Salvia Apiana "White Sage" - 25 Seeds

SALVIA APIANA “White Sage”

25 seeds

Sowing time: Spring & Summer

Sprouting: 30 days.

Harvest:  Individual leaves and branches can be picked the first year, once the plants have become established. In the second and later years cut stems to within 15cm of the base of the plant, just as the flowers are starting to open. Hang small bunches of Salvia Apiana upside down to dry in an airy location out of direct sunlight.

Chakra: Crown

Salvia Apiana is native to Central- and South America and is used for food and therapeutic purposes around the globe.  Known for it’s antibacterial properties, it is often used to create ‘smudge sticks’ for cleaning areas, homes, and holy sites.  It can also be used to make teas.

To Grow:  Sow seeds in a light soil mix. Cover with soil to twice the diameter of the seed. Press firmly and water, keep moist. Seedlings need direct light. Transplant to pots when large enough to handle. Transplant after last frosts have passed. Space plants 90 cm apart.

Salvia Apiana “White Sage” is native to north-western Mexico and Southern California. It is an evergreen perennial shrub used as a ceremonial herb for the ancient Native American tradition of Smudging. Smudging involves burning the dried leaves of White Sage to cleanse the spirit, purifying a space or person of unwanted or negative energies, and welcoming positive thoughts instead. It can also be used as a culinary spice, with a flavour like garden sage. 

Salvia Apiana “White Sage” is a perennial, drought and frost resistant plant to 1m x 1m. It prefers dry, well drained, light soils, in an open sunny position and has clusters of lavender to white flowers from spring to summer, with a naturally low germination rate (usually 5-10%). Germination can be slow, (up to 60 days in total).

Preparation: As a tea: 1 tsp per cup, steep covered 10 minutes. For smudging: Place loose leaves on a saucer to burn, or burn sticks as is.

Caution: Do not use during pregnancy or lactation, as it may reduce milk production. 

The Chakra Garden can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. 

Always seek advice from a professional before eating or using a plant therapeutically.

"Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seed; Stem
Edible Uses: Condiment; Drink 

Seed - raw or cooked. It can be ground into a powder and used as a mush. The seed has been mixed with cereals such as oats or wheat, toasted then ground into a fine powder and eaten dry. The seed can also be soaked overnight and used as a drink in water or fruit juice or eaten with cereals. The seed is also used as a spice. The leaves are used in cooking. They can be used as a flavouring in seed mushes. Stem tops. The young stalks can be eaten raw. Ripe stem tops can be peeled and eaten raw.

*****Please note:   These are seeds and NOT plants.   Quarantine restrictions and inspection fees prohibit the sale of these seeds by us to Western Australia, Tasmania and Internationally.

Photo of plant: HLWolfe, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons; Retrieved 21 APR24 at 1.41pmAEST and edited using Canva.

Photo of seeds: - June Parkin; Location: Sydney NSW, Australia; Date: 6OCT2023