Sage is a very variable family of plants, with white sage being only one form. The waxy green leaves have a white coating on them, making it very easily identified. The smell is also distinctive, and quite spicy. The flowers of the white sage are very attractive to bees, and the plant is often called Bee Sage. White sage is a perennial that grows between 2 and 5 feet tall, and is common along the west coast of the USA.
Latin: Salvia apiana
Common names: Bee sage
White sage is a common ingredient in Native American smudge sticks, where it is bundled up whole and dried. To use, you just light one end of a smudge stick and blow it out (much like lighting regular stick incense). The end continues to smolder and the smoke is used for purification and cleansing. Though white sage is the prominent ingredient in smudge sticks, sweet grass, lavender or cedar are also used.
Regular green (or garden) sage is also used in rituals, for purposes like protection, prosperity and business.
