By Karimah Bint Dawoud, Muslim Chaplain & Well Being Writer.

SAGE…ANTI-OXIDANT, ANTI INFLAMATORY, GOOD FOR BRAIN, GOOD FOR SORE THROATS,VITAMIN K, VITAMIN A.

I hate to admit it but my memory is not what it used to be. When I got to 40 I said to myself and anyone who would listen” I need a  new memory card”. Well, a few more moons have passed since then I and I definitely need help. I need to memorize more Quran and improve my Arabic insha’Allah.

Help is here, for every illness Allah has provided a cure and the herb for memory retention and sore throats is called Sage .

In the English language a Sage is a wise older person.

I  have not  found direct  reference in  Islamic medicine books to the herb sage. However, the herb sage in  Arabic  is  called Maramiya and I know it is used in the Arab world.

As well as the Indians, the Egyptian people also have vast knowledge of Islamic medicine and I know that sage is widely drunk in North Africa, particularly Egypt, where there have been centres of learning for thousands of years.

I believe that there are books with this information that have remained untranslated into English so is hardly any wonder that  too many of us are still eating white flour and white sugar.

As an ex-Rasta I came to Islam with a little bit of knowledge of herbal medicine, having read books like ”Back to Eden ” by Jethro Kloss, a Quaker herbalist and put what I learnt into practice.

Sage is well known as the best herb for sore throats, it’s a stimulant however so I wouldn’t  drink it before bed unless you want to stay up all night reading  and studying.

PREPARATION

1 teaspoon of the dry herb to 1 cup of boiling water,leave to stand/brew for 5-10 minutes, do not boil, this is the ratio, you can make larger quantity and leave to cool and use as  gargle,

As warm tea, add honey and drink.Do not add honey to boiling hot drinks otherwise you will kill useful enzymes and make honey toxic!!!

Sage is an outstanding memory enhancer, so for those of us who are studying, which should be all of us, this herb is a great help, alhamduliah, praise The Creator.

It’s one of nature’s top antioxidant herbs which means it’s anti-ageing. It’s good for memory, focusing, wonderful for cellulite, aids digestion, it’s an insect repellant, good for disinfecting either as a brew or incense, good as a toner and an astringent  for oily skin.

It has been used to treat snake bites and to improve fertility. I cannot testify to any of this however what I can say is drink it in the morning with a spoon of honey after your glass of water and you will be bright and ready to go insha’Allah, alhamdulilah