Description

Botanical name: Salvia officinalis

Origin: Albania

Garden sage, also known as common sage, is an Old World culinary herb found in many kitchen gardens and pantries.

Like powdered sage, the whole leaf is used in cooking. It’s especially good gently heated in butter to make a sauce to dress pumpkin ravioli. Whole sage leaf is also tinctured, added to tea blends and used to produce infusions to make a color-enhancing and conditioning rinse for dark colored hair.

The astringent qualities of sage is owing to the presence of several phenolic acids and glycosides. Carnosol, for example, is a phenolic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent found in sage leaf. A related antioxidant, carnosic acid, is used in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries as a natural preservative.