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Sage

Scientific names: Salvia officinalis, Salvia lavandulaefolia

Family: Lamiaceae/Labiatae

Alternate names: Broadleaf Sage, Common Sage, Culinary Sage, Dalmatian Sage, Feuille de la Bergère, Garden Sage, Golden Sage, Herbe Sacré, Kitchen Sage, Meadow Sage, Sauge, Sauge Ananas, Sauge des Prairies, Sauge Divinatoire, Sauge Divine, Sauge Domestique, Sauge Officinale, Scarlet Sage, Spanish Sage, True Sage, Vraie Sauge

Actions: Antibacterial, Anticancer, Antidiabetic, Antifungal, Anti-inflammatory, Antilipemic, Antioxidant activity, Antiparasitic, Antitoxic, Antiviral activity, Anxiolytic, Bone, Cardiovascular, Cytochrome P450 activity, Dermatologic, Endocrine, Estrogenic activity, Food preservative, Gastrointestinal, Hepatoprotective, Immunomodulating, Insecticidal, Neurological

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Scientific names: Salvia officinalis, Salvia lavandulaefolia

Family: Lamiaceae/Labiatae

View all 14 products

Background

Sage is an herb. There are many species of sage. The two most common are common sage (Salvia officinalis) and Spanish sage (Salvia lavandulaefolia).

Sage might help with chemical imbalances in the brain that cause problems with memory and thinking skills. It might also change how the body uses insulin and sugar.

People commonly use sage for memory and thinking skills, high cholesterol, and symptoms of menopause. It is also used for pain after surgery, lung cancer, sore throat, sunburn, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

Safety Safety definitions

When taken by mouth: Sage is commonly consumed in foods. It is possibly safe when taken in medicinal amounts, for up to 2 months. But sage is possibly unsafe when taken in high doses or for a long time. Some species of sage, including common sage (Salvia officinalis), contain a chemical called thujone. Too much thujone can cause seizures and damage the liver and nervous system. The amount of thujone varies with the species of sage, the time of harvest, growing conditions, and other factors.

When applied to the skin: Sage is possibly safe when used for up to one week.

When inhaled: Sage essential oil is possibly safe when used as aromatherapy.

Special Precautions & Warnings:

Pregnancy: Taking sage during pregnancy is likely unsafe because of the thujone found in some sage species. Thujone can bring on a menstrual period, which could cause a miscarriage.

Breast-feeding: Taking sage while breast-feeding is possibly unsafe. The thujone in sage might reduce the supply of breast milk.

Hormone-sensitive condition such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids: Spanish sage (Salvia lavandulaefolia) might have the same effects as estrogen. If you have any condition that might be made worse by estrogen, don't use Spanish sage.

High blood pressure: Spanish sage (Salvia lavandulaefolia) might increase blood pressure in some people with high blood pressure. Common sage (Salvia officinalis) might actually lower blood pressure. Be sure to monitor your blood pressure if you are taking sage in amounts higher than those found in food.

Seizure disorders: Common sage contains significant amounts of thujone, a chemical that can trigger seizures. If you have a seizure disorder, don't take sage in amounts higher than those typically found in food.

Surgery: Common sage might affect blood sugar levels and interfere with blood sugar control during and after surgery. Stop using common sage as a medicine at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

Effectiveness

NatMed Pro rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.

Possibly effective Effectiveness definitions

Memory and thinking skills (cognitive function). Taking sage by mouth seems to improve memory and thinking skills in healthy adults. But it's not clear if sage aromatherapy helps.
High levels of cholesterol or other fats (lipids) in the blood (hyperlipidemia). Taking common sage three times daily for 2 or 3 months reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It also increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good") cholesterol, in people with high cholesterol.
Symptoms of menopause. Taking common sage extract by mouth for 4 weeks improves some symptoms of menopause, especially hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep problems.

Possibly ineffective Effectiveness definitions

Pain after surgery. Using an oral rinse made of common sage doesn't seem to reduce pain after surgery.

There is interest in using sage for a number of other purposes, but there isn't enough reliable information to say whether it might be helpful.

Dosing & administration

Sage is commonly used as a spice to flavor foods.
As medicine, common sage extract has most often been used by adults in doses of 280-1500 mg by mouth daily for up to 12 weeks. Sage is also used in essential oils, creams, ointments, sprays, and mouth rinses. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out what type of product and dose might be best for a specific condition.