Thes Artemisia species called Sagebrush in native North America. Its territory ranges from the interior of BC to northwestern California, most of Nevada all the way to Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. Although White sage (Latin) which grows in California is considered the only true ‘Sage’ of north America, the brushes of the artemisia family are used spiritually. I have found no medicinal uses and it is not eatable.
Salvia officinalis is used for many culinary dishes ranging from turkey stuffing to flavoring jellies. Medicinally it can be used for aliments of the respiratory, digestive, nervous and circulatory systems. It makes an excellent tea for sore throats, cold and flu's, swollen lymphs and laryngitis. It is good for ‘sweats’ and drying up excess mucus in the nose and lungs. It will also reduce mammary secretions and should not be used in medicinal quantities when pregnant or breast-feeding.
It can be used magically for healing and prosperity. It is under the planet Jupiter and the element Earth. Use it in a healing bath, or magic satchel. It can be burned as incense and used to smudge.
Tall Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and Stiff Sagebrush (Artemisia rigida) are two common brushes found on the arid steppes of western North America. Both have a distinct ‘sage’ smell and are easy to identify. Tridentata indicates the three-lobed tips on its leaves. Which look like little cat paws to me. Rigida is low growing with deeply divided leaves and blackish branches and stems.
Both can be used spiritually for cleansing and healing. I often use mine are smudge sticks that can be gently waved over the object or person wishing to be cleansed. Another way is to crumble Sage alone or with dried cedar and tobacco in an abalone shell. Burn it in the shell and use a special feather to waft the cleansing smoke.
Sage does not grow in the same region as Sweetgrass (see Sweetgrass article). Both are considered equal in their sacredness and both were traded for extensively by natives all over North America. Sweetgrass from the East Coast would be traded for Sage from the West Coast. The routes extended as far south as Mexico to as far north as BC and the Yukon. (And we thought we had free trade figured out *grin)
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