PDR for Herbal Medicines

HERBAL MONOGRAPHS SAGE /655

Sage

Salvia officinalis

TRADE NAMES

Sage (available from a number of manufacturers), Alcohol-

Free Sage.

DESCRIPTION

Medicinal Parts: The medicinal parts are the fresh leaves

and the fresh flowering aerial parts, the dried leaves, and the

oils extracted from the flowers and stems.

Flower and Fruit: The medium-sized, pale violet, white or

pink labiate flowers are in 6- to 12- blossomed false whorls,

which are arranged above each other in 4 to 8 rows. The

surrounding leaves fall early. The calyx is 10 to 14 mm long,

funnel-shaped-campanulate, downy, glandular punctate and

bilabiate. The upper lip has 3 throrny-awned teeth; the lower

lip has 2. The corolla tube has a ring of hair inside. The

upper lip is almost straight and the lower lip has 3 segments.

There are 2 stamens with almost semicircular bent filaments.

Leaves,.Stem and Root: Sage grows as.a bush up to 60 cm

high. The stem is erect and woody at the base with leafy,

quadrangular, white-gray tomentose branches. The leaves are

simple, oblong or oblong-lanceolate and narrowed at the

base. They are petiolate, densely and finely crenate, ribbed-

wrinkled, and white-gray tomentose initially, tough, and

evergreen.

Characteristics: The leaves are aromatic, tangy, and bitterly

astringent.

Habitat: The plant is indigenous to the Mediterranean region

and has naturalized in all of Europe. It is cultivated in North

America.

Production: Sage leaf consists of the fresh or dried leaf of

Salvia officinalis. In the wild, sage is collected from the

former Yugoslavia, the Adriatic coast and those areas that

are farther from the coast but are still under Mediterranean

influence. The harvest lasts from mid-July until December,

depending on the area. October is recommended as the most

favorable time to harvest Dalmatian sage.

When Sage is cultivated, it is recommended that the harvest

take place beginning in the second vegetation year at the

beginning of the flowering period and in the afternoon.

Sage can be dried in direct sunlight, but up to 25% of the oil
can be lost. Drying in shade reduces oil loss to 2 to 10%.
Optimum drying conditions for preventing oil loss use a
drying chamber with vertical incoming air currents at 50° C
with 0.9% absolute humidity.

Not to be Confused With: Confusion can arise with the

leaves of Salvia triloba and also with Salvia or Phlomis

species.

ACTIONS AND PHARMACOLOGY

COMPOUNDS

Volatile oil (1.5-3.5%): chief constituents alpha-thujone and

beta-thujone(20-60%), 1,8-cineole (6-16%), camphor (14-

37%), borneol, isobutyl acetate, camphene, linalool, alpha-

and beta-pinene, viridiflorol, alpha- and beta-caryophyllene

(humulene)

Caffeic acid derivatives (3-6%): rosmarinic acid, chlorogenic

acid - :,..-

Diterpenes: chief components carnosolic acid (picrosalvin,

0.2-0.4%), rosmanol, safficinolide

Flavonoids: including, among others, apigenin- and luteolin-

7-glucosides, numerous methoxylated aglycones, including

among others, genkwanin, genkwanin-6-methylether

Triterpenes: chief components ursolic acid (5%)

• EFFECTS
  Sage has antibacterial, fungistatic, virostatic, astringent,
  secretolytic, and perspiration-inhibiting effects. In animal
  experiments, the herb was found to be antihypertensive and
  choleretic. It acts on the CNS and is a spasmolytic agent.
  Proof of an antidiabetic effect found in one study has not yet
  been confirmed. The essential oil has bactericidal, fungistat-
  ic, and virostatic.

INDICATIONS AND USAGE

Approved by Commission E:

• Loss of appetite


• Inflammation of the mouth and pharynx


• Excessive perspiration

Sage is used externally for inflammation of the mucous

membranes of the nose and throat and internally for

dyspeptic symptoms and as a diaphoretic.

Unproven Uses: In folk medicine, the drug is used internally

for gastric disorders such as loss of appetite, bloating,

flatulence, diarrhea, enteritis, and excessive perspiration.

Externally, Sage is used as a rinse and gargle for light

injuries and skin inflammation, bleeding gums, stomatitis,

laryngitis, pharyngitis, and for firming the gums.

Homeopathic Uses: The most common application in

homeopathy is for excessive perspiration.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Sage preparations are contraindicated during pregnancy.