Sage
Historical note Sage has been used since ancient times as an antiseptic,
astringent and to reduce sweating. The name ‘Salvia’ derives from the Latin
salvere (to be saved) (Blumenthal et al 2000). Sage oil is used as a culinary spice
and as a fragrance in soaps and perfumes. The fragrance is said to suppress the
odour of fish.
OTHER NAMES
Broad-leafed sage, common sage, dalmatian sage, garden sage, meadow sage,
Spanish sage, true sage
BOTANICAL NAME/FAMILY
Salvia officinalis, Salvia lavandulaefolia (family Labiatae or Lamiaceae)
PLANT PART USED
Leaf
CHEMICAL COMPONENTS
The leaves contain up to 2.5% essential oil, which contains thujone, cineol and
camphor, as well as humulene, pinene, camphene, limonene, carnosol and
rosmarinic acid. In addition, the leaves contain catechin-type tannins, diterpene bitter
principles, triterpenes, steroids, flavones, and flavonoid glycosides, together with
polysaccharides. Sage is a rich source of beta-carotene, vitamins C and B-complex
(Fisher & Painter 1996). Pharmacopoeial grade sage leaf must contain not less than
1.5% thujone-rich volatile oil (Blumenthal et al 2000).
MAIN ACTIONS
ANTIMICROBIAL
Sage is reported to have antimicrobial activity attributed to the thujone, thymol and
eugenol content of the volatile oil (Shapiro 1994), as well as its rosmarinic acid
content (Petersen & Simmonds 2003). The phenolic acids, salvins and monomethyl
ethers have also been attributed with antimicrobial activity. Overall, activity has been
reported in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp.,
Shigella sonnei, Klebsiella ozanae, Bacillus subtilis and various fungi including
Candida albicans (Newell et al 1996). Phenolic extracts have also shown antibacterial
activity against Enterococcus (Feres et al 2005). Sage had some in vitro antimicrobial
effects on saliva samples from periodontally healthy and diseased subjects, although
it had less activity than clove or propolis (Feres et al 2005). Sage essential oil has been
shown to have effective inhibitory activity against microorganisms, such as Klebsiella
spp., Enterobacter spp., E. coli, Proteus mirabilis and Morganella morganii, isolated
from urinary tract infection (Santos Pereira et al 2004). There are also reports that
sage may also be fungistatic and virustatic (Eidi et al 2005).