sage

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• garden sage
• kitchen sage
• Sage
• Common Sage
• Culinary Sage
• Golden Sage

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Lamiales and the family Lamiaceae, it is classified under the genus Salvia. Its specific scientific name is Salvia officinalis.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific distribution pattern across several regions of the European continent. In Northern Europe, it can be found growing within the territories of Great Britain and Ireland. Moving toward the center of the continent, the species is also established in Middle Europe. Specifically, it inhabits parts of Austria as well as the regions of Czechia and Slovakia. Finally, its presence is well-documented throughout the country of Germany.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Salvia officinalis is characterized by its remarkable adaptability to a broad vertical gradient, spanning an elevational range from 0 m AMSL to a maximum of 2900 m AMSL. This wide altitudinal distribution allows the species to occupy diverse environmental niches, ranging from lowland coastal regions to high-altitude montane zones. Furthermore, the species frequently inhabits "Área Antrópica" (anthropic areas), demonstrating a high degree of tolerance to human-modified landscapes, including gardens, cultivated fields, and disturbed soils. This ability to thrive in both natural gradients and anthropogenic environments highlights its ecological plasticity and its capacity to persist in ecosystems shaped by human activity.

Elevational range max:

2900 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

Área Antrópica

Life history

The life history of Salvia officinalis is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. Classified as a chamaephyte, its regenerative buds are located close to the soil surface, a life form that contributes to its resilience in various environments. Regarding its foliage, the species exhibits an evergreen nature, maintaining its leaves throughout much of the year rather than shedding them seasonally. This combination of a perennial lifecycle, a chamaephyte growth habit, and evergreen deciduousness defines its long-term survival strategy and physiological presence in its natural habitat.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

chamaephyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Salvia officinalis is characterized by a growth form that functions as both a shrub and a subshrub, exhibiting a non-woody structure. As a terrestrial plant, it is entirely independent, functioning as a non-parasitic organism rather than an epiphyte or a parasite. The plant is self-supporting in its growth habit, requiring no climbing mechanisms such as vines or lianas. In terms of vertical dimensions, it typically reaches a mean plant height of approximately 0.49 m, with individual specimens ranging from a minimum height of 0.25 m to a maximum height of 0.8 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Growth form :

subshrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

0.8 m

Plant height mean:

0.491666666666667 m

Plant height min:

0.25 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Salvia officinalis is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, utilizing standard carbon fixation processes common to many temperate medicinal herbs. The plant is non-carnivorous and does not function as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on soil-based nutrient uptake. Its vegetative morphology is defined by oblong-shaped leaves that exhibit significant dimensional variation; leaf length typically ranges from a minimum of 2 cm to a maximum of 9 cm, while leaf width fluctuates between 0.8 cm and 3 cm, resulting in a mean leaf width of 1.5 cm. The average leaf size is measured at approximately 9.16833 cm², and the plant maintains a mean Specific Leaf Area (SLA) of 189.37 cm²/g, reflecting its structural efficiency and leaf density.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf form :

oblong

Leaf length max:

9 cm

Leaf length min:

2 cm

Leaf size mean:

9.16833 cm²

Leaf width max:

3 cm

Leaf width mean:

1.5 cm

Leaf width min:

0.8 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Specific Leaf Area (SLA) mean:

189.37 cm²/g

Reproduction

The reproduction of Salvia officinalis is driven by a biotic pollination syndrome, specifically relying on insects such as bees to facilitate fertilization. The plant exhibits a flowering period that typically begins in June and concludes in July, featuring violet-colored flowers that range in length from 1.5 cm to 2.5 cm. These flowers are arranged in inflorescences with a length varying between 0.1 m and 0.4 m. Notably, self-fertilization is absent in this species, and it does not utilize asexual reproduction. Following successful pollination, the plant produces fruit in the form of an achene. These fruits are indehiscent, with dimensions ranging from 0.2 cm to 0.3 cm in width. The resulting seeds are quite small, possessing a mean mass of 0.006035 g, with individual seed masses ranging from a minimum of 0.003 g to a maximum of 0.0086 g. Dispersal of the seeds is characterized by an unspecialized syndrome, though it also exhibits epizoochorous tendencies, allowing for spread via animals.

Dehiscence :

indehiscent

Dispersal syndrome :

unspecialized

Dispersal syndrome :

epizoochorous

Flower colour :

violet

Flower length max:

2.5 cm

Flower length min:

1.5 cm

Flowering time :

Jun

Flowering time :

Jul

Fruit type :

achene

Fruit width max:

0.3 cm

Fruit width min:

0.2 cm

Inflorescence length max:

0.4 m

Inflorescence length min:

0.1 m

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

bee

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Seed mass max:

0.0086 g

Seed mass mean:

0.006035 g

Seed mass min:

0.003 g

Self fertilization :

absent

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Salvia officinalis has 2 reported plant parts identified across 9 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, seed.

