Common Name: Chia

General Information

Salvia columbariae is an erect, annual to perennial herb growing up to 70cm tall.
This plant was a staple food crop of the Aztecs[]. It is gathered from the wild and also often cultivated for its edible seeds, which are used medicinally and also to make a refreshing and nourishing drink.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

South-western N. America - California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and northwestern Mexico (Baja California, Sonora and Sinaloa).

Habitat

Dry open places below 1200 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual/Perennial
Height	0.70 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of semi-arid areas in the subtropics, the plant can be cultivated from the temperate to tropical zones.
Requires a very well-drained light sandy soil in a sunny position[]. Prefers a rich soil[].
Plants are lodge resistant[].
A good bee plant[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked[, , , ]. Usually ground into a powder and used as piñole or made into dark-coloured cakes and loaves[], it has a nutty flavour[]. It can also be mixed with corn meal when making mush or with ground wheat for gruel[]. Rich in niacin, thiamine, zinc, calcium and manganese[], it is also a good source of protein and easily digested fats[]. It has a high food value and is easily digested[].
The seeds have been kept in the mouth, and chewed during long journeys on foot, in order to give strength[].
The sprouted seeds can be added to salads and sandwiches[, ].

A refreshing drink can be made by steeping the seed in cold water[, , , ]. Alternatively, the seed can be roasted and ground into a powder then mixed with water when it soon becomes a copious gelatinous mass[]. It is very palatable and nutritious[].

The leaves are occasionally used as a sage-like seasoning[].

Medicinal

The seed is digestive, disinfectant, febrifuge and ophthalmic[, ]. An infusion can be used in the treatment of fevers[]. A poultice of the seed mush can be applied to infections[].

The seeds have been kept in the mouth, and chewed during long journeys on foot, in order to give strength[].

The seeds have been used to cleanse the eyes or remove foreign matter from the eyes[]. No more information is given here, but in other instances the seed has been placed in the eye, it then forms a gelatinous covering to which any foreign matter in the eye adheres. The seed is washed out of the eye by the eyes own tears[].

Other Uses

The seed has been used to render water palatable by removing the alkalis[].

Propagation

Seed - sow mid spring in situ. The plant dislikes root disturbance.
If seed supplies are limited then it can be sown in a pot in a greenhouse in early to mid spring, potted up into individual pots as soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle then planted out in May. Germination usually takes 10 - 14 days at 20°c.