Sage Tea: How to Make It and What It Does

Sage tea is a fresh sage and water infusion that takes 2 hours 5 minutes to prepare and yields about 1 cup (250 mL).

What is sage tea?

Sage tea is an infusion made by steeping culinary sage leaves in water and straining them out. This version is cold-steeped in the refrigerator, giving it a mild, savory herbal flavor without requiring a kettle.

Use common culinary sage, Salvia officinalis, from a food-safe source. If you are exploring herbal detox tea, sage tea is one way to enjoy water with herbal flavor; it is not a detox treatment.

How do you make sage tea?

Allow about 5 minutes for hands-on preparation and 2 hours for refrigerated steeping. The recipe makes one serving and can be scaled up using the same proportions.

Ingredients

• 250 mL water (about 1 cup)
• About 1 g fresh culinary sage leaves (about 2–3 leaves, or roughly 1 tablespoon/1⁄16 cup loosely packed)

Steps

1. Rinse the sage leaves under running water.
2. Add the sage and water to a clean, food-safe jar or covered container.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. For a stronger flavor, steep for up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
4. Strain out the leaves and pour the sage tea into a clean cup.
5. Drink the sage tea or refrigerate it promptly in a covered container.

For another combination, try the ai detox recipe generator.

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Use the shorter steep if you prefer a subtler flavor. Unlike a blended drink, the leaves are removed before serving, so the nutrients listed for whole or ground sage do not represent the nutrients in the finished tea.

What does sage tea do for detox?

Sage tea provides water, which helps keep you hydrated. Your liver and kidneys do most of the body's detoxification, while the lungs and gut also help eliminate waste; sweat removes only trace amounts.

There is no good evidence that sage tea removes toxins or makes those organs detoxify faster. It can be a pleasant way to drink water, but it does not replace medical care or a balanced diet. Read more about sage tea benefits, including the difference between evidence on sage ingredients and evidence on the tea itself.

How much sage tea should you drink, and when?

The recipe yields about 1 cup (250 mL); that is a serving size, not a proven daily health dose. There is no established daily amount of homemade sage tea that can be recommended for everyone, and the strength can vary with the leaves and steeping time.

You can drink it whenever it suits you. Sage tea made with just sage and water contains no added caffeine, although a blend with tea leaves or another caffeinated ingredient may differ.

For best flavor, keep the prepared sage tea refrigerated and drink it within 24 hours. Discard it after 2–3 days at the latest, or sooner if it becomes cloudy, slimy or sour-smelling; do not leave it at room temperature for more than a few hours.

What are the side effects of sage tea?

Sage can cause stomach upset or an allergic reaction in some people. Sage also contains thujone, a compound that can affect the nervous system at high exposures; concentrated sage products are a greater concern than a mild infusion. Do not swallow sage essential oil as a substitute for tea.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have epilepsy or another seizure disorder, or want to give sage tea to a child, ask a healthcare professional first. Also check before drinking it regularly if you take diabetes or seizure medicines, since interactions are possible and evidence is limited. Do not stop prescribed medication to drink sage tea.

Stop drinking it and seek medical advice if it causes symptoms. Get urgent help for a seizure, trouble breathing, or swelling of the lips or throat. See sage tea side effects for more on precautions.

Frequently asked questions about sage tea

The questions below cover ingredient substitutions and simple ways to adjust the flavor without changing the basic cold-steeping method.