White Sage is Problematic: Our Blue Sage Alternative
What do you know about sage?
If you follow any ~witchy~ vibe Instagram accounts (like ours!) chances are you’ve seen it all over your feed.
Simply, Sage is magical. It’s been used for many, many years to clear and bless spaces, as well as people. “Smudging” is the term you’ll often hear used when discussing all varieties of sage. It’s the practice of burning dried plant material, traditionally white sage, to purify something or someone.
White sage is what most people are familiar with, and honestly what we tended to work with in the past, but recently we’ve learned about the negative environmental and cultural impacts of White Sage and in light of that info, we’ve switched all of our sage offerings to Blue Sage as it's much less problematic.
Because the practice of smudging homes has become much more widespread the past few years (you’ll notice little kits and the like at stores all over the country), White Sage is now an at risk species. It’s been in such high demand lately that over harvesting has become a serious issue.
In addition to general overharvesting, there’s a concern over the cultural awareness of this specific plant. When you see new age kits at Urban Outfitters and even Walmart and Amazon...the spiritual-minded among us begin to feel some concern.
One of the biggest issues with these massive companies selling White Sage, is that there’s virtually no accountability practices behind its harvest. People were arrested in California last year for the illegal harvest of hundreds of pounds of sage on a preserve.
The more you know, right?
As always, we’re learning and evolving. We’re not perfect but we’re happy to know about the fragility of this product and with that knowledge, use our privilege to do better!
Our conscious alternative is Blue Sage.
Blue Sage is closely related to White Sage in that it’s widely used for cleansing, but it also has medicinal applications! Parts of the plant are used by indigenous communities in the treatment of flu symptoms.
It’s also known as "Grandmother Sage” and provides distinct spiritual strength.
You can find Blue Sage growing in the deserts of the Southwestern US (native to California, Nevada, and Arizona). It’s technically a shrub named for its abundant blue-violet flowers that grow in dense clusters. It has thin leaves and a smell that’s both herbaceous and floral, not unlike Lavender!
Blue Sage’s soothing, relaxing smell can be used to aid meditation, or burned simply for enjoyment.
And a good to know fun fact: It’s less...pungent than White Sage, so you might appreciate it more if you find traditional White Sage a bit overpowering!
Are y'all familiar with the White Sage versus Blue Sage moment happening? Let us know your favorite spiritually aligned plants!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: