. Since the water consumption of salvia officinalis is not the same for periods of growth, irrigation should be differentiated.

In the first growing season (June), the total water consumption is only 20-25%, at this time the first watering should be carried out. In the second period (July-August), when there is an increased growth of the leaf surface and root, 34-45% of moisture is consumed; at this time it is necessary to carry out two waterings. In the third period (from the second half of August to the end of the growing season), the water consumption of sage decreases, one or two irrigations are required.

The pre-irrigation threshold of soil moisture for medicinal sage is 70-75% of the PPV.

The timing of harvesting medicinal sage depends on the degree of leaf growth and the content of essential oil in them. According to some reports, leaves on dry land at the end of April have 0.5% of essential oil, in the phase of seed ripening - 1.4%, in November - 0.9%; on irrigation, respectively: at the end of April - 0.5%, in the phase of seed ripening - 1.5% and in November - 0.9%.

Thus, the best time for the first harvest of sage leaves on rolling plantations is the period of seed formation. Subsequent cleaning is carried out no later than October. In the first year of the growing season, sage can be mown once — in September.

Harvesting involves mowing the above-ground mass with simultaneous loading into vehicles. The most suitable for use in sage harvesting is a specially converted self-propelled harvester. Instead of a threshing apparatus, a pneumatic conveyor is installed on it to feed the cut mass into a transport trolley.

Drying is carried out on currents, and the sage grass is laid out in a thick layer (40-50 cm). When dried in a thin layer, most of the raw materials lose their natural color. Artificial drying is carried out at a temperature of 50-60 ° C, an increase in temperature over 60 ° C can lead to the loss of essential oils.

The separation of the leaf from the stem is carried out by threshing with a combine harvester. Complete processing of raw materials is carried out on sorting devices.

Ready dry raw materials are packed on presses in bales weighing 30 kg and sent for packaging.

The quality of the threshed leaf is determined by the requirements of the temporary pharmacopoeial monograph VFS 42-946-80 (source 1992). The raw material should consist of pieces of leaves of various shapes and whole leaves ranging in size from 1 to 35 mm with a small amount of other plant parts. The color of the leaves is green or silvery white. The smell is aromatic, the taste is bitter-spicy, slightly astringent. Essential oil content - not less than 0.8%; moisture - no more than 14%, total ash - no more than 12%, blackened and brown leaves - no more than 5%, other parts of sage (stems no more than 3 cm long and inflorescences) - no more than 13%, particles passing through a sieve with hole size 0.5 mm - no more than 10%; organic impurity - no more than 3%, mineral impurity - no more than 5%.

Salvia officinalis belongs to plants with pronounced male sterility. An insignificant proportion of bisexual (fertile) plants (from 0.3 to 5%) leads to non-binding of seeds and low yield.

Primary seed production takes into account the widespread influence of male sterility. Fertile (F) and separately male sterile (MS) plants are often selected.

Seed plots are laid with elite seeds of two lines - F and MS in a ratio of 1: 5 to 1: 7. This ratio of plants ensures good seed setting.

Salvia officinalis does not rejuvenate on seed plots. Salvia officinalis blooms in May-June, and seeds ripen in early July. Ripe seeds fall off easily, so harvesting must be done without delay - at the beginning of the blackening of the seeds in the lower cups.

The seeds are harvested with an ordinary grain harvester, dried on covered currents and cleaned on grain cleaning machines.

The seeds remain viable for three years.

Sage in dreams

Sage in the dream book of the Mandrake Labyrinth

Salvia officinalis in the collection of medicinal plants

Collection number 5
It is used for gastritis, low acidity

Collection number 6
It is used for increased secretion, peptic ulcer disease. According to the method of preparation and use - infusion.

Collection number 9
It is used for diseases of the stomach. According to the method of preparation and use - infusion.

Collection number 11
It is used for gastroenterocolitis. According to the method of preparation and use - infusion.

Collection number 12
It is used for gastroenterocolitis. According to the method of preparation and use - infusion.

Collection number 14
It is used for colitis. According to the method of preparation and use - infusion.

Collection number 18
It is used for dysbiosis. According to the method of preparation and use - infusion.

Collection number 36
It is used for infertility. According to the method of preparation and use - infusion.

Collection number 59
It is used for cholelithiasis. According to the method of preparation and use - infusion.

There are a large number of medicinal plants, among which sage is far from the last place. 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 intestinal cramps, 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 to dry?

Sage harvest

When to harvest sage? The most favorable period for collecting leaves and flowers is the beginning of 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 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 at the beginning of 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, which have 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 deciduous parts with subsequent 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 leaves, 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 conditions of harvesting are violated, the raw material will smell musty.

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 should 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 due to the fact that 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 drugs in which it is included leads to the accumulation of substances in the body that negatively affect the function of the kidneys;
• for children, the use of sage inside is not recommended 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.

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. Widely used for medicinal purposes, it is 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

Preparations containing sage 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, inhalation and wet tampons are used. In this case, the infusion can be replaced with a tincture of 70% alcohol.

Medicinal sage effectively fights 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 gallbladder or 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.

The essential oils found in the leaves and flowers of sage are valuable in cooking and medicine. Dried crushed leaves are used as a seasoning for meat and vegetable dishes, and whole leaves and flowers are brewed as tea. In sage growing in the garden, the intensity and strength of the aroma changes during the growing season. This happens because at different times a different amount of useful elements is concentrated in the plant. Therefore, the collection of sage for drying is not carried out all summer, but only during certain periods.

Summer sage harvest

At the beginning of summer, sage is most saturated with essential oils, and the leaves and flowers harvested at this time are most appreciated. The collection begins as soon as the inflorescences begin to bloom on the plant. For drying, select undamaged dark green leaves and pluck them along with the cuttings. The inflorescences of the plant are also suitable for collection. Branches are cut off, on which the lower flowers have already blossomed, and the upper ones are still in buds. If you cut off fully blooming inflorescences, during drying, the lower petals will fall off, leaving stems bare from below, which have no real value.

The preparation time lasts approximately 20 days. When the sage fades and the seeds begin to ripen, its collection stops. At this time, the leaves and stems of the plant coarse, and the concentration of nutrients in them decreases. Ripe seeds fall to the soil and self-sowing occurs. After the next rain, the seeds will germinate and young plants will emerge from them.

Harvesting sage in autumn

The second harvest begins at the end of September, when the plant recovers from the summer heat. By this time, beautiful velvety leaves grow on the sage bushes again and flowers begin to bloom. The self-sown plants that have emerged will also come into force and form into strong young bushes. Harvesting is carried out in the same way as in the summer. In terms of value, the raw materials collected in the fall are not inferior to the summer harvest.

Drying of the collected raw materials is carried out in the open air under a canopy so that the sun's rays do not fall on the plants spread out in a thin layer. In autumn, it can be more difficult to dry the green mass due to the lower temperature, therefore, when the leaves dry out a little, they are dried at home in the oven, setting the temperature in it to 60 ° C and opening the oven door.

It should be noted that, like all medicinal plants, sage is collected away from highways and industrial production with emissions of harmful gases. Also, the collection point should be located outside the city, so that the plant does not absorb harmful substances. Correctly and on time harvested sage can be used as an additive in tea or a medicinal plant for two years.