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
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.