Health Benefits of Saging & How to Get Started
Written by Lauren Arent (Lo Clark)
Owner of Bewitched Esthetics & Licensed Esthetician since 2013
April 24th, 2023
Hello my darlings,
Have you ever watched a character in a movie light a bundle of herbs and wave the smoking thing around? Frankie (from Grace & Frankie on Netflix) lights up a bundle before she embarks on her journey with ayahuasca. And why does she fire up a bundle of smoking sage? I’ll tell you right now, while it might seem very hippie and spiritualistic of her, there is actual scientific evidence to show there are health benefits of saging your home.
Saging is a practice in which one will light up a dried bundle of sage. The purpose of this has long been purported to “cleanse” the spiritual energy of a space. To rid the space of negative energies. By definition, saging is: a traditional technique of smoke cleansing that has roots in Native American tradition of smudging.
Benefits of Saging
By definition, saging speaks of cleansing. What you should know is, the cleansing properties of sage do not just come in the form of spiritual cleansing. So what are the benefits you ask?
Purifying the Air by Saging
Sage has antimicrobial properties! Meaning when you burn it, the smoke actually is purifying the air of your space. Anti microbial means sage smoke keeps infections bacteria, viruses and fungi from cluttering up the air of your home. So when we say saging cleanses your space, we actually mean, cleansing your space!
Fact: The EPA has ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental dangers.
Meaning that the air quality in your home, where we spend on average 90% of our time, is HAZARDOUS. Do you see how saging your home may improve your health?
Improving Allergies & Respiratory Issues via Saging
Allergies, asthma, lung cancer, and heart problems have all been linked to poor air quality by the American Heart Association & the American Lung Association.
By cleansing the air in your home with sage smoke, you can dramatically improve the air quality in your home therefore reducing your risk of allergies, asthma, lung cancer, and heart issues. *Note: those with asthma or lung issues should be careful not to inhale too much smoke directly.
Buring sage is believed to release negative ions which will help to neutralize positive ions. Positive ions commonly are found to be pet dander, pollution, dust, and mold. So while not proven, this secondary aspect may help to alleviate airborne health issues and elevate your healthy home.
Sage the Stress Eliminator
Sage may have mood enhancing properties according to an article from the National Library of Medicines and a 2016 research project at the University of Mississippi. The aroma of sage may have applications in the treatment of advanced dimentia, in which disturbed mood and agitation feature as a major problem. Sage is full of compounds that may be responsible for for lifting mood levels, reducing stress, and alleviating pain.
Saging Improves Quality of Sleep
Just as any mood enhancing and pain alleviating methods might, saging your home might help imporve the quality of your sleep, even helping you fall asleep faster!
How Does Saging Help My Skin
#1. Saging cleanses toxins, allergens, & microbes from the air. The less toxins you inhale, the less toxins in your body, the less toxins your skin will need to expel in the form of acne breakouts.
#2. By removing allergens & pollutants, you reduce the inflammation in your body leading to less stressors like eczema, psoriasis, rosacae and even slowing the signs of aging by reducing free radical damage.
How to Begin Saging
Now that you know the benefits, lets dive into how you can begin saging your space – be it your home, apartment, office, etc.
The type of sage you pick to burn is very important!
Salvia family – such as white sage is the most commonly used type of sage. This is the kind with the mood enhancing benefits and is considered the most sacred by Native Americian cultures. Or black sage, which is also known as mugwort sage or dreams sage, because yes you guessed it: it is excellent for lucid dreaming as well as astral travel and divination.
Try this brand of white sage. It is grown on private land in the mountains near California.
Artemisia family – names in this brand of sage are Prairie sage, desert sage, mountain sage, or sagebrush. A little bit spicy in smell, it is revered in the southwestern states. This kind is believed to have powerful antimicrobial properties.
Try this brand of desert sage. Grown and harvested from small farms!
If you wanna try a variety, this is the package I chose, it comes with white sage, black sage, blue sage, cedar, dragons blood, desert magic, & yerba santa.
If you would like to learn more about types of sage to use I refer you here.
Saging 101
To begin saging, here are a few tips from a regular sage burner!
#1. I light a candle and then use the candle to light my sage bundle. The trick to getting a good smoke going is to have a consistent source of flame. Sage doesn’t just catch fire like dry grass. It smolders, which is what gives you the smoke for cleansing. A match just burns out too quick and your fingers will burn on a butane lighter before you get a good smolder going.
#2. To keep your bundle of sage smoking, you will need to keep air flow to the coals. I say coals because again, you do not want an open flame on the end of your sage. The flame should be smothered but the ends still lit. You can keep these ends smoking by waving the sage bundle as you walk around your space or you can use a feather to fan the coals.
#3. Have an ash tray handy, while you won’t have an open flame, you will have ash that slowly disintegrates off your bundle. And, you will need a place to set your sage bundle down more than likely before it goes out.
*Note: always keep a window open when you sage. You will find your space will fill with smoke which could be uncomfortable for the lungs, a window helps circulate the air. It also allows the negative energies to leave the space!
*Note: make sure to keep track of when your bundle burns out. From experience, I have gotten a good smolder going on my smudge stick aaannd burned through a whole sage bundle without realizing until the fire alarm went off. Safety first!
Sage Advice
I love burning sage in my home. It makes the whole house smell earthy and fresh. It is a good way to cleanse the air before lighting a scented candle. Scented candles only mask smells, sage actually cleanses the air. I really wanted to keep my air clean when my doctor started talking about mold poisoning, this was my favorite solution. Reap the health benefits of saging your space with me.
Wishing you a life full of beauty and blessings!
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