Hummingbird Sage
Hummingbird Sage
Salvia spathacea
Energetics: Neutral to Mildly Cooling, Mildly Drying, Mildly Relaxant (*These are my best guesses from personal experience, as not much is known about this particular plant's chemical constituents)
Taste: Sweet and mildly fruity, sagey, and floral. It has a delightful flavor that is often used to sweeten teas with more bitter or unpalatable herbs.
Called "pakh" by the Ventureño Chumash peoples and Diosa (Goddess) by the Spanish; Hummingbird Sage is one of our area’s more unique and beautiful plants. It is a perennial herb in the Lamiaceae (Mint) family and the Salvia (Sage) Genus, that grows about 1-3 feet tall and about 3 feet wide. It is evergreen (with adequate water) and blooms in the early spring and summer. Due to its copious nectar, it is an absolute magnet for pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, bats, birds, and of course more specifically, hummingbirds! Unlike many of our other native California sages; Hummingbird Sage prefers partial to full shade and is the only native sage to bloom with reddish pink hued flowers. Because it spreads mainly by dense shallow rhizomes, it is also a beneficial plant for bank and soil stabilization. Its large oblong and arrow shaped leaves are covered in many soft hairs, making them soft to the touch. Its blooms are large and vibrantly colored; and at the height of the blooming season its somewhat resinous and sticky plant body gives off a pleasant floral, fruity, and sagey scent when picked or brushed against.
Historically the Chumash people drank a tea of Hummingbird Sage for lung problems and used it in baths for rheumatism. There is also an account of this particular sage being used to cure an ailment brought about by sorcery. The Spanish colonizers who settled around the Santa Barbara area learned of it from the Chumash people and called it diosa (Goddess).
Chumash elder and Herbalist Cecilia Garcia taught her students how to combine it with chocolate to make a soothing Chumash-Mexican tea for anxiety.
And, like other types of native sages, it can be dried and used as an air purifying herbal smoke.
According to Herbalist Michael Moore, Hummingbird Sage appears to have decongestant expectorant qualities and seems to be mildly antimicrobial (Like many of our other native sages); although due to a lack of scientific study, very little is known about Hummingbird Sage's specific medicinal properties, as it has not been studied to the degree that other local sages have. But, we can derive some information from its historical accounts and its close relation to White, Black, and Purple Sage; as well as its inclusion in the Lamiaceae plant family and the Salvia genus.
There are no known safety concerns for using Hummingbird Sage; so utilizing it as a flavoring agent for other herbal remedies and to support respiratory health and relaxation through teas and baths is considered relatively safe.
I personally love the flavor of this particular sage; and enjoy it in teas, syrups, and infused honeys. For me, it is more of a energetic medicine; helping me with emotional and mental wellbeing more so than for more physical ailments for which I use other sages and native herbs more readily. It's pleasantness is uplifting in the long cold winter months and it is a calming balm in the early spring when life starts to wake up and get busy again.
If you are growing or gathering this herb yourself; you’ll want to wait to harvest when the leaves are plump and green, right before it flowers. You'll know they are ready by how richly scented they are when you touch them. I can barely brush up against my Hummingbird Sages in the springtime and they leave a fairy trail of magical scent lingering on my hands and clothing for hours. After harvesting, gently and slowly air dry the leaves (or use a dehydrator no higher than 95 degrees) to preserve their delightful flavor. My teacher, Lanny Kaufer recommends storing the leaves whole until you are ready to use, to preserve their flavor and volatile oils. In my experience, this is wise advice, because when the leaves are crushed, they break down much quicker and you are left with much less of that delightful scent and flavor they are known for. Store away from extreme temperature fluctuations, moisture, and sunlight for the best longevity.
Hummingbird Sage pairs exceptionally well with Yerba Santa; for a respiratory tea for wet phlegmy coughs and colds. I also enjoy it mixed with other uplifting herbs as a wintertime tonic for the spirit; to remind me that springtime is coming. I also love to enjoy chewing on a flower or two in the springtime; as they are rich with nectar and are a sweet little delight as I am working in the garden. (However, I do try to leave most of the flowers for my beloved pollinator friends) Hummingbird Sage is not widely commercially available as a dried herb, so this is one that is best grown at home. As long as it gets plenty of water and somewhat enriched soil, Hummingbird Sage grows well in containers, in the shade of larger trees or shrubs, or in tucked away little corners where nothing else seems to get enough light. It is rhizomatous, so will spread to fill in a space if allowed to do so.
Resources:
Calscape.org *Where possible, I linked directly to local/individual retailers for book links. I highly encourage you to utilize local booksellers as opposed to Amazon and other large corporations. Many of our local book stores like Bart's Books and Timbre will even special order these titles for you.
Local Nurseries who sell Hummingbird Sage plants and seed:
*If you know of other reputable and conscientious suppliers, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. This is by no means an extensive list of herb suppliers I love, but rather two great ones that I know carry Yerba Santa specifically.
The content on this site is for educational purposes only. We cannot diagnose health conditions, nor prescribe medicines. The information provided is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbal medicine, particularly if you have a known medical condition or if you are pregnant or nursing.
As with conventional medicine, herbal medicine is vast and complex, and must be used responsibly. People react differently to different remedies. Some herbs are contraindicated with certain pharmaceutical drugs.
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