White Sage
White Sage (Artemisia ludoviciana)
Artemisia ludoviciana is also known as White Sagebrush, Grey Sagewort, Western Mugwort, Louisiana Wormwood, and Silver Wormwood. White Sage is native to North America and found throughout Canada, the US, and Mexico. It can grow 1–3 feet tall with thin, spear-shaped leaves up to 4 inches long. Both leaves and stems are covered in fine white to gray hairs, from which the name derives.
Historical Use
White Sage is native only to the Western Hemisphere; historical information relies on ethnographic writings about its wide usage by Native Americans for a variety of purposes. The fibers of the plant were used for cordage and weaving, for paintbrushes, and reportedly to flavor food (Hart, 1992). White Sage was also rubbed on the skin or stuffed into shoes or saddles as a deodorant (Hellson, 1974). Used for ceremonial purposes by many tribes, the plant was most often associated with cleansing or purification rituals (Hart, 1992). Additionally, White Sage was burned to keep away mosquitoes, to ritually clean a person or site, and during sweat lodge ceremonies. Medicinally, White Sage was used as snuff to help with sinus congestion, nosebleeds, or headache (Hart, 1992).
Current Use
White Sage is often grown as an ornamental plant in yards and gardens, as it is a hardy perennial. It is still often used in traditional ways, but there has been increasing research on medicinal uses of Artemisia ludoviciana. Studies have shown that extracts from the plant have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties (Lopes-Lutz, Alviano, Alviano, & Kolodziejczyk, 2008). Other studies have suggested antifungal properties (McCutcheon, Ellis, Hancock, & Towers, 1994). Additionally, essential oils from White Sage have been investigated for potential use in pain relief(Anaya-Eugenio, Rivero-Cruz, Bye, Linares, & Mata, 2016).
Latest Research
- Effect directed analysis of bioactive compounds in leaf extracts from two Salvia species by High-performance thin-layer chromatographyby Snezana Agatonovic-Kustrin on February 24, 2023 at 11:00 am
Extracts of two Salvia species, Salvia apiana (white sage) and Salvia officinalis (common sage) were screened for phytoconstituents with the ability to act as antidiabetic, cognitive enhancing, or antimicrobial agents, by hyphenation of high-performance thin-layer chromatography with enzymatic and microbial effect directed assays. Two bioactive zones with α-amylase inhibition (zone 1 and zone 2), 3 zones for acetylcholinesterase inhibition (zones 3, 4 and 5), and two zones for antimicrobial…
- Ixodicidal effect of extracts from Cordia boissieri, Artemisia ludoviciana and Litchi chinensis on Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae)by R García-Ponce on February 1, 2023 at 11:00 am
The ixodicidal activity of the methanolic extracts of Artemisia ludoviciana (Astereceae), Cordia boissieri (Boraginaceae) and Litchi chinensis (Sapindaceae) against two field populations of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus from the state of Nuevo Leon (NL) and Veracruz (VER) was evaluated. The extract of L. chinensis in the concentration of 150 mg/ml showed efficacies of 100% and 99% against engorged females and mortalities of 98% and 99% against larvae. C. boissieri in the same concentration…
- Antimycobacterial, cytotoxic, and anti-inflammatory activities of Artemisialudovicianaby José Luis Gálvez Romero on April 8, 2022 at 10:00 am
CONCLUSIONS: We showed that the ethanol extract of A. ludoviciana possessed antimycobacterial activity and could potentially be used to supplement the antibiotic treatment of TB.
- Study of Superoxide Dismutase Activity in Long-Term Cultivated Artemisia and Althaea “hairy” Rootsby Nadiia Matvieieva on December 14, 2021 at 11:00 am
The aim of the study was to evaluate the long-term effect of Agrobacterium rhizogenes genes transfer on plant antioxidant system by the study of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in “hairy” roots of Artemisia and Althaea spp plants. PCR analyses revealed stability of the transformation and presence of bacterial rol B and rol C genes in the “hairy” roots after 4-6 years from the transformation event. SOD activity in the roots of untransformed in vitro cultivated plants used for the initiation…
- Antioxidant and Mitochondria-Targeted Activity of Caffeoylquinic-Acid-Rich Fractions of Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) and Silver Wormwood (Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt.)by Justina Kamarauskaite on September 28, 2021 at 10:00 am
Caffeoylquinic acids are some of the chemophenetically significant specialized metabolites found in plants of the family Asteraceae Dumort., possessing a broad spectrum of biological activities. As they might be potential mitochondria-targeted antioxidants, effective preparation methods-including extraction, isolation, and purification of caffeoylquinic acids from plant sources-are in great demand. The aim of this study was to fractionate the caffeoylquinic acids from cultivated wormwood…
References
Anaya-Eugenio, G. D., Rivero-Cruz, I., Bye, R., Linares, E., & Mata, R. (2016). Antinociceptive activity of the essential oil from Artemisia ludoviciana. J Ethnopharmacol, 179, 403-411. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2016.01.008
Hart, J. (1992). Montana Native Plants and Early Peoples. Helena, MT: Montana Historical Society Press.
Hellson, J. C. (1974). Ethnobotany of the Blackfoot Indians. Ottowa: National Museums of Canada.
Lopes-Lutz, D., Alviano, D. S., Alviano, C. S., & Kolodziejczyk, P. P. (2008). Screening of chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Artemisia essential oils. Phytochemistry, 69(8), 1732-1738. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2008.02.014
McCutcheon, A. R., Ellis, S. M., Hancock, R. E., & Towers, G. H. (1994). Antifungal screening of medicinal plants of British Columbian native peoples. J Ethnopharmacol, 44(3), 157-169. doi:10.1016/0378-8741(94)01183-4