Salvia sclarea L. is an ornamental plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family, native to southern Europe and cultivated for ornamental purposes, but mainly industrially for the extraction of its essential oil. The scent of Clary Sage is different from Salvia officinalis and is more similar to musk.

Salvia sclarea or Clary sage essential oil is obtained from the flowers with their stalks, bracts, seeds, and fresh leaves located above the basal rosette, usually at the peak of flowering. It is extracted by steam distillation.

It appears as a yellowish or dark green oily liquid insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol and fixed oils such as bergamot oil, but also with rosemary, lavender, lemon. 70% soluble in ethanol.

What it is used for and where

Medical

Clary sage essential oil has been used in traditional medical science as a remedy for gingivitis and other oral ailments. Linoleic acid is the main fatty acid, then we find oleic acid and linolenic acid, both of which are fatty acids and are found in the seeds in percentages of 18%, 22% and 50% respectively. The percentages vary greatly depending on the area of cultivation, climatic conditions, harvest time (1). These fatty acids are promoters of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anti-obesity and gut flora regulation activities along with the dominant volatile compounds beta-pinene and limonene. Another interesting component, Sclareol, a natural diterpene used as a perfume, together with the alcohol monoterpene Linalool and the ester monoterpene Linalyl acetate have demonstrated antifungal activity against different strains of the Candida genus and inhibited the growth of the pathogenic fungi Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum and Alternaria solania (2).

Other components: camphor, camphene, bornyl acetate, 1,8-cineole.

Cosmetics

Sclareol diterpene is of value to the cosmetics industry as a raw material for ambergris substitutes used in high-end perfumes and is found in the trichomes of Salvia sclarea. It is also included in cosmetic formulas as an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. It is credited with astringent properties on the skin that can tighten pores and heal small wounds. Aromatherapy.

For more information:

Salvia sclarea studies

Typical commercial product characteristicsClary Sage Oil

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Figueredo G, Chalchat JC, Chalard P, Özcan MM, Al Juhaimi FY. The effect of harvest periods on the chemical compositions of essential oils of sage (Salvia aucheri L.) leaves. Nat Prod Res. 2012;26(19):1852-6. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2011.643309.

(2)  Aćimović, M., Kiprovski, B., Rat, M., Sikora, V., Popović, V., Koren, A., & Brdar-Jokanović, M. (2018). Salvia sclarea: Chemical composition and biological activity. Journal of Agronomy, Technology and Engineering Management (JATEM), 1(1), 18-28.