Plant Extract — Herbal Medicine

Common Sage

He who has sage in his garden needs no physician — Antiperspirant, oestrogenic and digestive

Latin name

Salvia officinalis L.

Family

Lamiaceae

History & Botany

Common sage is a perennial aromatic plant native to the Mediterranean basin, particularly widespread in the dry garrigue of Dalmatia, Spain and southern France. Its Latin name Salvia derives from salvare (to save, to heal), reflecting the extraordinary medicinal reputation accorded to it by the Romans. Dioscorides and Hippocrates cited it for its haemostatic, digestive and antiseptic properties. The Latin saying « cur moriatur homo cui salvia crescit in horto ? » (why should a man die who has sage growing in his garden?) sums up the immense trust placed in it by physicians of Antiquity.

In the Middle Ages, Benedictine monks made it the queen plant of their medicinal gardens. Modern herbal medicine rediscovered its antiperspirant and oestrogenic properties from the 1970s onwards, identifying a major application in the management of menopausal symptoms. The EMA now recognises two well-established traditional indications: treatment of mild to moderate hot flushes and reduction of excessive sweating.

Morphology

Perennial sub-shrub 30 to 80 cm tall. Woody stems at the base, square and woolly at the top. Opposite, oblong leaves, grey-green and velvety, with a wrinkled surface, highly aromatic when rubbed. Blue-violet bilabiate flowers in spaced whorls, highly nectariferous, from May to July.

Part used & extraction

The leaves, harvested before full flowering, dried and subjected to hydro-alcoholic extraction. The dry extract is standardised in rosmarinic acid and phenolic diterpenes. Main origin: Dalmatia (Croatia), Spain, France.

Salvia officinalis L.

Characteristic grey-green velvety leaves and blue-violet flowers

Active Constituents & Biochemistry

Organoleptic Properties

Appearance

Dried leaf

Grey-green velvety leaves, rough, with a characteristic wrinkled surface. Powder grey-green to khaki-green, slightly downy.

Colour

Dry / liquid extract

Powder brown-green to brown-ochre. Liquid extract: amber-brown to greenish-brown, translucent, slightly colouring.

Odour

Dried leaf & extract

Pronounced aromatic, camphoraceous and herbaceous, slightly camphor-eucalyptus. Highly distinctive, characteristic of Mediterranean Lamiaceae.

Taste

Extract in solution

Aromatic, bitter and slightly astringent, with a persistent camphoraceous note and a slight warmth in the mouth. Very recognisable culinary flavour.

Solubility

Dry extract

Fine powder, good hydro-alcoholic and hot water solubility. Lipophilic constituents (essential oil) dissolve better in alcoholic media.

Medicinal Properties & Traditional Use

Antiperspirant & hot flushes

Well-established EMA indication. Reduces excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) by 50 to 60% within 4 weeks in clinical studies. Significantly attenuates hot flushes and night sweats during menopause. Mechanism: hypothalamic regulatory and peripheral anticholinergic action.

Phyto-oestrogenic & menopause

Its flavonoids and diterpenes exert a gentle plant SERM action on beta oestrogen receptors. Relieves vaginal atrophy, improves mood and sleep quality. Often combined with lady's mantle and alfalfa in menopause complexes.

Digestive & antispasmodic

Stimulates bile secretion and digestive enzymes. Indicated for dyspepsia, bloating, spastic colitis and digestive sluggishness. Antiseptic properties on pathogenic digestive flora. Well-established traditional use as a carminative and eupeptic.

Antimicrobial & oral health

Antiseptic for the ENT and oral sphere: gargles for sore throats, gingivitis, mouth ulcers, stomatitis. Inhibits Streptococcus mutans and pathogens responsible for throat infections. Antifungal properties against Candida albicans.