Sage and Tea

[dragnlaw]

About 50 odd years ago, I had some tea with a girlfriends mother. Sage tea. I remember it as being really quite nice. I am now reading about all the health benefits (caution: there are both pros and cons). So, I can find many, many recipes for fresh sage tea.

But what about dried sage?
With winter coming and fresh sage from the garden not available soon, will the taste be the same? Will the health benefits also still be there? I cannot seem to find any info on it from Dr. Google.

Anyone have any info?

 

[blissful]

When you look for medicinal or herbal medicine, use the name of the plant or herb or flower or leaf or root and the word 'monograph'. You'll get all kinds of information on tinctures, teas, infusions, decoctions for that particular plant item and how to prepare it. They will talk about what part of the body systems that is it used for and the culture that used it.

Sage leaves are chewed whole; dried and ground into a powder; prepared as a fluid extract, tincture, or essential oil; or pressed fresh for the juice.

herbalgram.web

www.herbalgram.org

 

[pepperhead212]

It won't taste the same, for sure, but you can freeze some fresh. You can salt layer it, too, but I don't think that would make good tea, but then, some people add salt to everything.

 

[dragnlaw]

I read that whole blurb on sage, biss. Very interesting, thank you. Strange though, it did not address the consumption of too much sage, especially if used from an essential oil.

Actually, I'm really not too concerned as I have no intention of gobbling down tons of it, LOL. Just thought I might have a cuppa now and then. The health benefits are a good bonus. Just come winter - I do already dry some of the garden sage and was just wondering if anyone else tried it dried for a tea.

One thing I did discover in cooking, too much sage can change the taste a lot, and not for the better.

 

[blissful]

A tincture made of alcohol soaking the herbs to extract certain parts of it before straining is usually described in giving a medicinal dosage of 1 drop or 2 drops.
I don't recall ever seeing essential oils given as a dosage for medicinal reasons except the companies that make the essential oils. Mostly essential oils are used for external use only. Soaps, lotions, salves, oils. I've read hundreds of monographs but I just don't recall anything about that. I have the encyclopedia of herbal medicine but didn't notice that in there either. I would look for a dosage to be on the safe side.

I know that long cooking or pressure canning of herbs and spices change them. For instance spices or herbs in salsa seem fine but that is a short waterbath of cooking. But for soups I pressure can I just season them when I serve them.

Sage tea can be made with a teaspoon of dried sage but it will be a little more bitter than using some leaves of fresh sage.