Your actual experienced effect from consuming sage or any other herb?
June 25, 2023 10:51 PM Subscribe
I've got regular culinary sage and pineapple sage growing in excessive profusion, and I have to cut them both back regularly, so I'm harvesting large amounts of both. The Internet is happy to provide me with many listicles asserting that consuming infusions of these leaves MIGHT have all kinds of great effects! Also rinsing my hair with them MIGHT be terrific too. Verily, all kinds of things might happen. Have you ever experienced any such thing actually happening?
Feel free to extend this question to other garden herbs. Did your hair loss stop when you dumped sage water on your head regularly? Did your leaky gut symptoms go away when you started mainlining fresh oregano? Did your blood sugar go down when you chomped your way through the summer basil harvest?
I don't need pointers to listicles about ostensible relevant research on herb consumption. I only want to know if you personally have ever observed any effect at all.
Feel free to extend this question to other garden herbs. Did your hair loss stop when you dumped sage water on your head regularly? Did your leaky gut symptoms go away when you started mainlining fresh oregano? Did your blood sugar go down when you chomped your way through the summer basil harvest?
I don't need pointers to listicles about ostensible relevant research on herb consumption. I only want to know if you personally have ever observed any effect at all.
Other than mint for digestion and chamomile for mild relaxation, herbs have done jack shit for me, medically.
Except...fresh herbs make food taste better, particularly food with vegetables that I cook myself, which is the healthiest food for me. So there's that.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:28 PM on June 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
Except...fresh herbs make food taste better, particularly food with vegetables that I cook myself, which is the healthiest food for me. So there's that.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:28 PM on June 25, 2023 [4 favorites]
When I can't get out of an up-and-down cycle of craving sweets, peppermint tea does the trick. And chamomile tea does help me fall asleep.
I find that I don't notice herbs' effects well when I'm taking my body on a rollercoaster ride from the highs of three cups of coffee to the lows of a couple beers. But when my body is subject to fewer big swings, I can notice milder effects.
I know you're just joking, but to state the obvious, I wouldn't mainline any herb -- "the dose makes the poison" and all that. There are spices that are regarded as fine in "culinary amounts" but not safe at high doses. It's also just better to diversify what you eat so you get a wider mix of nutrients.
posted by slidell at 12:22 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I find that I don't notice herbs' effects well when I'm taking my body on a rollercoaster ride from the highs of three cups of coffee to the lows of a couple beers. But when my body is subject to fewer big swings, I can notice milder effects.
I know you're just joking, but to state the obvious, I wouldn't mainline any herb -- "the dose makes the poison" and all that. There are spices that are regarded as fine in "culinary amounts" but not safe at high doses. It's also just better to diversify what you eat so you get a wider mix of nutrients.
posted by slidell at 12:22 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Re sage (only know regular sage), i chew sage leaves and make myself sage tea when i have gum problems and / or tooth ache.
I like the bitter sharp flavour. I also use it for frying up pork chops. Only thing to know is that sage will directly affect breast milk production, so it is perfect if you want it to dry up for weaning and not advisable if you want to breast feed.
Sage is nice if dried and put into a cloth bag and put with your clothes.
Rosemary tea is nice to drink, and my favourite is thyme tea. Thyme, sage and rosemary make a nice bath. For this make a very strong tea preferably from fresh leaves: pour boiling water over a handful of each herb, let it sit until it is body temperature, strain and add the resulting Infusion to your bath water.
Thyme tastes also great when added to lentil dishes.
All three herbs are stronger in flavour when dried.
posted by 15L06 at 2:58 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I like the bitter sharp flavour. I also use it for frying up pork chops. Only thing to know is that sage will directly affect breast milk production, so it is perfect if you want it to dry up for weaning and not advisable if you want to breast feed.
Sage is nice if dried and put into a cloth bag and put with your clothes.
Rosemary tea is nice to drink, and my favourite is thyme tea. Thyme, sage and rosemary make a nice bath. For this make a very strong tea preferably from fresh leaves: pour boiling water over a handful of each herb, let it sit until it is body temperature, strain and add the resulting Infusion to your bath water.
Thyme tastes also great when added to lentil dishes.
All three herbs are stronger in flavour when dried.
posted by 15L06 at 2:58 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I once screwed up and took a double-dose of the high-test Sudafed (the kind with pseudoephedrine; I took a 12-hour pill, and then 4 hours later forgot it had been a 12-hour and took a second pill). 3 hours later it was 2 am and I was pacing in my kitchen, heart racing, convinced I was about to have a heart attack and die or something. I had a herbalism book and turned to that; it suggested a double-dose of chamomile (two tea bags instead of just one) and a bay leaf. It chilled me out enough to at least get to sleep and I was fine the next day.
