Herbs of the Month - White Sage

Around this time of year, I start to get a number of orders for white sage, sweetgrass braids, our desert sage with lavender, desert sage with juniper and sweetgrass smudge sticks.  I have people looking to bless a new home, starting construction in their home and a few that have gone over seas to our service men/women.

White sage (Salvia apiana). White sage is an herb that is used as a anti-inflammatory, used in tea or tincture form. A tincture has a very nice scent and can be used as a perfume, if desired.  It can be made into a tea, which decreases sweating, salivation, and mucous secretions in the sinuses, throat, and lungs. Cold tea can be a good stomach tonic, while a lukewarm tea is good for treating sore throats.

Native Americans use the plant in a sweathouses as a remedy for colds.  The leaves when crushed and mixed with water, you can create a hair shampoo or rinse.

This variety is the famous white sage of smudge sticks, a type of incense.  White sage is believed to cleanse the area of negative vibes.  Today many Native American tribes still use the stems and leaves for smudging as part of purification ceremonies by burning the leaves that are bundled into a wand or stick form.

When smudging:
     Identify the area of negativity. This could be a room, office or outdoor area. You may feel as though the negative energy is within you.
     Use a match to burn a small portion of bundled white sage.
     Hold the sage near yourself and fan the smoke to your body or that of another person.
     Walk around the room, object or area holding the sage. Start with the door and continue around the perimeters of the room, including the center of the room.
     Fan the smoldering sage in four directions and ask out loud for blessings and protection. Press the sage on a rock or other non-flammable material to make it go out.  I usually have a terracotta plant dish which is fine to use.

 

As an re-enactor, I usually smudge the inside of our tent, not only for the fragrance, but it helps keep mosquitoes away.  When you smudge the inside of your tent, lightly smudge it and NEVER leave it unattended.  Make sure it is completely out and in an appropriate container. White sage is also used in combination with other aromatic herbs to repel ants and other insects--either as a powder for dusting, or as a spray. 

 

May you have many blessings throughout the year.

Herbs of the Month for February - Natural Dyes From Herbs

      I guess with all of the snow we are getting in New England, I can just imagine how it might of been during the colonial days, when all you could do is stay inside.  With this, I thought of posting something different.
      Even though we use herbs for cooking, medicinal purposes, to freshen up any room, to help keep the inside and well as outside of the body healthy and to make all sorts of beverages, did you know that you can make your own wonderful dyes as well?
     Different parts of the plant - flowers, leaves and roots may create colors of reds, yellows, browns, grays, greens and blues.  Creating your own dyes using skeins of wool and be an enriching experience.  From gathering the plants, simmering them in a enamel pot so that they will release their hues, moving the skeins gently thru the colored water and drying the skeins to finish off the process.  Definitely a labor of LOVE.
      When collecting the plant material, harvest them when the plant is at its peak.  Gather the flowers when they are just about in full bloom, berries when they are ripe.  Harvest roots in the fall and leaves in the spring.  You can also harvest bark in the spring as well or in the fall.  Remember that the amount of color depends on the environment conditions and the season they are harvested.  Someone who uses plants harvested along the coast in New England will produce different colors from the same species of plants that are harvested in the mountains of Virginia.
     As a rule, start off using 8 quarts of plant material to dye a pound of yarn.  When using nut hulls, wood, bark or berries, use 1 pound and with roots, use 1/2 pound.  For each pound of wool, cotton or linen, use 4 to 4 1/2 gallons of soft water to prepare the dye bath.
     So if you want to add to your herb garden this year, look to see if there are any that you would like to plant for dyeing purposes.  Here is a list to choose from.

Blacks: alder, black walnut, yarrow

Blues: elder, elecampane, indigo, Oregon grape

Browns: burdock, comfrey, fennel, geranium, hops, juniper, madder, onion, pokeweed

Golds: agrimony, amaranth, dock, goldenrod, lavender cotton, mullein, onion, plantain, safflower, yarrow

Grays: elder, raspberry, sunflower, yarrow

Greens: agrimony, angelica, barberry, bayberry, betony, coltsfoot, comfrey, dock, fennel, foxglove, goldenrod, horsetail, marjoram, mullein, rosemary, sage, tansy, uva-ursi, yarrow

Oranges: blootroot, pokeweed, sorrel

Purples: blackberry, geranium, grape, lady's bedstraw

Reds: dandelion, dock, hops, lady's bedstraw, madder, pokeweed, St. John's wort, sweet woodruff

Rusts: pokeweed, safflower

Tans: barberry, onion, Oregon grape, raspberry, sunflower, sweet woodruff, uva-ursi

Yellows: agrimony, barberry, broom, chamomile, dandelion, dock, fennel, goldenrod, horseradish, lady's bedstraw, onion, safflower, sage, St. John's wort, sunflower, tansy, yarrow


Check out http://www.herbcompanion.com/Projects/Culinary-Herb-Goes-Dye-Crazy.aspx for addition information.

Enjoy and stay warm.