Hydrolate made from real sage (Salvia officinalis) is an effective remedy with a wide range of uses. These include:
- Body spray, body splash or deodorant for external use
- Internal use for heavy perspiration/sweating (hyperhidrosis)
- Oral hygiene and treatment of inflammation in the mouth and throat (gargle solution, mouthwash, mouthwash, inhalation).
- Facial tonic, facial steam bath, facial fluid for skin care, especially for sensitive skin.
- Hair tonic to regulate the sebaceous glands and for rather greasy hair.
- Aftershave for its toning and wound-healing effect
- Psychological effect as part of aroma care:
- Against tiredness and nervousness
- Memory strengthening and concentration promotion
First of all, it is important to consider the effects of this wonderful plant as a whole.
Sage - Basics
Salvia officinalis is a perennial shrub of the Labiatae / Lamiaceae family. Sage is the largest genus of this family and includes hundreds of species. The species Salvia officinalis is native to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The leaves of the sage bush have always been used in cooking and medicine. Because of its flavor properties, this plant is widely used in the preparation of many foods. In the medicine of Asia and Latin America, it has been used to treat various types of ailments, including ulcers, gout, rheumatism, inflammation, dizziness, tremors, paralysis, diarrhea, and hyperglycemia. In Europe, sage has been used to treat mild dyspepsia (such as heartburn and bloating), excessive sweating, age-related cognitive impairment, and inflammation of the throat and skin.
Active ingredients of the essential oil
The essential oil consists mainly of alpha and beta thujone, camphor, 1,8-cineole and alpha-pinene.
The leaves also contain rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic acid, Cryptochlorogenic acid and neochlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, flavonoid glycosides with the aglyca apigenin, luteolin and camphorol and diterpenes.
Pharmacological effect
Aqueous extracts of sage are antibacterial against gram-positive and gram-negative germs. Furthermore, they have a fungicidal effect against yeasts and have an antiviral effect. Ursolic acid has an inhibitory effect and thus inhibits the formation of metastases (currently under scientific discussion after relevant studies). The rosmarinic acid has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.
The toxic component of the essential oil (thujone) are poisons that affect the nerve tracts. In the case of preparations made from sage leaves, the dangerous doses of thujone are not reached. This also applies to hydrolates. Sage oil should be used with great care and dosed with professional support. Sage hydrolate, on the other hand, is unproblematic to use and should only be used in the first three months of pregnancy and should be used in small children in low doses.
Recognized medical effect (BGA Germany)
- Effects: antibacterial, fungistatic, virustatic, astringent, secretion-promoting and antiperspirant.
- Type of application: Cut drug for infusions, alcoholic extracts and distillates for gargling, rinsing and brushing as well as for internal use and as fresh plant juice.
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Areas of application:
External use: inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat.
Internal use: dyspeptic complaints; increased sweating - Interactions: None known.
- Contraindications: The pure essential oil and alcoholic extracts should not be taken during pregnancy.
- Cold and flu
- Throat infection
- Inflammation of the oral mucosa
- Gingivitis
- Bronchitis
- whooping cough
- Rheumatism
- slight depression
- nervousness
- Hyperhidrosis (abnormal sweating)
- Slight indigestion
- Weaning while breastfeeding
- Wound healing
The use of sage hydrolate against sweating and the smell of sweat is popular and well-known. Probably even better known is the area of application of sage for painful inflammatory complaints in the mouth and throat as well as for toothache. For this purpose, douching with sage, gargling with tea or special preparations with sage or sage extracts are recommended. In addition to being anti-inflammatory, sage is also an astringent, antiseptic and antispasmodic. These are all reasons why many toothpastes are enriched with sage and many cough drops contain sage as an ingredient. Furthermore, an anticarcinogenic effect was found in sage, which is due to the diterpenes contained in sage. Among other things, it is discussed whether Salvia officinalis is used to combat certain types of lymph gland cancer and leukemia. The first studies were actually able to show the cell death of tumor cells.
Application in cosmetics:
Astringent, antibacterial, antioxidant, deodorizing, decongesting, anti-inflammatory, skin cleansing, skin tightening;
Sage water is well suited for the care and treatment of large-pored, greasy, impure , poor blood circulation and acne-prone skin. It can be used as a facial tonic or facial steam bath, but also with shaking lotions and masks. Sage can bind skin-damaging free radicals on the skin and thus prevent premature aging of the skin. Sage water is therefore ideal for a shaking emulsion = second skin. Sage water is particularly suitable as a natural deodorant or foot spray due to its antiperspirant and deodorizing effect. Used regularly, it regulates excessive foot perspiration and is generally used for scented foot care. As an aftershave, sage water can tone the skin and heal minor cuts. Sage water also has a hair care effect. It is traditionally used against hair loss. It regulates the function of the sebaceous glands and is used to care for slightly greasy hair. It is massaged into the scalp or sprayed into damp hair as a hairspray.
Use in the kitchen:
Sage water gives dishes a spicy aroma. The sage scent and taste goes well with lamb, poultry, veal, grilled fish, but also with pastries. It refines salad dressings and vegetable soups. Sage water can be sprayed on freshly grilled fish or meat. The scent of sage combines wonderfully with the scent of fire.
Special case - memory boost:
Sage helps with memory loss. In a systematic overview, eight clinical studies have now been evaluated that examined real sage and Spanish sage for their effect on memory performance.Both types of sage were successful in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, as well as in healthy patients. The sage was administered orally in seven studies, and in one study the sage oil was taken up via the respiratory tract as part of aromatherapy. The positive result of the overview study suggests that sage can be a drug with few side effects for dementia patients. But be careful: High and long doses of real sage can lead to symptoms of poisoning due to the thujone content, Spanish sage is considered thujone-free. No problems arise with sage plant water, fresh sage in food, and sage tea.
Psychological effect:
Antidepressant, tonic, mentally stimulating;
The stimulating and strengthening effect of sage water makes it a good helper in chronic fatigue, exhaustion, burnout. It can relieve depressed mood. It is used for this as a body environment spray or pillow spray. Sage water relaxes headaches caused by nervous tension. Sage strengthens the brain and improves memory performance, as neuroscientists have recently been able to prove in studies. They discovered that sage delays the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain and can thus counteract memory loss. Sage water can be used as a body environment spray to increase memory performance and also to maintain it for a long time. You can also take it as a cure: drink 1 tablespoon in 1 liter of water throughout the day, as a cure for 2 weeks, 4 times a year.
Other specific applications:
The aromatologist Ingrid Kleindienst-John recommends sage hydrolate as a gargle solution for the Vocal cords and to increase learning and memory: 1 tablespoon of sage hydrolate per ¼ liter of warm water. You can find more about this in the book "Hydrolate, gentle healing powers from plant water", Ingrid Kleindienst-John, 2013.
Further tips from aromatologists are, for example: If the airways are congested, use 2-3 tablespoons of sage hydrolate in 2 liters of steaming water every hour, not boiling water.
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