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Sage tisane. I'm not sure why this didn't occur to me before: I love to steep mint and rosemary to make an herbal infusion. But I'd never thought to plunge velvety sage leaves in boiling water. After barely 10 minutes, I had a sage green-colored herbal infusion that tasted like a more intense version of the herb, with a heady aroma. I drank it plain, but you can add some lemon juice or honey. I used a big sprig of sage leaves for a liter of water, and after it went cold, I drank it that way for the rest of the day.

Of course, the French aren't the first to believe that sage infusions have positive effects on the body -- the Chinese are big fans of sage tea. And cultures dating back thousands of years have believed that a sage infusion helps aid digestion, and has anti-bacterial properties: You can gargle with it to ward off colds or aid a sore throat, or use it to wash wounds.

- Kristin Hohenadel blogging from Paris. She can be reached at kristin @ apartmenttherapy . com