Salvia officinalis (common sage)

c. 1890

Historical Brendel Plant Model, Botany Department, University of Otago

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Salvia officinalis or common sage has been used for centuries to flavour food and as a medicinal remedy. It has been used in the past to ‘ward off evil’ and the Plague; as a cure for snakebites; a diuretic; a treatment for asthma; to stop bleeding; and more recently has ‘shown promise in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease’ (Perry, et al. 2005). Sage flowers are edible and come in the late spring and through the summer months.