Sage

Salvia officinalis
Three-leafed sage, Lebanon sage
Salvia fruticosa Mill.
Soil and climate requirements
• Origin: the Mediterranean
• It can grow from sea level up 1500 m
• Requires a very well-drained light sandy soil in
a sunny position.
• It can be grown over a wide range of soil types
• Soil pH: prefer 6.5
• Essential oil concentration tends to be higher in
warmer and drier regions
• Both herbage and oil yields are reduced in cold
and shady environments
Propagation
By Seeds
• 1000 seed weight between 6 to 7g
• Stratification at 5 °C for 1 week or GA at a
concentration of 1mM is recommended
• Seeds are drilled in the field at rate 3-5 kg/ha
• In the nursery, the rate is 8-10 g/m2
• 70-80 m2 of nursery are required for one hectare
• Sowing date: March or April at 20ºC
• Germination medium: composed of (1 Peat
Moss, 1 Perlite, and 1 Soil).
• Germination will take place within two weeks.
• Transplanting: after the plants grow enough in
early summer.
By Stem Cuttings:
• 8 to 12 cm of the annual stems
• Rooting mixtures: soil, perlite and peatmoss
• Dipping the cuttings in 500 ppm indole butyric
acid for 5 seconds

By Division:
• stems with roots can be detached from 2 years or
older mother plants.
• The material obtained can then be successfully
transplanted in the field.
Land Preparation
• One or two ploughings at a depth of 20 to 30 cm
• Harrowing and Rotovating.
Plant spacing:
• 50-100 cm X 25-40 cm
• In high density: 35×15 cm
Planting date: should be carried out
• In autumn or early spring in warm areas
• In late spring for areas with very cold winters
Irrigation and fertilization
• Drip irrigation: 4 hour/week (16L/W) in spring.
• Organic fertilizer: 1ton/du.
• Recommended rates: 40-100 kg/Ha N (as
ammonium sulfate), 30-80 kg/Ha P2O5, and 30-
100 kg/Ha K2O
Harvesting and Post Harvest Treatment
• Lifespan: 4–6 years under favorable conditions
• Life span of Salvia fruticose: 4 years.
• Cutting height: 10 to 15 cm from ground surface
• Cutting to a height of 5 cm may kill the plants.
• Yield: 1 kg/plant
• Fresh leaves are collected in spring
• Dry leaves are collected in summer
• The 1st year: only one harvest in summer.
• The forward years: the first in June-July and the
second in October-November.
• Under recommended cultivation: the plants are
harvested 3 times, the first one in May, the
second in July and the third in November.
• The harvested material is air-dried under shade.
• Storage period must be as short as possible in
order to avoid evaporation losses of essential oil.
Essential oil distillation
• The leaf contains more essential oil than the
stems and flowers.
• Essential oil concentration is lowest in spring
(0.7-2.2%); highest in early autumn (2.0-3.4%)
and intermediate in winter (1.7-2.5%).
• Distillation could be either steam or hydro
distillation
Chemical composition
Phenolic acids:
• Caffeic acid
• Rosmarinic acid
Flavonoids:
• Luteolin
• Apigenin
Terpenoids:
• a and b-Thujone
• Camphor
Traditional Uses
• Treatment of digestive and circulation
disturbances, bronchitis, coughs, asthma,
memory problems, angina, mouth and throat
inflammation, depression and excessive
sweating.
• Enhance ‘head and brain’ function, improve
memory, quicken the senses, and delay age-
associated cognitive decline
Pharmacological Activities
• Antimicrobial • Cardiovascular system
• Antiviral • Tumorigenesis
• Bio-antioxidative preventing
• Antiinflammatory • Hypoglycaemic
• Antimutagenic • Hepatoprotective effects
• Peptic-antiulcer • Central nervous system
• Antispasmodic • Pest-toxic and repellent
Toxicity
• Thujone can affect the nervous system.
• Extended use or taking large amounts of sage
leaf or oil may result in
– Restlessness
– Vomiting
– Vertigo
– Rapid heart rate
– Tremors
– Seizures
– Kidney damage