Inspiration in the color sage.

The history of sage.

Green is the most common color in nature, and sage color is especially revered.

Man has always been inspired by shades of green. Nature is saturated with it. The color sage was a green pigment in even greater demand because it was associated with the plant, salvia officinalis. Sage leaves were used in herbal remedies in Ancient Greece, Rome, and in Native American and Chinese cultures. In Rome, sage was so valued that it was only picked in a special ceremony requiring clean clothes and special tools.

Sage color and the herb became equally important.

After the sage plant was adopted for medical use by the Romans, sage continued to make its way into the rest of Europe. By the Middle Ages, sage was considered an essential item in medicine. The Renaissance saw sage green used in artwork and textiles to highlight the beauty of the natural world. The color sage took the name of the plant around this same time, though its use predated the term.

Sage color didn’t originally mean wisdom, but the two became intuitively linked.

The name sage came to English from Old French sauge, which was the name of the sage plant. The use of the word sage to mean a wise person came from another Old French word, sage. This sage came from the Latin verb sapere, meaning “to know, to show good taste.” The color sage has been linked intuitively to wisdom ever since, even though the plant (and color) came from a different source.

The color sage across different cultures.

The color sage is a universal sign of nature, but its other meanings vary.

Sage color was inspired by the salvia plant which, itself, varies in color between species. A true sage color wasn’t easy to agree on. However, the association of the color sage with nature was universal. For the pharaohs, sage green was linked to embalming, because sage was used in the process. For the Aztecs, sage leaves were used as food and in medicine, and sage color face paint denoted high rank in society.

Celtic lore took special interest in the color sage.

In Celtic lore, the color sage is synonymous with wisdom. Sage leaves were eaten to promote insight and immortality. Look no further than the proverb, “Why should a man die if sage grows in his garden?” Because Celtic mythology revolved around nature, sage color also symbolized the vital connection to the natural world.

Herbalists of yesteryear and of today see sage as an ingredient for healing.

Ancient herbalists believed that drinking sage tea meant you would never grow old. In Ancient China, more credible medical uses of sage were explored. As far back as 206 B.C., sage was described as a remedy to clear mucus congestion. Today’s herbalists still cook sage color leaves for anti-congestion, and for its natural astringent properties to treat sore throats and even wounds.