Sage, Salvia officinalis retains its Latin root Salvia from salvere, meaning "to be saved" in many languages i.e. Sauge, alavijas, szawia, salbei, salie, alfija, shalfej, shavliya. This attests to Sage's long standing use in food and medicine that springs from its original indigenous roots in Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean. It has been dated archeologically to have been in popular use by at least 1300 BCE in the ancient Greek Mycenaean period, sometimes called the dark ages of Ancient Greece. The Genus Salvia has over 900 species, 37 of which feature in most local traditional medicines wherever they are indigenous. You might know some of these as White, Pineapple, Clary, Blue, Arizona or Tobacco Sage.

Although for the most part of the estimated 3307 years Sage has been primarily used medicinally, it is only in the last 100 years or so the culinary value has superseded its medical one. Today it is grown and harvested the world round more for its subtle yet strong flavour that is a backbone for a multitude of dishes. Sage like Rosemary is a very powerful tasting herb and is sparingly used except perhaps in the Italian fresh sage leaves only fried in butter sauce used over Gnocchi. It is also widely used as an ingredient in most commercial Bouquet Garni herb mixes sold the world over. But be this as it may historically it was medicinal first, food second.

In Europe from the Ancient Greeks onward Sage has been prescribed for over 49 treatments for a variety of ailments, as herbalist friend of mine put it "you may have a hard time finding something Sage has not been proscribed for over the ages". So what is in Sage that has given it this medical renown across the ages? The answer lies in the volatile (essential) oil present at a 3-100 ratio when extracted from the dried whole plant. The prime constituents of the oil are Salvene, Cineole (Eucalyptol), Borneol (Borneo camphor), and Thujone (Salviol) but there are many more chemical compounds packed into the oil, over 363 actually with over 690 known effects on the human body. Does this mean that Sage deserves its present meaning, were our ancestors correct in their use and preservation of the medical knowledge of Sage that still survives and is being used today? Let's find out starting with the known medicinal effects of Sage backed by the most chemical compounds present and then look at some of the traditional uses and see how many compounds would support this medical association.

There are 47 compounds

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