How to Heal With White Sage

White sage (artemesia ludoviciana) has been used for centuries by various Native American tribes for both medicine and ceremonies and is still used extensively today. Here is an overview how it is used in a healing ritual by Cecelia Garcia, a healer from the Chumash tribe of the Santa Barbara area of California.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh White Sage, cultivated in a special garden
• 1 liter bottle of purified water
• Small stainless steel or glass pan for boiling water, if making a hot tea
• Ceramic mug

Instructions

1. Cecelia's white sage healing ritual starts with praying over fresh white sage cultivated in a special garden, then picking one branch.

2. One sage leaf is placed in a one liter bottle of purified water for 30 minutes to permeate the water before the patient drinks it. The same leaf can be re-used for four bottles of water for the course of one day. After that, the leaf deteriorates and is not usable.

3. Another way it is used is to place a small leaf in the mouth and suck on it to soothe the throat..

4. White sage is also used as a hot tea. Place one fresh leaf in one cup of water at room temperature into a stainless steel or glass pan. Heat the water only until it just starts to boil. It must not come to a full boil, or the effect is lost. Drink the tea.

5. The healer can also use white sage in a prayer ceremony for one person or a group of family and friends gathered with the patient. Small branches of freshly dried branches unbound by yarn, string or twine are placed in an abalone shell or fireproof bowl and set on fire. Everyone prays in unison and the smoke sends the prayers to God to invite Him into the healing process.

Tips & Warnings

• To cultivate your own white sage garden, buy fresh plants from a nursery or botanical garden. Plant them in a sandy soil plot that gets full sunlight. White sage is drought-resistant. The Chumash Indians and other tribes that use white sage believe it calms the spirit, brings it back to normal and makes it right again. Smoke from the burned leaves is believed to drive away evil spirits, evil thoughts and nightmares. The Kiowa, Dakota, Blackfoot and Mesquaukie tribes used white sage tea for stomach ailments, eczema and skin rashes, to soothe a sore throat and to relieve chest congestion. Pawnee and Bannock women drank white sage tea during their menstual periods.

• The dried sage should not be bound with yarn, string or twine because it causes the sage to mold.

References

• White Sage - The United States Dept. of Agriculture Plant Guide
• The Advantages of Traditional Chumash Healing