Garden sage (S. officinalis) dries nicely and is great to give away.

FataMorgana

You are blessed - and definitely have been doing something right! Often people are surprised at just how large herbs can get when grown in the right conditions in the garden.

By all means share your bounty with friends and neighbours! If there's anything left over, sacrifice some of the cuttings and use it as mulch - giving back to the soil what has been taken out of it. I've done that a lot with my basils as well as other plants in confined space that need regular pruning.

I made some of those incense that Indians burn to chase out bad spirits. I tied a red color thread around them. When dried I cut the thread off.
Another thing is to bring your bounty to Church & give to others. We are to bring our excess to God's House, along with our tithe.
I love sage & I tend to use extra when I am cooking. Do you add your herbs right before you serve the dish? I mix crushed sage & salt under the chicken or turkey's skin. Then roast them...delicous & it's my favorite.

The fresh leaves of sage make a great 'toothbrush'. Simply rub the leaves over your teeth and gums to clean them, and leave you with wonderfully fresh breath! The dried leaves can be used as a 'tooth powder'. It is both antiseptic and antibacterial.

Medicinal Uses: Because of its antiseptic qualities, sage tea is used as a gargle for sore throat, gum and mouth infections, as a wash for acne and as a hair rinse for dandruff. Boosts insulin levels, so may be useful in treating diabetes. Used to regulate menstruation and to treat menopausal symptoms, especially hot flushes. Quickly reduces perspiration. Sprinkle dried leaf powder onto wounds to disinfect. Sage improves the memory, treats liver and gallbladder problems, cleanses the female genitals, relieves flatulence, stimulates cell growth. Helps reduce milk flow when weaning babies. Use the tea as a gargle for bleeding gums and apply it to cold sores. It is sometimes taken to treat mild diarrhoea, carpal tunnel syndrome, tonsillitis and AlzheimerâÂÂs Disease. The essential oil can be massaged in to ease muscular tension or pain and to treat cellulite.

Other Uses: Leaves can be strewn in bathwater and in rinse water to enhance dark hair, cleanse oily hair and help prevent falling hair. It can be used as an aftershave and skin lotion. The leaves yield a yellow-beige dye with alum mordant, yellow with chrome mordant and green-grey with iron mordant. Sage repels cabbage moths, carrot fly and ticks. Combined with rosemary, it acts as a preservative, because of its antibacterial property.

Warning: Avoid large doses when pregnant. Sage will dry up breast milk. Excessive consumption should be avoided because of the thujone content of the plant which can cause dizziness, convulsion and rapid heartbeat. Avoid if suffering from high blood pressure or epilepsy. Medicinal doses should not be administered to young children. Avoid long-term medicinal use.

Regarding Eddiegirl's question about when you add sage. To me it is definitely one of the herbs you add early and cook as long as the dish cooks. Others are bay, rosemary and thyme. They need to release their oils and would also be tough and unpalatable added at the end. On the other hand softer green herbs like basil, parsley and chives are much better added at the end of cooking. Basically if it it dries well, add early. If it's better fresh, add late.

thanks guys, i already have some dried but i think ill do some more and try using it as a tea. i gave two huge bundles to my MIL and grandmother last night. my MIL said she was going to make some sage butter and freeze it for thanksgiving, my nabor is a massage therapist and burns sage so im going to give here some today. i want to do some research about sage and where it originates from, because it did so well in my garden with the hot temperatures and because we have a lot of local Native Americans in this area,i wonder if they grew it. a fun question for sure.

Salvia officinalis or garden sage is not a New World plant. There are other members of the Salvia family that are native to North/South America such as white sage (Salvia apiana). If you are looking for Native American ethnobotanical uses of the various sage species, you'll probably want to look at plants native to the Americas.

FataMorgana

i was just curious because the rest of my plants wilted and limped along through the summer, even our citrus trees, the the sage didn't seam to be bothered one bit. in fact it more than tripled in size.

I got the seeds of sage. Because obviously you have experience in growing of this plant - can you tell me some basic things - When to plant? What is the proper climate for its cultivation?

Do you know what kind of sage you got? The name "sage" is applied to large number of plants. It will help us to give you the right information.

And if you are in the US and some place that freezes, you may wish to wait a bit before starting the seed for the next growing season. You may wish to share your zone or general location for more specific information.

Sage (S. officinalis) is from the Mediterranean. It loves sun and lean, well-drained soil. Can it grow elsewhere? Certainly. I live in Western NY State. I joke about having 6 months of winter - and I mean snow, ice, and cold. I have heavy clay soil to boot. I grow the sage in amended garden beds though I have grown it in unamended, straight in the ground locations as well with zero winter protection. I mulch nothing. The garden beds I grow it in are well-draining and do not have rich soil. It comes back every year until it gets too old but usually self-sown seedlings or layering has come into play to start a new plant in that location.

FataMorgana