I’m sure most of you don’t even know what Pineapple Sage is or what it looks like. So what is Pineapple sage? It is a quick-growing, perennial shrub, part of the mint family, that can grow up to 1.2 to 1.8 meters tall and wide (depending on the climate for they prefer summertime) and have furry, serrated leaves that can grow up to 10 cm long, they have these wonderful small bright red flowers that almost look like thorns or spikes and has a wonderful pineapple – lemony scent. Both stem and flower can offer a bitter-sweet taste. Pineapple Sage has few cultivators, for example, Frieda Dixon has salmon pink flowers instead of red, and Golden Delicious discovered and patented in 2007 which only grows 1 to 3 feet.
The characteristic red flowers of Pineapple sage are a good source of antioxidants as they get their colour from the presence of anthocyanins, naturally occurring compounds with strong antioxidative and antimicrobial properties that are beneficial for overall health and well-being.
Did you know?? Pineapple sage was found to be one of the three most-visited species by hummingbirds.
Pineapple Sage is originally native to the edges of pine and oak forests Sierra Madre del Sur mountains of Mexico and Guatemala where they grow wild. It was found in botanical literature in 1804 and it was introduced as an ornamental garden plant around the 1870s, this is the time they also started to cultivate the plan. However, it did not become popular until the 1990s.
Fun fact: Pineapple sage is used extensively in Mexican traditional medicine, it’s a member of the mint family and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
Pineapple Sage has a lot of health benefits, as the Mexicans know, but what are they? P/Sage in Mexico is known by several names, such as Mirto, Hierba Del Burro, and Mirto de Flor Roja
Traditional Mexican uses:
- provide relief from the ailments of the central nervous system such as anxiety and depression
- for healing purposes and lowers blood pressure.
- calms the nervous system, serves as a tonic, improves the digestive system and treats heartburn.
- treat snake bites, infections, eye problems, epilepsy, memory loss, intoxication, intestinal problems and worms.
Benefits of Pineapple sage:
- Anti-depression
- Anti-anxiety
- Antioxidants
- Balances the nervous system and helps with sleeping disorders – insomnia
- Soothes gastritis, acidity, and other burning sensations
- Treats constipation and assists digestion!
- Body heat – provides the cooling effect of the body, perfect for summer!
- Lowers blood pressure!
- Vitamin A – Helps organs to work properly, helps with your vision, helps your reproductive system, your immune system, and your growth and development
- Vitamin K – Helps to make proteins to prevent clotting and produce healthy bone tissue
- Vitamin C – Helps protect your cells from free radicals, helps absorb and store iron, helps form blood vessels, cartilage, muscle and collagen in bones
- Vitamin B6 – Important for brain development, maintaining the nervous system and immune system
- Manganese – Helps the body form connective tissue, bones, and blood clotting, this also plays a role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, calcium absorption, and blood sugar regulation
- Fibre – Normalized bowel movement/function and health, lower cholesterol levels, helps control blood sugar levels
- Potassium – Helps maintain a healthy level of fluids in our cells, heart function, muscle contraction, water balance, and reduced high blood pressure
- Folate – Is important in red blood cell formation and for healthy cell growth and function. This nutrient is crucial during early pregnancy to reduce the risk of birth defects in the brain and spine
- Clears mental fatigue
Qualities of Pineapple sage:
- Cooling
- Relaxing
- Adaptogen
- Antacid
- Antibacterial
Who should not use pineapple sage??
People with epilepsy and pregnant and breastfeeding women. It may also interact with sedative medication, and course sleepiness. We also recommend checking with your doctor if you have any illness or taking medications. It may cause convulsions when taken in excessive amounts as it has a-thujone which is a toxic substance.
We recommend you drink one cup a day. However you can drink up to 3 cups a day when needed, but have a rest from the tea after 4 – 5 days.
There are so many ways you can cook or drink pineapple sage, you can even add it to your pizza topping. You can have them in salads, either eaten raw or cooked with both leaf and flower, garnishes, baked in bread, smoothies or juices, salsa, and herbs in cooking meals and teas or iced teas.
“And this is my pineapple sage I have grown myself and is now available to you for $5.00 a bag plus shipping.” Miroslava
Click here or on our teacup picture to purchase!!!
Chemical composition of Pineapple Sage oil:
In the oil from S. elegans, the monoterpenes amounted to 68.2% and consisted mainly of oxygenated compounds (62.7%); on the other hand, the total sesquiterpenes were 24.0% (20.9% sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and 3.1% of oxygenated sesquiterpenes) of the total oil. cis-Thujone (38.7%) and geranyl acetate (6.9%) were the most abundant among oxygenated monoterpenes, while geraniol (6.5%) and camphor (4.6%) were present in fewer amounts. The most abundant sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were δ-cadinene (11.5%), bicyclo germacrene (2.5%) and α-muurolene (1.8%). The volatiles of pineapple-scented sage was analyzed for the first time by Makino and coworkers and 28 constituents were identified: among them, mono- and sesquiterpenoids such as linalool, β-caryophyllene, germacrene D and spathulenol were the predominant components.
The benefits of monoterpenes: The monoterpenes are secondary metabolites of plants. They have various pharmacological properties including antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-spasmodic, hypotensive, and vasorelaxant.
And therefore brilliant for your skin!!!
The essential oil of S. elegans had excellent inhibitory larvicidal effects against A. albopictus larvae (mosquito). 100% larval mortality! These findings demonstrate that the essential oils of these Salvia species could be considered powerful candidates to bring about useful botanicals so as to prevent the resurgence of mosquito vectors.