From its Latin name Salvia, in other words "that saves", sage has many virtues. In herbal tea or in the form of essential oil, it can soothe hot flashes related to menopause or premenopause.
At menopause, the reduced secretion of sex hormones, particularly estrogen, results in a certain number of disorders, more or less present depending on our genes and our personal history of hormonal hazards. At the top of the list are hot flashes and night sweats.
In the sage family, two are more commonly used to smooth out menopausal symptoms: sage officinale and clary sage. The first forms bushy low bushes, whose foliage, where the active are nestled, is persistent. A hardy plant, which can be easily cultivated, in pots or in the ground. The second, the clary sage, is a large plant with enormous, dazzling inflorescences, which grows more readily around the Mediterranean basin.
Sage is rich in "estrogen-like" active ingredients
Both of these salvas contain antioxidant tannins and flavonoids, phenolic compounds - including rosmarinic acid -, and terpenes. A concentrate of compounds regulating the secretion of estrogens:
"Sage does not provide estrogen, but it stimulates the organs that manufacture it," says Christine Cieur.
Sage is also antiperspirant, which contributes to a better quality sleep. Another benefit: it is energizing because it influences the production of cortisol, an energizing hormone.
How to use sage ?
One chooses exclusively the herbal tea or the powder, because its essential oil contains neurotoxic compounds. "An herbal tea of sage is more efficient than a mother tincture, as its active ingredients are deployed in water", observes Christine Cieur, who advises to drink 2 to 3 cups per day to treat hot flashes.
The resolution or reduction of hot flashes can be rapid, as early as one week. The tea should be taken for 2 to 3 months, in a discontinuous way: from 10 days to 3 weeks, interspersed with one week of stop.
What is the recipe for sage tea?
Throw 1 teaspoon of sage leaves cut into small pieces into a cup of 150 to 200 ml of boiling water, cover and let infuse 10 minutes.
Fresh or dried leaves according to taste, knowing that the infusion of fresh leaves is less colored because they are more loaded with water. But it is not for that that they are less active!
How to use the clary sage ?
We bet on its essential oil (EO). Easier to use and more quickly effective than herbal tea, at least on hot flashes and irritability. Put 2 to 3 drops on the inner side of the wrists or the fold of the elbow, rub and smell deeply, 2 to 3 times a day, 5 days a week.
To solve night sweats, it can be applied on the plexus, mixed with a vegetable oil: "2 drops of clary sage EO associated with 2 drops of sour orange EO in 10 drops of vegetable oil", suggests the pharmacist.
Sage : what can be the side effects ?
As medicinal plants, sage requires precautions of use and presents contra-indications: history of hormone-dependent cancer (breast or ovary), cyst, heavy menstruation... so many situations which translate an exacerbated estrogenic function.
Before the menopause, it is used in cases of estrogen deficiency. At the slightest doubt, it is better to consult.
Our selection of phyto products based on sage
- Perfect for an herbal tea: Sage officinale organic leaves of Herbier d'Hortense, for infusion, 3,30 € the bag of 50 g, at onatera.com
- Well dosed and organic: Arkogélules de sauge officinale bio, 3 capsules in the morning (or 870 mg of leaf powder), 7.65 € the box of 45 capsules. Available in pharmacies and para.
- To apply to the skin: Clary sage essential oil from Aroma-Zone, €8.50 per 10 ml bottle. Available in pharmacies and para.
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