it traditionally flavors grilled meats, but it can
also complement sweet dishes. Rosemary
aroma is unusually well preserved by drying.
Sage The genus Salvia is the largest in the
mint family, with around a thousand species
that are rich in unusual chemicals, and have
been used in many different folk medicines.
The genus name comes from a Latin root
meaning “health.” Sage extracts have been
found to be excellent antimicrobial and
antioxidant materials. However, common
garden sage, S. officinalis, is rich in two
terpene derivatives, thujone and camphor, that
are toxic to the nervous system, so its use as
anything but an occasional flavoring is not a
good idea.
Common or Dalmatian sage has a
penetrating, warm quality from thujone, the
note of camphor, and a eucalyptus note from
cineole. Greek sage (S. fruticosa) has more
cineole, while clary sage (S. sclarea) is very