Salvia officinalis, commonly known as sage, is a perennial herb belonging to the Lamiaceae family. Native to the Mediterranean basin, it is highly prized not only for its culinary uses but also for its medicinal properties. Sage leaves are gray-green, aromatic, and have a slightly hairy texture.

Botanical Classification

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Class: Eudicots
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Salvia
Species: S. officinalis

Plant Characteristics

Salvia officinalis is a shrub that typically reaches a height of 30-60 cm. The plant forms dense clumps of oblong, thick leaves that emit a strong aroma when crushed. It blooms during the summer, producing small flowers in shades of blue, purple, pink, or white that attract numerous pollinators. These flowers are organized in inflorescences called verticillasters, typical of the Lamiaceae.

Chemical Composition and Structure

The leaves of Salvia officinalis are rich in essential oils, including cineole, borneol, thujone, and camphor, which give the plant its distinctive aroma and its antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Additionally, it contains flavonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins, which contribute to its health benefits, supporting activities such as anti-inflammation and antioxidant protection.

How to Cultivate It

1. Soil: Prefers light, well-drained, and poor soils with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH.
2. Light: Best developed in full sun, but can tolerate partial shade.
3. Water: Requires moderate watering, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings.
4. Temperature: Cold-hardy and can withstand temperatures down to -10°C. In hotter climates, it benefits from shaded positions during the hottest parts of the day.

Uses and Benefits

Sage is traditionally used for its digestive and antiseptic properties. It is employed in treating digestive disorders, inflammations of the mouth and throat, and to enhance memory and concentration. Recent studies have explored its potential antidiabetic and anticholinesterase properties, which could offer new therapeutic applications.

Studies

Phytochemical analysis reveals a good number of substances useful for human health

• Terpenoids: monoterpenoids, diterpenoids, triterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids
• Phenolic compounds: tannins, coumarins, flavonoids (ellagic acid, quercetin, chlorogenic acid, epicatecin, rutin and luteolin-7-glucoside, epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate
• Glycoside derivatives: saponins, flavonoid glycosides, cardiac glycosides

Sage extracts have hindered the early stages of colon carcinogenesis by showing chemo-preventive effects (4), preventive or therapeutic activity against angiogenesis-related disorders (5), anti-proliferative activity against tumour cells (6), mutagenic and antimutagenic potential (7), antinociceptive properties on chemical nociception behavioural patterns involving an opioid mechanism (8).

It contains vitamin K and rosmarinic acid (an acid also found in rosemary), which act as antioxidants to combat inflammation and oxidation (1) (2).

Sage leaves contain triterpenoids, such as ursolic acid and oleanoic acid and tannins (3).

It also has properties to improve memory function of brain .

Other interesting components found in sage

• camphor
• 1,8-cineole
• α-thujene
• α-pinene
• β-pinene
• myrcene

Applications

• Culinary: Sage leaves are a popular ingredient in cooking, used to flavor meats, broths, and stuffings.
• Medicinal: Used in teas, decoctions, and as an extract in various pharmaceutical products to exploit its medicinal properties.
• Ornamental: Salvia officinalis is also cultivated for its ornamental value, thanks to its attractive flowers and bushy form.

Environmental and Safety Considerations

Cultivating Salvia officinalis is generally safe and does not present significant environmental concerns. However, as with all medicinal herbs, it is important to use sage under the guidance of an expert, especially for therapeutic use, to avoid potential drug interactions or unwanted side effects. Sustainable cultivation practices help maintain soil health and the surrounding ecosystem, preserving biodiversity and reducing environmental impact.

References____________________________________________________________________

(1) Kelm MA, Nair MG, Strasburg GM, DeWitt DL. Antioxidant and cyclooxygenase inhibitory phenolic compounds from Ocimum sanctum Linn. Phytomedicine 2000 Mar; 7 (1): 7-13. 2000. PMID: 12240.

