Can You Eat White Sage?

The leaves can be used fresh to season meats, seafood, and vegetables, or they can be incorporated into soups and stews. White sage can also be finely chopped and baked into bread, cooked into sauces for added flavoring, or used to flavor desserts.

What happens when you eat white sage?

White sage contains a toxic compound known as thujone. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this compound increases your heart rate and causes mental confusion. It also leads to vomiting, restlessness and kidney complications. Hence, you should exercise caution when using white sage.

Is white sage the same as cooking sage?

White sage (Salvia apiana) is used for ceremonial purposes: the dried leaves are burned for ritual cleansing. It is not used for cooking. The main sage species used for cooking, garden sage (Salvia officinalis), and its many varieties are not used the ritual purposes.

Which sage is toxic?

Some species of sage, including common sage (Salvia officinalis), contain a chemical called thujone. Too much thujone can cause seizures and damage the liver and nervous system.

Is white sage harmful?

It’s actively harmful, and because sage passes through so many wholesalers and vendors, some people that sell white sage don’t know if it was harvested ethically or even legally.

How do you use white sage as a medicine?

Herbalists use white sage as a tea, for soothing sore throats, for relaxation, for hormonal imbalances, for diarrhea, for indigestion, for ulcers, and for treating congestion in the respiratory tract. Since white sage is a natural deodorant, it can be used to make natural douches.

Is all sage edible?

Not all sage is edible. Some varieties are purely ornamental, but they tend to be wonderful for pollinator gardens. If you need to entice bees to come pollinate other plants, adding one of these inedible sages may do the trick.

Can you put white sage in tea?

White sage is known botanically as salvia apiana and can be purchased in a bundle and you can also drink it as a tea. This plant has impressive medicinal properties and is used in many wellness rituals.

What are the health benefits of white sage?

A 2016 research project for the University of Mississippi established that white sage (Salvia apiana) is rich in compounds that activate certain receptors in the brain. These receptors are responsible for elevating mood levels, reducing stress, and even alleviating pain.

Can you eat sage raw?

Sage is primarily used as a flavoring for fatty meats, sausages, beans and vegetables. The herb is rarely, if ever, used raw, because its aroma and flavor is best released when cooked (plus the herb is a little bit too pungent to be consumed raw).

How much sage is toxic?

What’s more, it’s nearly impossible to consume toxic amounts of thujone through foods. However, drinking too much sage tea or ingesting sage essential oils — which should be avoided in any case — may have toxic effects. To be on the safe side, limit sage tea consumption to 3–6 cups a day ( 47 ).

Can you drink sage tea?

Sage tea is very safe overall in normal amounts, but if you have any concerns, it’s best to consult your healthcare provider. Sage tea contains thujone, which can be toxic in high doses. While you should not drink large amounts of this tea for extended periods, drinking a few mugs per day is likely safe.

What can you do with white sage leaves?

In addition to smudging, white sage may be used for topical applications by preparing teas, poultices, and/or oil infusions. White sage is used in these applications because it has anti-fungal, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, calming, deodorizing, and healing properties.

What is the difference between white sage and regular sage?

Appearance. The mature leaves of a white sage plant are smooth and white, while the leaves of garden sage are gray or gray/green. Also white sage is slightly larger, growing 4 to 5 feet tall compared to garden sage’s 2 feet height max.

What does edible sage look like?

Culinary Sage Plants
This particular sage has soft, silvery green leaves that can be used fresh or dried. It is also known to attract beneficial insects, which are attracted to its purple-blue flowers.

What part of sage is edible?

The stems, leaves, and flowers of common sage are edible. For perennial growers in the warmest regions, they are available for harvesting year-round. Some folks like to pinch growing tips regularly to keep plants from flowering, claiming it results in better leaf flavor.

Does sage tea get you high?

May Help Relieve Anxiety. Sage tea is considered a stimulant, but it can also have relaxing qualities on mood and nerves, while also improving focus and memory. Sage can also increase performance in high-stress situations and reduce chronic anxiety.

How many sage leaves can you eat?

The leaves become very crispy and keep their strong taste. You can then break the leaves on pasta, and not much else is needed. Since 1 or 2 leaves per person are enough, I wouldn’t like to eat a whole sage salat.

Can you boil white sage?

Though not as commonly used as garden sage for cooking, white sage can also be used as a culinary herb.

Is white sage natural?

White sage is native to southwestern California and northern Baja California, below 4500 feet (1400 m). It is a plant of the coastal sage-scrub, but it may also be found along the lower edges and in openings of chaparral and oak woodlands.

Why is white sage sacred?

White sage is burned for meditation, smudging and cleansing of spirit and dwelling. In some beliefs, white sage smoke is believed to provide a barrier that prevents negative spirits from entering the room in which the ceremony is being held.