Salvia Officinalis

NAT. ORD., Labiatae.



COMMON NAME, Common sage.



PREPARATION.--The fresh leaves are macerated in twice their weight of

alcohol.



(Although scarcely used in the present day sage runs back

in medical history to the Greeks, and, according to

Fernie, is still held in the highest esteem by country

people in many parts of Europe. Quoting Gerard: "Sage is br />
singularly good for the head and brain; it quickeneth the

senses and memory; strengtheneth the sinews; restoreth

health to those that have palsy; and takes away shaky

trembling of the members." The following appeared in

Echo Med. du Nord, 1897, concerning this remedy:)



This remedy (in English, Sage) has been almost forgotten in modern

medical art, but still remains in high repute as a domestic medicine.

Lately, French physicians have called attention to it, and not only for

gargling in cases of inflammation of the throat and for washing the

mouth in affections of the gums, but more especially as an unfailing

remedy for night-sweats in persons suffering from affections of the

respiratory organs. In the numerous experiments made with it, there

were never any disagreeable concomitant effects. On the contrary, it was

found that Salvia acts even more favorably on the tickling coughs with

consumptives than Belladonna, Rumex crispus, etc., so that

preparations of Morphine and Codeine could be dispensed with.



Salvia should be used in the form of the tincture, and, indeed, the

tincture prepared from the fresh leaves and the blossom tips, as we find

it in homoeopathic pharmacies. It should be given in doses of 20, 30,

or 40 drops, in a tablespoonful of water. The effects manifest

themselves very quickly, two hours after taking a dose, and these

effects persist for two to six days.