Abstract. Anti-oxidant bioassay-directed extraction of the fresh leaves and stems of Ocimum sanctum and purification of the extract yielded the following compounds; cirsilineol [1], cirsimaritin [2], isothymusin [3], isothymonin [4], apigenin [5], rosmarinic acid [6], and appreciable quantities of eugenol. The structures of compounds 1-6 were established using spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1 and 5 were isolated previously from O. sanctum whereas compounds 2 and 3 are here identified for the first time from O. sanctum. Eugenol, a major component of the volatile oil, and compounds 1, 3, 4, and 6 demonstrated good antioxidant activity at 10-microM concentrations. Anti-inflammatory activity or cyclooxygenase inhibitory activity of these compounds were observed. Eugenol demonstrated 97% cyclooxygenase-1 inhibitory activity when assayed at 1000-microM concentrations. Compounds 1, 2, and 4-6 displayed 37, 50, 37, 65, and 58% cyclooxygenase-1 inhibitory activity, respectively, when assayed at 1000-microM concentrations. Eugenol and compounds 1, 2, 5, and 6 demonstrated cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitory activity at slightly higher levels when assayed at 1000-microM concentrations. The activities of compounds 1-6 were comparable to ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin at 10-, 10-, and 1000-microM concentrations, respectively. These results support traditional uses of O. sanctum and identify the compounds responsible.

(2) Malencic D, Gasic O, Popovic M, Boza P. Screening for antioxidant properties of Sage reflexa hornem. Phytother Res 2000 Nov; 14 (7): 546-8. 2000. PMID: 12230.

(3) European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy. Salviae officinalis folium. 2nd ed. New York: Thieme; 2003. ESCOP Monographs; pp. 452-5.

(4) Pedro DF, Ramos AA, Lima CF, Baltazar F, Pereira-Wilson C. Colon Cancer Chemoprevention by Sage Tea Drinking: Decreased DNA Damage and Cell Proliferation. Phytother Res. 2016 Feb;30(2):298-305. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5531. 

(5) Keshavarz M, Mostafaie A, Mansouri K, Bidmeshkipour A, Motlagh HR, Parvaneh S. In vitro and ex vivo antiangiogenic activity of Salvia officinalis. Phytother Res. 2010 Oct;24(10):1526-31. doi: 10.1002/ptr.3168.

(6) Kontogianni VG, Tomic G, Nikolic I, Nerantzaki AA, Sayyad N, Stosic-Grujicic S, Stojanovic I, Gerothanassis IP, Tzakos AG. Phytochemical profile of Rosmarinus officinalis and Salvia officinalis extracts and correlation to their antioxidant and anti-proliferative activity. Food Chem. 2013 Jan 1;136(1):120-9. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.07.091.

(7) Vuković-Gacić B, Nikcević S, Berić-Bjedov T, Knezević-Vukcević J, Simić D. Antimutagenic effect of essential oil of sage (Salvia officinalis L.) and its monoterpenes against UV-induced mutations in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Food Chem Toxicol. 2006 Oct;44(10):1730-8. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2006.05.011. 

Abstract. Mutagenic and antimutagenic potential of essential oil (EO) of cultivated sage (S. officinalis L.) and its monoterpenes: thujone, 1,8-cineole, camphor and limonene against UVC-induced mutations was studied with Salmonella/microsome, E. coli WP2, E. coli K12 [Simić, D., Vuković-Gacić, B., Knezević-Vukcević, J., 1998. Detection of natural bioantimutagens and their mechanisms of action with bacterial assay-system. Mutat. Res. 402, 51-57] and S. cerevisiae D7 reversion assays. The toxicity of EO differed, depending on the strain used. The most sensitive were permeable strains TA100, TA102, E. coli K12 IB112 and non-permeable WP2. Mutagenic potential of EO and monoterpenes was not detected, with or without S9. EO reduced the number of UV-induced revertants in a concentration-dependent manner, reaching 50-70% of inhibition at the maximum non-toxic concentrations: 3 microl/plate (TA102), 5 microl/plate (WP2), 7.5 microl/plate (IB112), 30 microl/plate (E. coli K12 SY252) and 60 microl/plate (D7). The metabolic activation had no effect on antimutagenic potential of EO. Similar toxicity of monoterpenes was observed in TA100, E. coli SY252 and D7, with the exception of limonene (less toxic to D7). Reduction of UV-induced revertants by non-toxic concentrations of monoterpenes, tested with SY252 and D7, reached 40-50% at 15-20 microl/plate of thujone, 10 microl/plate of cineole and 1-10 microg/plate of camphor. Limonene showed antimutagenic effect only in D7. Our data recommend sage monoterpenes for further chemoprevention studies.

(8) Rodrigues MR, Kanazawa LK, das Neves TL, da Silva CF, Horst H, Pizzolatti MG, Santos AR, Baggio CH, Werner MF. Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory potential of extract and isolated compounds from the leaves of Salvia officinalis in mice. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Jan 31;139(2):519-26. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.11.042.