Sage (Salvia officinalis)

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).

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