[Ritual] Taos Sage

Made by hand in the old way by Native American woman at Taos Pueblo, a World Heritage Site. These 6"-7" sticks of New Mexico Sage

Our New Mexico Desert Sage (Artemisia tridentate)

Sagebrush is readily recognized by the gray-green color of the leaves, the shrubby appearance of the plant about 3 to 5 feet tall, and the smell of oil of sage, which is almost overpowering as the leaves are crushed or bruised. That smell is how I always knew I was “home,” when I smelled the sagebrush after a summer rainstorm in Taos!

Often considered an indicator of overuse by livestock, sagebrush is given a “good” rating for use by game animals according to “Woody Plants of the Southwest,” and is considered an indicator of good pronghorn range on the high plains.

With up to nine subspecies of sagebrush reported in “Trees and Shrubs of New Mexico” by Jack L. Carter, it is one of the most widely known shrubs of the Southwest covering some 422,000 square miles in 11 Western States and three Canadian Provinces, and in some areas of the dry plains and mesas, or on rocky slopes, it may be practically the only shrub in sight … making sagebrush steppe one of the most important of all habitats!

According to herbalist Derinda Babcock in her blog “Tying The Past To The Present,” the leaves and green twigs of sagebrush contain camphor, eucalyptus, and other volatile oils that give the plant a refreshing odor. Herbalists use concoctions of sagebrush leaves in an herbal tea to treat colds and lingering sore throats (bad tasting, albeit helpful), in a poultice to treat gum disease, and in a cold press for treating bronchitis or influenza.

The leaves are substantially antibacterial and antifungal and were used extensively by emigrants on the Oregon Trail “back in the day!”