Clary Sage Salvia sclarea from France
The French are known for having superior quality clary sage, this combined with organic farming traditions creates a clean, intoxicating, earthy aroma with soft floral flourishes. Clary sage is amazingly calming and can be used in times of high stress, to improve sleep, to reduce depression or to just relax and enjoy. It has a relaxing centering effect which sharpens our instincts and softens the edges. Apply a drop of clary sage essential oil to the palm and massage some into the temples. Then rub the hands together and use direct palm inhalation. Direct palm inhalation involves slowly closing the eyes and breathing in the scent of the oil 3 to 5 times with the hands cupped in front of the nose. Immediately your inner setting will change to bring a calm, center mind dispelling undue seriousness.
Clary sage is a powerful ally in your home remedies tool kit. It reduces anxiety, stress, and depression. It is calming to the body and the mind and helps us unwind and let go. Often described as euphoric, calming, good for reducing anger, fatigue, exhaustion, frigidity, addiction, stress, imbalanced emotional states and hyperactivity. On a subtle level it has many applications for overcoming stuck emotions, getting in touch with our dreams and finding greater pleasure in life. Clary sage is a widely respected women’s herb and is highly supportive of reproductive health it’s used for cramps, menopause, hormonal irritability or imbalance, PMS and as an aphrodisiac.
For hot flashes - add 1 drop of clary sage to 2 drops peppermint to the chest area and rub in. OR make an easy spray mist. Add 10 drops mental clarity and 20 drops peppermint to a 2 oz bottle of water with a spray top. shake well and spray when hot flashes occur.
It can be used to relax and calm achy or sore muscles, great for headaches, spasms and cramps. When combined with a carrier oil it is soothing for dry irritated skin, eczema, wrinkles and mature skin. Clary sage is used in Melissa’s Botanicals Sleep Formula and Hot Flash Relief Formulas.
Clary sage has a long history of use for therapeutic and recreational use. Clary sage was written of in Roman and Greek herbal texts; in the United Kingdom and Europe it was used in beer and wine for enjoyment. The flowers of clary sage were used in these fermented beverages because it has an exhilarating effect which was believed to increase laughter. It was named clary sage because in ancient Greece and Rome its seeds were soaked in water the rinse our eye infections and irritations thus became known as “clear eye”.
Clary sage blends well with many essential oils with its earthy, green, nutty and floral fragrance blends splendidly with in your personal formulations. It blends well with lavender, rose geranium, sandalwood, spikenard, ginger, chamomile, ylang ylang, bergamot, grapefruit, frankincense, helichyrsum, jasmine, cedar, cypress, fir, cardamom, sweet marjoram, range, lemon, vetiver, rose.
In Ayurveda clary sage essential oil is used to calm excess pitta which manifests as frustration, anger, irritability or depletion. It is a powerful oil for calming excess vata because it calms the nervous system in cases of anxiety, running thoughts, over excitability, stress, pain, spasms and irritability.
In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) clary sage will help restore depleted chi through calming “shen”. It brings balance to the subtle channels of the intestine and stomach. It softens the holding around areas of stuck energy and allows chi to circulate especially when used mindfully and with conscious intention.
RECIPES
Relaxing bath salts:
Mix
10 drops lavender
6 drops clary sage
6 drops bergamot
Into 1 cup of Epson salts. Stir into the bath for a beautiful aroma and deeper relaxation.
Calm blend:
3 drops clary sage
3 drops cardamom
2 drops rose geranium
1 drop grapefruit
In 3 tablespoons carrier oil.
Apply to the upper arms, neck and shoulders to ease headaches, stress and anxiety. Also great to use if you just want to smell great and relax! It’s good for the heart and can be helpful with hot flashes.
Sleep Formula:
10 drops lavender
5 drops spikenard
7 drops clary sage
Mix into a small bottle and use 1-5 drops on the feet in the moments before getting into bed. The Sleep Aid could also be used the same way.
