Recipe
Faskomilo — Greek sage tea
- Herb:
- Greek sage Salvia fruticosa
- Method:
- Herbal infusion (tea)
- Plant part:
- Leaf
About 10 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Pour 250 ml of boiling water over a teaspoon of dried Greek sage leaves (or a whole stem).
- Cover and steep only 5 minutes — longer and the infusion turns bitter.
- Strain, add honey and a slice of lemon.
- Drink warm; in Greece in the morning instead of coffee or after meals, 1–2 cups a day.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 1 teaspoon (about 1.5 g) of dried leaves or 1 whole stem per 250 ml
- Solvent:
- boiling water, 5 minutes; longer steeping makes it bitter
- Shelf life:
- drink within 12 hours
- Target compounds:
- essential oil containing 1,8-cineole (predominating over thujone) and phenolic substances (rosmarinic acid, carnosol) pass into water
Notes
An everyday Greek and Turkish drink (adacayi). Greek sage has more 1,8-cineole and less thujone in its oil than common sage, yet long-term drinking of large amounts is still not advised; not in pregnancy or when breastfeeding.
Why it works
Greek sage differs from common sage in its oil: 1,8-cineole predominates and thujone is scarce, which makes it better suited to daily tea. The infusion also holds rosmarinic acid and carnosol; the study by Boukhary et al. 2016 described the phenolic profile and an anti-inflammatory effect of the extract in animals. Clinical trials with Greek sage do not exist; the traditional use for sore throat and digestion rests on Mediterranean folk practice.
Literature
- Boukhary R, Raafat K, Ghoneim AI, Aboul-Ela M, El-Lakany A (2016): Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Activities of Salvia fruticosa: An HPLC Determination of Phenolic Contents. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2016:7178105 — Phenolic composition and anti-inflammatory effects of the extract in animals.
Related
Greek sage — Herb card
Herbal infusion (tea) — Processing method detail