Lyre-leaf Sage....Bane or Blessing?

  Today being St. Patrick's Day, I decided to "go green".  No, I did not don the green shirt nor cutesy up myself with shamrocks.  Instead, I went outside to work in the garden.  That was green enough for me.   I am not being stuffy here about those who do participate in the traditions.  It was just the fact that there was not much reason to do anything since I was the only one to appreciate it.  I did, however, have a grand time working the plot of ground set aside as my vegetable garden.  The tomato plants are doing fine so there was little tending to do to them but the potatoes were in dire need of fertilizer and hilling.  Once that was done, I started hunting for any volunteer herbs that may be sprouting through the ground.  The oregano was already spilling out of the container and the purple basil had hundreds of tiny plants where seeds had fallen.  I was not lucky enough to find any sweet basil, fennel nor mint up yet.  Wait and see.  Wait and see. I will follow the advice of Son.

  I did find an entire patch of lyre-leaf sage in bloom and that made me happy.  Most folks will recognize this herb as the "weed growing on the side of the road".  It is not a weed, folks!  It is a medicinal herb!  The whole plant can be used.  The leaves have a slightly minty taste (sage is in the mint family, by the way) and can be added to salads and soups.  It is the root that is important to me, though.  That root has pulled me through one cold after another in the past.  The cleaned root made into a tisane is supremely helpful in calming a sore throat.  The tisane can be used as a tea or as a warm gargle.  A wee touch of honey makes the tisane even more delectable.

  I find it humorous that recently, the lyre leaf-sage (Salvia lyrata) can be found at plant nurseries.  For years, it was deemed to be a nuisance plant or weed.  People who desired the well manicured yard (which is actually a waste of land, in my humble opinion), dumped gallons of weed killer to eradicate the plant.  The lyre-leaf sage was adamant about staying and that created headaches for those who are compulsive about such things.  Everything in the book was thrown at the hardy little plant but it was all to no avail.  The plant survived, regardless.  I guess some folks now see this as a plant "they cannot kill" so there is a demand for it.
  
  On the Bayou, the lyre-leaf sage can grow where it wishes.  When it blooms, the place is dotted with blue.  Then, when the blooms fade, I simply mow over the plants.  The base leaves are a great ground cover that can take a beating and still look great.  It is also mighty handy to have that sore throat cure just outside the door.  Lyre-leaf sage...the plant that creates headaches for some but cures sore throats for others.