When our mature sage plant comes back to life every Spring, it begins sending up flower stalks shortly after the new leaves unfurl. These purple/magenta flowers will leave a sticky coating on your fingers as you harvest them, as they are coated in a fragrant resin that is a powerful anti-microbial substance.
Studies show that the volatile oils (one of the main medicinal constituents produced by the plant, and which give the plant its fragrance), produced during the flowering stage provide the highest level of antibacterial and antioxidant activity in comparison to pre- and post-flowering stages.
Since the flowers open in stages, not all at once, I go out to harvest them every couple days over about a month long period. Each time picking the fresh blooms and continuously adding them into the vinegar/honey infusion, which get darker and more rich in scent and color as it becomes more concentrated.
Since sage is such a powerful respiratory aid, and the bee balm was coming up in the garden right around the same time, I decided to blend these two herbs together for this vibrant and tasty respiratory support oxymel. Bee balm and Sage have many similar medicinal properties, so they complement each other well in formula. Both are warming, slightly drying, antimicrobial, astringent, expectorant, circulatory stimulant and emmenagogue.
Herbalist Matthew Wood calls sage “an herb of remarkable range and depth”, so while my first thought for this oxymel was for respiratory support, congestion, excess phlegm, and overly moist conditions, its usage could be advantageous in many other circumstances as well. Sage has historically been used to support so many conditions, including: anxiety, poor circulation, cold, flu & other viral infection symptoms like phlegm in the lungs, runny nose and inflamed tonsils, fevers, cystitis, depression, diarrhea, poor or weak digestions, bloating & gas, excessive urination, irregular periods, menopausal symptoms, genital herpes & other uncomfortable skin eruptions, migraines, respiratory congestion, rheumatic pain, and infections such as staph.
The list of historical uses of Bee Balm (the many varieties of monarda spp) includes: as a nervine for anxiety, tension, insomnia & depression, fevers, coughs, sore throats, respiratory tract infections, mucous in the lungs, ear infections, nausea, gastric & intestinal pain, colic, flatulence, and topically for burns, rashes and other skin irritations. The essential oil of Monarda punctata has even been studied for its use in treating MRSA infections. Herbalist Rosalee de La Foret recommends the infusion of bee balm in vinegar specifically for concentrating the actions of the herb to the respiratory system.
You will notice the many commonalities between the two lists of herb uses, and when we combine herbs in formula that have similar actions or energetics, we can multiply and augment those specific actions so that the medicinal value of the final product is even greater than the sum of its parts.
This oxymel would be the perfect remedy:
- to have on hand at the first sign of a head cold or respiratory infection
- for supporting a fever that is causing chills, cold sweats and clamminess
- to take before meals to support complete digestion and assimilation of nutrients, and to prevent post meal nausea
- to support the nervous system through tension and times of high stress
- to gargle for a sore throat
- to support circulation in someone with cold hands & feet
- a difficult to treat infection, especially of a pathogen that utilizes biofilms
Suggested Dosage: take a dropper-full directly in the mouth or diluted in a small amount of water as needed.
Ingredients: organic apple cider vinegar, organic raw local honey, fresh sage flowers, fresh bee balm
This oxymel comes in a 2oz dropper bottle