Sage

Salvia officinalis

Also: Garden sage, Common sage

WarmingDryingTonifying

Warms, dries, and tightens: throats, sweats, and wandering minds.

A gray-green shrub with pebbled leaves from rocky Mediterranean slopes. Sage warms and dries, tones lax tissue, dries up excess sweat and milk, and clears a cold, foggy mind.

Energetics: Warming, drying, tonifying
Taste: Aromatic, bitter, astringent
Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Parts used: Leaves

Medicinal uses 8

The tags sort the evidence behind each use by kind. Members are able to tap a condition to compare every herb for it.

Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Sore throatTLC
A gargle that eases sore throats and post-nasal drip.
Hot flashes & night sweatsTLC
Calms hot flashes and night sweats.
Focus & brain fogTLC
Sharpens memory and attention.
Sluggish liver & digestionTLC
Helps the body digest fats and rich meats.
WeaningTLC
Dries up breast milk at weaning.
Mouth sores & gumsTLC
As a gargle or mouthwash, sage firms spongy gums and helps ulcers in the mouth heal.
Heavy or irregular periodsTLC
Its warming, drying action moderates a heavy flow.
Varicose veins & hemorrhoidsTLC
An old tea remedy for painful, swollen varicose veins.

Preparations

Gargles, short courses of tea, and steams.

Members are able to see the amounts, ratios, and methods for each preparation, search by condition, and match herbs to your constitution.

Become a member · $39 a year Log in

Cautions

Sage contains thujone; large amounts over long periods, and the essential oil, can affect the nervous system. Avoid it with epilepsy.
Very drying; take care if you run dry.
It lowers milk supply.

Medication interactions

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the 2 types of medicine flagged for sage, each with the mechanism and what to do. The plain-language cautions above stay open to everyone.

Practitioner membership · $150 a year Log in

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyCulinary only

A classic herb for bringing on menstruation, with uterine-stimulating action at medicinal doses. Culinary amounts are considered compatible; medicinal tea, tincture, and oil are avoided.

BreastfeedingAvoid; lowers supply

Used for centuries to dry up milk. Avoid medicinal amounts unless you are weaning on purpose.

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the full entry from the Moss Herbalism Pregnancy Safety Database: trimester ratings, uterine and placental action, breastfeeding and nursing-baby effects, chemistry, traditional use, studies, and sources.

Practitioner membership · $150 a year Log in

Folklore

Salvia comes from the Latin salvere, to be well, and the medieval medical school at Salerno asked why anyone should die who has sage growing in the garden. An English proverb held that he who would live for aye must eat sage in May. John Gerard wrote in 1597 that sage quickened the senses and the memory, a claim modern memory studies have taken up.

How to grow

A woody perennial for full sun and well-drained soil; it thrives on neglect and drought. Prune in spring, and replace plants every four or five years as they get leggy. Propagate from cuttings.

In the wild

Native to the dry, rocky hillsides of the northern Mediterranean and the Balkan coast, where Dalmatian sage is still gathered.

Every herb here fits some people better than others. Find out which ones fit you.

Match by condition Book a consult