I tried valerian tea when I had massively bad insomnia; didn't really work, and my doctor said that while it might have done if I had a milder case, I was going to have to start taking it in capsule form if I wanted to pursue it further.
Peppermint is a definite go-to with digestive issues.
Otherwise, for me the effects of herbs are more culinary or aesthetic than medicinal. I've also tried various herbs in my bath, and....I can't say for certain whether it does anything for my skin or hair or whatever, but it smells dang good, and that works for me.
Sage actually makes a quite nice tea. You don't even need to dry it - a small handful roughly chopped and left to steep in a cup of hot water until it looks about right, and there you are.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:59 AM on June 26, 2023
I tried valerian tea when I had massively bad insomnia; didn't really work, and my doctor said that while it might have done if I had a milder case, I was going to have to start taking it in capsule form if I wanted to pursue it further.
Peppermint is a definite go-to with digestive issues.
Otherwise, for me the effects of herbs are more culinary or aesthetic than medicinal. I've also tried various herbs in my bath, and....I can't say for certain whether it does anything for my skin or hair or whatever, but it smells dang good, and that works for me.
Sage actually makes a quite nice tea. You don't even need to dry it - a small handful roughly chopped and left to steep in a cup of hot water until it looks about right, and there you are.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:59 AM on June 26, 2023
Best answer: Rosemary tea is an excellent sleep aid. It also helps stimulate hair growth but most people don't want to make a 20 minute decoction and massage it in 3x a week for the full 10 minutes to get it to work so they don't see results.
I use a lot of medicinal plants but they're mostly not culinary herbs, and generally I'm making tinctures and not teas since tinctures are much stronger, and like you I am looking for noticeable results.
The ones I have gotten results from are rhodiola (gives me energy) , valerian root (strong sleep aid) , elecampane root (cough) , ghost pipe (emotional distress) , Persian mimosa flower (improves mood) , and passionflower (calms nervous system). I use oil of oregano if I'm start to feel sick.
posted by ananci at 6:22 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
I use a lot of medicinal plants but they're mostly not culinary herbs, and generally I'm making tinctures and not teas since tinctures are much stronger, and like you I am looking for noticeable results.
The ones I have gotten results from are rhodiola (gives me energy) , valerian root (strong sleep aid) , elecampane root (cough) , ghost pipe (emotional distress) , Persian mimosa flower (improves mood) , and passionflower (calms nervous system). I use oil of oregano if I'm start to feel sick.
posted by ananci at 6:22 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Folks who find mint helpful for belly trouble: how are you taking it?
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:10 AM on June 26, 2023
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:10 AM on June 26, 2023
Best answer: Folks who find mint helpful for belly trouble: how are you taking it?
Tea. A cup of peppermint tea; I have a stash of tea bags on hand for winter, and in summer I toss a few into a quart-size pitcher and fill that with water and leave that in the fridge.
*TMI WARNING* My biggest gastric bugaboo is gas (there are a couple vegetables my system doesn't like, and people try to sneak them into everything), and peppermint tea is enough to do the trick for milder cases. I also had some peppermint tea to stave off the very last twinges of nausea after a bout of food poisoning while traveling once, and a cup also dealt with a very mild case of carsickness. I still keep OTC medication for the tougher cases just in case.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:57 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Tea. A cup of peppermint tea; I have a stash of tea bags on hand for winter, and in summer I toss a few into a quart-size pitcher and fill that with water and leave that in the fridge.
*TMI WARNING* My biggest gastric bugaboo is gas (there are a couple vegetables my system doesn't like, and people try to sneak them into everything), and peppermint tea is enough to do the trick for milder cases. I also had some peppermint tea to stave off the very last twinges of nausea after a bout of food poisoning while traveling once, and a cup also dealt with a very mild case of carsickness. I still keep OTC medication for the tougher cases just in case.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:57 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Oh, and another good thing about peppermint - it can be a refreshing bath additive in summer. Try like four or five tea bags in a quart of hot water; let that steep a good long while (like a half hour) and then fish out the tea bags and add that to a tepid bath. The menthol has a cooling affect on your skin and it smells wonderful.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:59 AM on June 26, 2023
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:59 AM on June 26, 2023
Best answer: Ginger should grow in your hardiness zone. It’s well known to work for nausea, but I also use it for pain relief after reading about controlled studies that showed its effectiveness. It really works for me for menstrual cramps and headaches. I am not able to use NSAIDs and am pretty much limited to acetaminophen (Tylenol), so I use ginger when I’m in pain but not able to take another dose of Tylenol for a while.
My cramps are very, very painful, so I had low expectations when I first started using it, but I would say it starts working within about 15-20 minutes and the relief lasts for 45 min to an hour. The first time I tried it was at work—I was in rough shape due to cramps, and was considering going home, but at the last minute I remembered I had some candied ginger in my desk drawer. I ate some and to my amazement the ginger tided me over till I could take more Tylenol. It literally felt like I had taken an OTC painkiller.
