Sage

Two very different plants are sold as sage, and they are not interchangeable. Clary sage is smooth, sweet and faintly grape-like, up to three quarters esters, and gentle enough for regular use. Common sage is sharp and camphorous, and carries thujone, which is toxic to nerves in quantity.^[2] In menopausal women, inhaling clary sage lowered the stress hormone cortisol and raised serotonin.^[1] The drop was biggest in the women who were most prone to low mood.^[1]

Clary Sage

Salvia sclarea

Also Known As: Clary
Family: Herbal
Perfumery Note: Middle
Intensity: Medium
Extraction: Steam Distillation
Plant Parts: Flowering tops, Leaves
Origins: France, Bulgaria, Russia
Effect: Grounding & Centering, Sleep & Relaxation
Aroma: Herbal, Earthy, Sweet
Applications: Diffusing & Inhalation, Skincare, Massage & Body, Perfumery & Fragrance Making
Price: $$$$A biennial plant that requires two years to mature; yields are moderate but reliable

Clary sage smells herbal and sweet at once, with an odd grape-like note that people either love or cannot place. Up to three quarters of it is linalyl acetate, the same compound that softens lavender. In a double-blind trial, abdominal massage shortened period pain. The oil was blended with lavender and marjoram, so the effect cannot be credited to clary sage alone.^[3] A small study found its effects differ by sex, lowering pulse more in women than men when inhaled.^[4]

Common Sage

Salvia officinalis

Also Known As: Sage, Garden Sage
Family: Herbal
Perfumery Note: Top
Intensity: Strong
Extraction: Steam Distillation
Plant Parts: Leaves
Origins: Spain, France, Balkans
Effect: Focus & Mental Clarity, Grounding & Centering, Respiratory Support
Aroma: Herbal, Camphorous, Woody
Applications: Diffusing & Inhalation, Cooking & Flavouring, Household & Cleaning
Price: $$$$Lacks the toxicity of Dalmatian sage; grows wild and is easy to distill

Common sage is the culinary one, and its oil is far stronger than the herb suggests. Up to two fifths of it is thujone, with camphor behind that, which is what makes it sharp and medicinal. Thujone is toxic to the nervous system in quantity, so this oil should be avoided in epilepsy and pregnancy, and kept well diluted.^[2] In lab tests the oil held back a broad range of bacteria, working best against Staphylococcus aureus.^[5] It also mops up the unstable molecules that damage cells, though only moderately.^[5]

Sage Spanish

Salvia lavandulifolia

Also Known As: Spanish Sage, Lavender-Leaved Sage, Salvia lavandulaefolia
Family: Herbal
Perfumery Note: Top
Intensity: Medium
Extraction: Steam Distillation
Plant Parts: Leaves, Flowering tops
Origins: Spain, France
Effect: Focus & Mental Clarity, Grounding & Centering
Aroma: Herbal, Camphorous, Woody
Applications: Diffusing & Inhalation
Price: $$$$A wild-harvested Mediterranean shrub with modest yields, priced above common sage but below clary sage due to smaller-scale, mostly Spanish production

Spanish sage is common sage without the safety problem, because it carries almost no thujone. Camphor and cineole take its place, giving a cleaner, more eucalyptus-like herbal smell. In lab tests the oil slowed acetylcholinesterase, the same enzyme that Alzheimer's drugs target.^[6] In a placebo-controlled trial, healthy young adults given a single dose did better on memory and attention tasks.^[7] They also rated themselves calmer and more content, though the trial tested a single dose rather than regular use.^[7]

Essential Nose

Sage

Clary Sage

Common Sage

Sage Spanish

References