Sage (Salvia officinalis)

The name ‘salvia’ comes from the Latin ‘salvere’ (to save) and indicates the many curative properties of this herb, also giving rise to the well-known saying ‘why should a man die when sage grows in his garden’. The Romans used sage to increase fertility and Italian peasant custom was to eat sage to preserve health –many country people eat the leaves with bread and butter.

A cup of strong infusion should relieve a nervous headache and can be applied to the scalp to darken the hair. Fresh leaves rubbed on the teeth will cleanse and strengthen the gums and dried leaves smoked in pipes have been used as a remedy for asthma. A home remedy for sprains is to bruise a handful of leaves and boil in vinegar for 5 minutes, before applying in a folded napkin as hot as can be bourne.

Sage is good for the mouth and throat – an infusion used as a gargle is especially useful for an ulcerated throat and used as a mouthwash for bleeding gums. It is used for delirium in fevers and for nervous excitement accompanying brain and nervous diseases. It is helpful for women, taken internally for night sweats in menopause and excessive lactation, and is also used in anxiety and depression. It can be used externally for insect bites, as well as the mouth and throat problems cited above.

A pungent, bitter, cool and drying herb with many properties: stimulant, astringent, tonic, carminative, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, oestrogenic.

CAUTION: Toxic in excess; Do not use if pregnant or epileptic

Leaves are picked before flowering and dried for infusions and tinctures.
Harvested May-Sept (leaves picked at midsummer considered the best).




PLEASE NOTE: These notes on the history and use of herbs have been compiled for general interest and are not intended as medical advice, for which you should consult a professional herbalist.

BIBLIOGRAPY:
'A Modern Herbal' Mrs M. Grieve FRHS ed. Mrs C. F. Leyel (1973)
'The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal' Penelope Ody MNIMH (1993)
'RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses' Deni Brown (2002)

Knit for Oxfam

I don't usually blog about knitting, but when you read this you will see straight away that its about the earth, because mothers all over the earth are dying unnecessarily .. wanted to help spread the word, as I know there are knitters out there!

" Every minute, a woman with no medical care dies in pregnancy or childbirth

Millions of mums in poor countries get low-quality health care, or are forced to go without it altogether. High fees, a shortage of hospitals and clinics, and not enough doctors and midwives means women struggle to get the medical care they need and all that too often they don’t survive to look after their babies. In Africa and South East Asia pregnancy and childbirth represent the biggest cause of death amongst women of childbearing age.

Each square you can knit or crochet will represent a newborn baby, left needlessly without a mother because of lack of healthcare. These squares will be joined together and handed into the UK government in September. "


This is what I'll be doing this evening... click the title to link to this post, which has details of what you need to do (its basically knitting a 9" square).

Lady's Mantle

Lady's Mantle (alchemilla vulgaris) was associated with the Virgin Mary in the Middle Ages and the lobed leaves resemble the scalloped edges of a cloak or mantle, as worn by the Virgin in medieval paintings. However, the 'lady' element may refer to the herb's value in treating female disorders.

The generic name 'alchemilla', from the Arabic word for 'alchemy', is due to the wonderful way in which dew drops are held in the leaves of the plant. These magical droplets, believed to be imbued with the powers of the herb, are prized for use in potions. Other common names are Lion's Foot, Bear's Foot and Nine Hooks (all stemming from the distinctive shape of the leaf).

Lady's Mantle is astringent and styptic (or 'drying' and 'binding' in character) and has a history of use as a vulnerary (or wound herb). It was popular on the battlefields of the 15th and 16th centuries and Culpepper recommended it for inflamed wounds, to dry up 'humidity' and abate inflammation, suggesting that a decoction be drunk and the wound washed or dressed with it. The infusion is still recommended as a wash for weeping eczema or sores to this day.

The herb's ability to control bleeding and other discharges is used in modern herbalism to treat excessive menstruation and diarrhoea - an infusion is taken, up to five times a day in an acute case of diarrhoea - as well as vaginal discharge and itching, where the infusion is used as a wash. The root is used to stop bleeding, either taken fresh in a decoction or dried and powdered, and the particular affinity of Lady's Mantle with women's healing continues in the prescription of the tincture for period pain and menstrual irregularities.

Flowers June - August
Gather the whole herb in June - July while in flower and leaves at their best.

CAUTION: Do not use in Pregnancy



PLEASE NOTE: These notes on the history and use of herbs have been compiled for general interest and are not intended as medical advice, for which you should consult a professional herbalist.

BIBLIOGRAPY:
'A Modern Herbal' Mrs M. Grieve FRHS ed. Mrs C. F. Leyel (1973)
'The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal' Penelope Ody MNIMH (1993)
'RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses' Deni Brown (2002)