I eat a thumb-sized piece of dried, crystallized ginger for each “dose,” which you can make yourself from the fresh ginger you grow in your garden.
(A note on peppermint for digestive issues: it’s good if you are trying to stimulate digestion (e.g. get the stomach acid going) but not good if you have acid reflux. I have GERD/acid reflux (that’s why I can’t have NSAIDs) and mint is on the list of foods to avoid. I always wondered why mint tea didn’t help my digestion and in fact made my stomach hurt, and now I know.)
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:34 AM on June 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
My cramps are very, very painful, so I had low expectations when I first started using it, but I would say it starts working within about 15-20 minutes and the relief lasts for 45 min to an hour. The first time I tried it was at work—I was in rough shape due to cramps, and was considering going home, but at the last minute I remembered I had some candied ginger in my desk drawer. I ate some and to my amazement the ginger tided me over till I could take more Tylenol. It literally felt like I had taken an OTC painkiller.
I eat a thumb-sized piece of dried, crystallized ginger for each “dose,” which you can make yourself from the fresh ginger you grow in your garden.
(A note on peppermint for digestive issues: it’s good if you are trying to stimulate digestion (e.g. get the stomach acid going) but not good if you have acid reflux. I have GERD/acid reflux (that’s why I can’t have NSAIDs) and mint is on the list of foods to avoid. I always wondered why mint tea didn’t help my digestion and in fact made my stomach hurt, and now I know.)
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:34 AM on June 26, 2023 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Peppermint is a digestive stimulant. So if you need things to get moving or get working, it's the ticket. My GI suspects people used to dance around constipation and say "tummy troubles" and started this whole misconception that it should be soothing.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 11:40 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Lesser Shrew at 11:40 AM on June 26, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Yup, just to clarify my comment: peppermint is great if you’re taking it for the right problem! Just make sure you know what your “tummy troubles” actually are, and if (like me), it’s acid reflux, avoid.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:45 AM on June 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:45 AM on June 26, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Fresh chamomile does help me get to sleep. The old dried stuff in small amounts from typical brands does not.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:01 PM on June 26, 2023
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:01 PM on June 26, 2023
Lemon balm (tea with fresh leaves) is a great mild calmer. So is valerian root tincture, which also attracts a lot of cats and seems mildly euphoric for them the way catnip is. You can grow catnip in the garden and get your kitty high whenever they want - it's a mint relative (just like lemon balm) so it's really hard to kill.
Sage tea has a antiseptic and mucous membrane soothing quality. I've had sitz baths of it prescribed for feminine issues.
My favourite herbalist mostly has a big setup to extract effective amounts of active ingredients from herbs, but she taught me how to make calendula ointment in a simple way - you gather whole marigold flowers, macerate them in oil for a few weeks, then add enough beeswax and oil to make an ointment (final proportions 7 parts oil including the macerate to 1 part wax). Heat it and stir it until the wax melts and combines, then cool it in small pots and store in a dark place. Calendula ointment is something you can buy in pharmacies here and recommended for all kinds of skin irritations and damage because it's antiseptic and promotes healing. Sunburn, frostbite, rope burn, useful thing to have around. I'd say most houses in Poland have a pot of it somewhere, though usually store-bought and made with mineral oil, so making it yourself is more fun.
And if you grow common tansy, it's poisonous to consume, but it does help repel mosquitoes when you hang up large bunches of it to dry.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 1:42 AM on June 27, 2023
Sage tea has a antiseptic and mucous membrane soothing quality. I've had sitz baths of it prescribed for feminine issues.
My favourite herbalist mostly has a big setup to extract effective amounts of active ingredients from herbs, but she taught me how to make calendula ointment in a simple way - you gather whole marigold flowers, macerate them in oil for a few weeks, then add enough beeswax and oil to make an ointment (final proportions 7 parts oil including the macerate to 1 part wax). Heat it and stir it until the wax melts and combines, then cool it in small pots and store in a dark place. Calendula ointment is something you can buy in pharmacies here and recommended for all kinds of skin irritations and damage because it's antiseptic and promotes healing. Sunburn, frostbite, rope burn, useful thing to have around. I'd say most houses in Poland have a pot of it somewhere, though usually store-bought and made with mineral oil, so making it yourself is more fun.
And if you grow common tansy, it's poisonous to consume, but it does help repel mosquitoes when you hang up large bunches of it to dry.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 1:42 AM on June 27, 2023
Best answer: I grow tulsi/holy basil, and when I brew tea with a sprig of it added, it helps me feel more relaxed.
posted by wondermouse at 10:03 AM on June 27, 2023
posted by wondermouse at 10:03 AM on June 27, 2023
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posted by potrzebie at 11:17 PM on June 25, 2023 [1 favorite]