Sage

Genus: Salvia
latin name: Salvia officinalis, salvia divinorum

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Family: Lamiaceae
Compounds: it contains essential oil (cineole, borneol, and thujone); sage leaf contains tannic acid, oleic acid, ursonic acid, ursolic acid, cornsole, cornsolic acid, fumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, niacin, nicotinamide and flavones.
Parts used: leaves
Properties: anhidrotic, antibiotic, antifungal, astringent, antispasmodic, estrogenic, hypoglycemic and tonic
Uses
external uses: to treat insect bites, throat, mouth, gum and skin infections; the sage contains rosmarinic acid that has good antioxidant properties.
internal uses: to treat indigestion and flatulence; to reduce excessive lactation in nursing mothers and night sweats, excessive salivation, profuse perspiration, anxiety, depression, female sterility and menopausal problems.

Salvia species include annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, and a few woody based sub-shrubs. The common sage (salvia officinalis) is native to the Mediterranean region and commonly grown as a kitchen and medicinal herb or as an ornamental garden plant. Sage is also common in Italian cooking. Sage is sautéd in olive oil and butter until crisp, then plain or stuffed pasta is added (burro e salvia). In the Balkans and the Middle East, it is used when roasting mutton.

The other specy is Salvia divinorum has a long and continuing tradition of use as an entheogen by indigenous Mazatec shamans, who use it to facilitate visionary states of consciousness during spiritual healing sessions. The plant is native to certain areas of the Sierra Mazateca in Oaxaca, Mexico, where it is still used by the Mazatec.