Leaf

1. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Neuroscience letters
4. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
5. Scientific reports

Seed

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

Chemicals

Salvia officinalis has 322 reported phytochemicals identified across 9 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include rosmarinic acid, camphor, 1,8-Cineole, Flavonoids, carnosol.

rosmarinic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
4. Experimental and therapeutic medicine
5. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)

camphor

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Frontiers in plant science
4. Chemistry & biodiversity
5. Journal of agriculture and food research

1,8-Cineole

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Saudi journal of biological sciences
4. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Journal of plant physiology

Flavonoids

1. Insects
2. Free radical biology & medicine
3. Chemistry & biodiversity
4. CNS & neurological disorders drug targets
5. Planta medica

carnosol

1. Dr. Duke
2. Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England)
3. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
4. Journal of ethnopharmacology
5. Neuroscience letters

Ursolic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences
3. Scientific reports
4. Heliyon
5. Journal of natural products

CAMPHENE

1. Dr. Duke
2. Saudi journal of biological sciences
3. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Chemistry & biodiversity

cis-Thujone

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Saudi journal of biological sciences
3. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Chemistry & biodiversity
5. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie

Carnosic acid

1. Dr. Duke
2. International journal of molecular sciences
3. Neuroscience letters
4. Plant & cell physiology
5. Frontiers in plant science

THUJONE

1. Dr. Duke
2. Frontiers in plant science
3. Bone
4. Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology : RTP
5. Ultrasonics sonochemistry

Activities

Salvia officinalis has 757 reported activities identified across 9 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antimicrobial, Antidiabetic, Anticancer.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Free radical biology & medicine
3. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. International journal of molecular sciences
5. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Scientific reports
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Journal of ethnopharmacology
5. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine

Antimicrobial

1. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. International journal of molecular sciences
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Planta medica
5. Current pharmaceutical biotechnology

Antidiabetic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Journal of ethnopharmacology
5. Journal of natural products

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England)
4. Planta medica
5. Current pharmaceutical biotechnology

Antiinflammatory

1. Dr. Duke
2. Stomatologiia
3. Revista de chirurgie, oncologie, radiologie, o. r. l., oftalmologie, stomatologie. Seria: Stomatologie

Antinociceptive

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Journal of traditional and complementary medicine

Antiproliferative

1. Dr. Duke
2. Natural product communications
3. Nutrition and cancer

Antitumor

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening

Antiviral

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of agriculture and food research
3. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie

Conditions

Salvia officinalis has 123 reported investigations on conditions identified across 9 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include oxidative stress, Alzheimer's disease, antioxidant, Escherichia coli, cancer.

Oxidative stress

1. Free radical biology & medicine
2. Veterinary world
3. Planta medica
4. Scientific reports
5. Journal of food biochemistry

Alzheimer's disease

1. Phytotherapy research : PTR
2. British journal of pharmacology
3. Metabolic brain disease
4. Journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics
5. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Antioxidant

1. International journal of molecular sciences
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Current pharmaceutical biotechnology
4. Journal of plant physiology
5. Advances in pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences

Escherichia coli

1. Veterinary medicine and science
2. Experimental and therapeutic medicine
3. Scientific reports
4. Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Microorganisms

Cancer

1. Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England)
2. Planta medica
3. Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences
4. Journal of natural products
5. Biomedicines

Staphylococcus aureus

1. Scientific reports
2. Experimental and therapeutic medicine
3. General dentistry
4. Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Microorganisms

Inflammation

1. Free radical biology & medicine
2. Planta medica
3. Journal of medicinal food
4. Journal of the science of food and agriculture
5. Journal of traditional and complementary medicine

Antidiabetic

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Journal of natural products
3. Advances in pharmacological and pharmaceutical sciences

Diabetes mellitus

1. Veterinary world
2. The Pan African medical journal
3. Diabetes research (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Hyperglycemia

1. Veterinary world
2. Advances in pharmacological sciences
3. Journal of traditional and complementary medicine

Preparations

Salvia officinalis has 67 reported preparations identified across 9 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include essential oils, Salvia officinalis extract, essential oil, extracts, methanolic extract.

Essential oils

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Natural product research
3. Acta poloniae pharmaceutica
4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Life sciences

Salvia officinalis extract

1. Scientific reports
2. Journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics
3. Journal of ethnopharmacology
4. Biochimica et biophysica acta. General subjects

Essential oil

1. Roczniki Panstwowego Zakladu Higieny
2. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Metabolites
4. Planta

Extracts

1. Frontiers in bioscience (Elite edition)
2. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
3. Mutagenesis
4. Dentistry journal

Methanolic extract

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Current aging science
3. Chemico-biological interactions

Methanolic extracts

1. Insects
2. The Analyst
3. BMC complementary medicine and therapies

Aqueous extract

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Applied biochemistry and biotechnology

Ethanolic extract

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Ethanolic extracts

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Letters in applied microbiology

66% ethanolic tincture

1. Planta medica