Sage
Cost per kilo 20,00 €

Φασκόμηλο
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Sage, or otherwise common sage is a perennial evergreen shrub commonly seen all over the Mediterranean and south-eastern Europe, that is very popular for its culinary utility. However, it also displays medicinal interest and for this reason it has been used extensively over the years. In cooking, it is used to give flavor and aroma to meat or vegetable stock, in meat dishes and to flavour vinegar.

Sage has been used throughout the centuries for warding off evil, snakebites, increasing men's and women's fertility and many more. Theophrastus described two different kinds of sage, a wild undershrub he called sphakos and a similar cultivated plant he called elelisphakos. Pliny the Elder reported that the plant was named salvia by the Romans and was used as a diuretic, a local anesthetic for the skin, a styptic and for other uses. It was also noted in Ancient Greek and was extensively used as a tonic. Women offered their husbands who returned from war tea made from sage to stimulate fertility and sexual drive. Dioscorides recommended the herb for irregular menstruation and bleeding. The Romans revered the plant and used it in religious practices and rituals. It was considered the guardian of all plants.

Sage was held at such high consideration for its healing properties and value that it was oftentimes called Sage the Savior. It was one of the ingredients of Four Thieves Vinegar, a blend of herbs which was supposed to ward of the plague. It had also been utilized in the past for hair care products, insect bites and wasp stings, nervous and mental conditions, oral preparations for oral, tongue and throat inflammation, and also to reduce fevers.

Sage appeas to have a savory, slightly peppery flavor. It appears in many European cuisines, notably Italian, Balkan and Middle Eastern cookery. In Italian cuisine, it is an essential condiment for saltimbocca and other national dishes, and is also very commonly added to fish. In British and American cooking, it is traditionally served as sage and onion stuffing in roast turkey or chicken at Christmas or Thanksgiving Day. The herb is also used in many vegetable dishes, especially with beans.

Medicinal Application:

Sage's herbal parts contain many notable plant derived chemical compounds, essential oils, minerals, vitamins that are known to have disease preventing and health promoting properties.

Altogether, the active principals inside the herb appear to have counter-irritant, rubefacient, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-fungal and anti-septic properties.

The active compound Thujone in sage improves mental concentration, attention-span and quickens one's senses; hence the reason sage infusions have long been considered and recognized as brain tonics.

Sage is an exceptionally very rich source of several B-complex groups of vitamins, such as folic acid, thiamin, pyridoxine and riboflavin many times higher than the recommended dail levels.

The herb also contains very good amounts of vitamin A and beta-carotene.

Fresh sage leaves are a good source of vitamin C, an important antioxidant vitamin.

Both fresh and dried leaves are a rich source of minerals like potassium, zinc, calcium, iron, manganese, copper and magnesium.

The essential oil obtained from the herbal parts of sage has been found to have Ach enzyme inhibition properties. This helps Ach levels rise inside the brain and this particular enzyme improves concentration and may play a role in the treatment of memory loss associated with diseases like the Alzheimer's.

Sage oil distilled from the flowers has tonic, astringent, diaphoretic and stimulant properties.

This is to inform you that we are not doctors. What is written above has a simple character and in no way replaces medical application. Always consult your doctor about your health issues.