Artemisia tridentata / Desert Sage / Compositae (Sunflower family)

Information

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Other Names

Big Sagebrush, Big Sage, Desert Sage.

Aromatic Properties

Sagebrush is considered as one of the most sacred herbs among the Native Americans. The benefits of Sagebrush can be experienced in a ritual called "smudging ceremony", which involves burning the leaves on charcoal or in a bundle. The smoke is said to attach to negative energies and carry them away. Sagebrush stands for the air-element. You can smudge persons, stones, spaces and other objects. The properties of Sagebrush are deeply purifying (negative spirits and thoughts), clearing and cleansing. The word "Sage" comes from the Latin word "Salvare", to heal.
Sometimes people carry a leaf of Sagebrush with them (in a talisman pouch for example) for protection.
Its abundant smoke can be used for clearing the energy of your aura, crystals and rooms. It is also wonderful for preparing sacred space and sacred time.

Synergic Combinations

Blends nicely with Sweetgrass, Lavender, Cedar, Mugwort, Juniper, Yerba Santa, Rosemary, Copal, Palo Santo.

Historical

Big Sagebrush was commonly used by many Native Americans, such as the Navajo. The wood was burned for fuel or used in construction of dwellings. The leaves and the seeds were also eaten. The leaves, which contain Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora), were also used medicinally(1). Navajo weavers boiled the leaves and flowers to create a yellow-gold color, used to dye wool. Ute Indians wove the shredded bark into wicks for candles, and they made sacks of woven bark and lined them with the grass. Native Americans of the Plains Nations cover the floor of their sweat lodge with Sage. They will also breathe through a small bundle of Sage and at times rub the bundle on their bodies while in the sweat lodge. Some tribes commonly wrapped their pipes in Sage before they bundled them up. They believed that objects wrapped in Sage were purified.

Plant Description

Waist to chest high shrub, measuring between two and five feet. This shrub has grey-green-silvery leaves, tri-lobed and measuring about one inch. The bark is shredded. This plant is famous for its pungent terpentine fragrance.
Big Sagebrush gets its name from its stature and its relation to members of the Sagebrush group. Artemisia (ar-tay-MIS-ee-a) is from Artemisia, wife of Mausolus, ancient ruler of Ceria (southwest Asia Minor). She was named after Artemis, the Greek virgin goddess of the hunt and wild nature. Tridentata (tri-den-TAH-ta) means "three toothed," in reference to the three lobes on the tips of most leaves.

References

(1) Artemisia tridentata, Plants for a Future database report

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

Artemisia tridentata - Wikipedia