“If the sagebush thrives and grows,

The master’s not master, and he knows!”

Men who believed this adage would ruthlessly uproot the sage in their wives’ kitchen gardens, so as not to be ridiculed by the more alpha males in the neighborhood. It was also said that only girls would be born where sage thrived.

The name comes from the Latin salveo – “I am well.” Sage is related to the ornamental Salvia. It was used as a pre-toothpaste cleanser. Native Americans used twigs as a toothbrush.

The Chinese would exchange three pounds of tea for one pound of Dutch sage. A leading culinary herb, sage has a reputation as a rejuvenating plant:

“He that would live for aye,

Must eat sage in May.”

That means before it blooms, when it is most aromatic and powerful. Most herbs should be collected at this stage. After blooming, they become bitter and weaker.

Of course, no Thanksgiving banquet would be complete without sage and onion dressing (or stuffing, if you must). Sage is always included in the “bouquet garni” for poultry dishes.

The famous Derby, England, cheese is colored with sage. It aids in digestion of fatty meats (hence its use in making sausage), and the flowers can be tossed in salads or brewed for a light aromatic tea.

Sage was a remedy for ague and heartburn, if seven leaves were eaten on seven consecutive mornings. Martha Ballard, a midwife in Hallowell, Maine, kept a diary of her patients and treatments. On Dec. 23, 1811, she reported, “Sally Ballard is unwell. I made her Sage Tea.” Sage leaf tea is an antiseptic nerve and blood tonic.

An English girl who picked 12 grey-green sage leaves at midnight on Christmas Eve could conjure up an image of her future husband, but only if she took care not to injure the bush. In Lincolnshire, the night was St. Mark’s Eve, and red sage was used. When included in a bride’s bouquet, sage says, “We will honor our home and keep it sacred.”

Sage, slow to wither, was often thrown into graves as a token of remembrance. Samuel Pepys, in his famous diary, reported a churchyard between Gosport and Southampton where all the graves were sown with sage bushes.

Burning sage can rid the home of both vermin and evil spirits. Shamans and healers use it to cleanse homes.

Plant some sage next spring for good health and long life. Just mind that your husband doesn’t uproot it.

– A reference librarian, Lisa Karen Miller has been gardening and researching plant lore for many years.