White Sage 'Salvia Apiana"
- Thierry Foraste
- Feb 1, 2023
- 4 min read
Native American incense located in North America used by shamans, White Sage "Salvia apiana" in fumigation for rituals, soul calling and purification for oneself, place and object, intuition, well-being, wisdom and wards off negative energies and evil spirits.
White sage is present at altitudes between 1,500 m and sea level and prefers draining soil with a significant sandy proportion. It is also often present in shrub maquis at low altitudes or under yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa) communities. Salvia apiana thrives in habitats with high summer temperatures. Salvia apiana infusions are not recommended for breastfeeding women because they inhibit lactation. Pregnant women should also not consume it. Sage tea decreases sweating, salivation, and mucus secretion.
The infusion also reduces sore throats, and soothes painful periods. In addition, it also acts as a diaphoretic and diuretic. The tincture made from the leaves acts as an antimicrobial and antifungal.
White sage embodies a sacred plant for Native American peoples. During religious ceremonies, births and deaths, the leaves, most often gathered in bundles and burned like incense, are traditionally used in a ritual way to purify places and people during shamanic ceremonies.
Indigenous peoples used the seeds for pinole, a staple food of Native Americans on the Pacific Coast. During the winter, the tribes fed on the leaves and stems of the white sage. The Cahuilla, Costanoan, Diegueño, Kawaiisu and Maidu tribes of California used the seeds of white sage to clean and heal their eyes while they slept. Among the Cahuilla, the seeds and ground leaves for tea or smoke were used to cure colds. Cahuilla women drank infusions of white sage roots after childbirth to speed up internal healing. The Diegueños, on the other hand, used the leaves as a shampoo to slow down the natural graying of the hair.
A medicinal plant used since Antiquity, sage takes its scientific name, Salvia, from the Latin salvare, which means "to heal". The Romans, and before them the Egyptians, already knew the medicinal properties of sage; moreover, the former harvested it during ceremonies and without tools, while the latter used it to treat infertility.
Sage is also one of the oldest cultivated plants, since it dates back to the 13th century. At that time, moreover, there was a popular saying: "Why should a man die when sage grows in his garden?" This aromatic and medicinal plant then entered into the composition of multiple preparations. On the orders of François I, sage was used to prepare arquebusade water, originally intended to treat wounds caused by a weapon, the arquebuse, before quickly becoming a traditional remedy against many pathologies.
The dried leaves have also long been smoked to combat asthma. Today, the medicinal properties of sage are recognized by scientific committees, including the European Medicines Agency for "the treatment of small digestive problems as well as excessive sweating and in local application against inflammation of the mouth, throat and skin".
A shrub with a quadrangular stem about 80 cm high, sage officinalis likes sunny and dry regions. For this reason, it is found in large quantities all around the Mediterranean basin. It is sown in spring and its oval, woolly leaves, of a gray-green color, are generally harvested in summer. Sage produces small flowers arranged in spikes, of a purple or blue color.
WHITE SAGE FOR FUMIGATION AND PURIFICATION
The tradition of purifying the atmosphere with herbs, resins and dried flowers accompanies all cultures. The fumigation of white sage incense is essentially an act of purification. During what is called the "smoke ceremony", we will burn leaves or a stick of white sage incense and impregnate our body, the room in which we are, our mind with its smoke. Its smoke is beneficial for discharging places of negative energies, purifying people or events, chasing away "bad spirits" and attracting beneficial energies. Traditionally, this maneuver is accompanied by prayers and helps create an environment conducive to care and healing. No wonder when you know that the name of sage comes from the Latin "salvare" which means "to heal".
In the alchemical process of transformation of fumigation, the four elements are represented: the shell symbolizes water, the match that ignites the incense is fire, the herbs and ashes are earth and finally smoke, the air element.
Over time, research has been able to explain some of the effects of smoking. For example, that the sense of smell is the only sense that never sleeps and that is connected with the emotions. Furthermore, it has been proven that an accumulation of positive ions in the air is harmful to health. In the smoke there is production of negative ions, which have a beneficial effect on our mood, and reduce certain conditions that develop in an environment where the air quality is poor (asthma, allergies, nausea, headaches, etc.). .).
Sometimes white sage leaves are simply spread on the ground inside tipis or in ritual circles. Walking or sitting on it then releases a pleasant smell and ensures the purification of the place. We find this last process in the rites of the Sioux Indians in particular.
White sage is used in different forms: in loose leaves, in twigs or in sticks ("smudge" in English). For other uses, there are perfume oils, incense sticks or cones.
Use with the 4 elements Water Earth Air Fire (shell, sage, feather, candle)
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