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
- Adventitious and Hairy Root Cultures of Salvia apiana as a Source of Rosmarinic Acidby Agata Krol on April 17, 2025 at 10:00 am
For the first time, adventitious and hairy root cultures of Salvia apiana (white sage) have been established and analyzed for the content of secondary metabolites. Non-transformed roots derived from sterile seedlings were maintained on a full-strength IBA-supplemented SH medium. Adventitious roots yielded up to 44.5 mg/g and 18.7 mg/g DW rosmarinic acid when grown in shake flasks and immersion-column bioreactors, respectively. Transformed root cultures were established from S. apiana…
- Antibacterial Essential Oils as Adjuvants to Inhibit Antibiotic Resistance in Multidrug-resistant Bacteriaby Rafael Torres-Martínez on April 10, 2025 at 10:00 am
In order to contribute to the fight against the antibiotic resistance crisis, we used a dual-activity prospection strategy for natural product mixtures with antibiotic resistance modulating and antibacterial activities in the essential oils (EOs) of Artemisia ludoviciana, Lippia graveolens, and Cosmos bipinnatus against multidrug-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa HIM-MR01, Staphylococcus aureus HIM-MR02, Enterococcus faecalis HIM-MR05, and Salmonella typhi HIM-MR06. The three EOs…
- Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Medicinal Plants in the Context of Gastrointestinal Health: A Reviewby Antonio Julián-Flores on March 17, 2025 at 10:00 am
Medicinal plants represent promising sources for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders because of their abundance in bioactive compounds with therapeutic properties. Throughout history, various plant species have been used to alleviate digestive ailments, and studies have revealed the presence of metabolites with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, antidiarrheal, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. The secondary metabolites responsible for these properties…
- Elicited Production of Essential Oil with Immunomodulatory Activity in Salvia apiana Microshoot Cultureby Agata Krol on February 26, 2025 at 11:00 am
Salvia apiana Jepson is an endemic North American species characterized by a rich phytochemical profile including abietane-type diterpenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and thujone-free essential oil (EO). The current study was aimed at increasing EO production in bioreactor-grown S. apiana microshoot culture through biotic elicitation using chitosan, ergosterol, and yeast extract (YE). Additionally, the immunomodulatory effects of the major volatile constituent of white sage-1,8-cineole-as…
- In Vitro Anthelmintic Effect of Mexican Plant Extracts and Partitions Against Trichinella spiralis and Strongyloides venezuelensisby Nancy E Rodríguez-Garza on January 8, 2025 at 11:00 am
Parasitic diseases represent a significant global public health concern. Two clinically important parasites of high prevalence rates are Trichinella spiralis and Strongyloides stercoralis. However, the limitations of currently used nematocidal drugs highlight the urgent need for novel treatment approaches. The present study investigated the in vitro nematocidal activity of methanol extracts from Amphipterygium adstringens, Artemisia ludoviciana, Cymbopogon citratus, Heterotheca inuloides,…
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