If you are talking salvia officinalis, good old garden sage, dry some to use for teas come winter. Whenever I have an upper respiratory thing hit, I make a sage and fresh ginger root infusion. Then, add lemon slices and honey. Sage is anti-bacterial and astringent, will help reduce that inflamed mucous membrane.

Usually for smudging, white sage - salvia apiana - is used. But, let me know how you like "regular" sage for that use!

Sage-Stuffed Salt-Encrusted Trout

For each serving take one small butterflied trout & stuff a good handful of fresh sage into the cavity. Coat/press outside of trout with Kosher/sea salt lightly seasoned with black pepper. (If trout are large, you can use one fish per 2 servings.)

Saute approximately 5-8 minutes on each side (depending on size of fish) in hot melted half butter/half olive oil.

Simple & delicious.

Sage: 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, due to its antibacterial property. Use the fresh leaves to rub over teeth and gums - helps prevent build-up of tartar, removes plaque, freshens the breath - beautifully!

Because of its antiseptic qualities, sage tea is used as a gargle for sore throat, gum and mouth infections, or 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 AlzeimerÂs Disease. The essential oil can be massaged in to ease muscular tension or pain, and to treat cellulite.
Warning: Avoid large doses when pregnant. Sage will dry up breast milk. Excessive consumption should be avoided due to 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.

Oh! and you can eat it too (and the flowers)!

There was a thread about sage on either the Cooking or the Recipe Exchange forum quite recently, if you want to browse through.

i know you sed it was just salvia oficinalis, but is it any specific strain, it makes briliant tea just for flavour and for sore throats. purple sage (like i have) is suposed to be especialy good for sore throats.

Possibly a dumb question, but what is a sage smudge?

christie... look here..
http://www.the7thfire.com/smudging_with_sage.htm

Well back home the plains tribes 'sage' that we use as smudge is actually an Artemisia...Artemisia ludoviciana, and we also commonly call it white sage....it's also the 'sage' used here in WA. I haven't seen a true Salvia used yet in that manner.

Vera_EWASH, they use salvia apiana for smudging around here. They tie it up just like the link above.

dried sage, as in officianis is ideal for smudging as once dried it doesn't burn but it smoulders and gives out loads of smoke.

u can use mugwort and other dried herbs for smudging, but mugwort smoke smells like marijuana smoke so not a good idea to smudge your car with it or your dorm if ur at college etc.
just something i read on a website. i pick up a lot of useless knowlege

Oh yeah, and sage fritters are delicious. Just get fresh sage leaves, dredge in beaten egg, then seasoned flour and fry quickly. Or, just put the fresh sage leaf directly into some hot oil for about 15 seconds. Slurp!

I have a ton of sage and I'm looking for possible crafts to make out of it, beyond potpourri, does anyone know of anything?

wow, herbalbetty! That sounds delicious! Never would have thought to have dredged, floured and seasoned sage and then fry it. I've got TONS of it...I am definitely going to give it a try. Sage is one of my favorites. Smells so wonderful!

And all the other wonderful tips. Great uses for sage, guys!