“It (wild sage) is usually found near a cliff or by the side of a fence. This herb has got great praise from the old people, because one very remarkable story is related about a certain man who lived in this district. He was suffering from a pain near the heart, so finally one day a travelling-woman came to the house and she told him to get “wild sage” for her and she would prepare it for him. The man went out and brought in a bunch of it. The woman cut it up and boiled it with salt and water and a little sugar. When it was boiled she gave him a cup of the water to drink and from that moment onwards the pain never bothered him. Some people keep the water in bottles and use it when needed.”

Mary O’Donovan, County Cork, Schools’ Collection, 1930’s