Salvia officinalis
A perennial sub-shrub with a
taproot and a square, hairy stem, which is woody at the base and
branches towards the top. The greyish-green stalked leaves are
opposite, oblong to oval or lanceolate, wrinkled above, hairy and
persistent. The two-lipped, blue-violet, reddish-violet or white
flowers are arranged in whorls in terminal spikes. They are
attractive to bees. The fruit consists of four nutlets. All parts
of the plant are strongly aromatic.
Sage is native to the Mediterranean region but it has long been
cultivated elsewhere in Europe for culinary and medicinal
purposes and several varieties have been developed. It is
commercially grown in central and southern England. It is still
collected on a large scale from the wild in northern
Mediterranean countries. The generic name, Salvia, is from the
Latin word salvere (= `to be in good health'); the old French
word saulje (also from salvere through salvia) has given us the
modern English name. Sage was traditionally used as an aid to
conception.
The leaves are used medicinally. Their constituents include an
essential oil (up to 2.5 per cent) with thujone (15-35 per cent),
borneol, cineole and camphor, also bitter compounds (salvin and
picrosalvin), oestrogenic substances, resin and tannins. These
substances give Sage antiseptic, antifungal, astringent,
diuretic, carminative, antidiarrhoeal, antispasmodic and
antidiaphoretic properties. It has a wide variety of medicinal
uses. In herbal medicine, for example, it is used in an infusion
to reduce sweating and lactation, and to treat colds and coughs,
nervous conditions and gastrointestinal disorders. A tincture
prepared from the fresh leaves is also used in homeopathy.
Sage should not be taken in large doses for a long period because
of the thujone it contains.
The essential oil, obtained by steam distillation of the
partially dried leaves, is used by the pharmaceutical, perfumery,
liqueur and food industries.
In cooking Sage is usually used with pork, but it is also good
with other meat dishes and in salads and spreads.
Flowering time: June to July