botanical name(s): Salvia officinalis
synonyms: sage, garden sage, sawge, edelsalbei, salbei, sauge
part(s) used: leaves
qualities: spicy, warm, aromatic, dry, bitter, pungent
affinities: lactiferous glands
actions: astringent (will decrease secretions), carminative, antiseptic, diaphoretic, stimulant, antispasmodic, antidiarrheic, antigalactagogue, promotes estrogen
dosage:
» infusion: 1 tbsp. herb to one cup water; drink 1 - 3 cups per day; if acute, drink tea every hour
» tincture: 1 - 4 ml.
» powder: 1 - 2 g.
therapy: excessive sweating, excessive mucous secretions, diarrhea, pharyngitis, inhibition of lactation
toxicity: 2; essential oil is very toxic
» contraindicated during pregnancy due to emmenagogue and abortifacient effects associated with its volatile oil (thujone) content (Brinker, Wichtl, De Smet, Farnsworth, Albert-Puleo)
» avoid prolonged use due to possible epileptiform cramps (De Smet)
» most American products are adulterated with 50-95% Salvia fruticosa (Mabberley, p. 517)
» ingestion of a decoction or infusion may result in cheilitis or stomatitis (Duke, p. 421)
» essential oil may produce absinthium toxidrome from presence of thujone; 8 cc. of this oil can cause marked dyspnea, and epileptiform convulsions, followed by circulatory failure; if fatal, death occurs within hours (von Oettingen, p. 524)
constituents: volatile oil, diterpene bitters, flavonoids, phenolic acids
footnotes
Albert-Puleo M. 1978. Mythobotany, pharmacology, and chemistry of thujone-containing plants and derivatives. Econ. Bot., 32:65-74.
Brinker F. 1996. The Toxicology of Botanical Medicines, rev. 2nd ed., Sandy, Oregon: Eclectic Medical Publications.
De Smet PAGM et al. (eds.). 1993. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 2, Berlin: Springer-Verlag
Duke, J.A. 1985. C.R.C. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Boca Raton, FL: The C.R.C. Press.
Farnsworth NR, Bingel AS, Cordell GA, Crane FA, Fong HHS. 1975. Potential Value of Plants as Sources of New Antifertility Agents I. J. Pharm. Sci., 64:535-98.
Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The Plant Book: A Portable Dictionary of the Higher Plants. Cambridge University Press.
von Oettingen, W.F. 1958. Poisoning: A Guide to Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders and Company.
Wichtl M (ed.). 1994. Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.