Sage

Salvia officinalis · Salvia lavandulaefolia · Salvia lavandulifolia · Common sage · sage extract · sage tea · sage leaf

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Menopausal hot flushes¹ Hyperlipidemia^{2, 3} Glycemic control in diabetes⁴ Recurrent aphthous stomatitis⁵ Dry mouth in palliative care⁶ Memory in healthy adults^{7, 8} Excessive sweating, traditional use⁹ Mild dyspepsia, traditional use⁹	Pregnancy or breastfeeding¹⁰ Seizure disorder¹⁰ Hypersensitivity to sage⁹

Sage (Salvia officinalis, common sage; Salvia lavandulaefolia, Spanish sage) is a Mediterranean shrub used as a culinary spice and traditional remedy¹¹. Leaf extracts show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and inhibit cholinesterase enzymes in vitro¹². Supplementation is promoted for menopausal hot flushes, cholesterol lowering, and memory¹¹. Traditional use also covers inflammation of the mouth and throat⁹.

Metabolic evidence is the most developed: a placebo-controlled trial of sage leaf extract in hyperlipidemia lowered total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol². Hot flushes fell in an open-label trial of fresh sage in postmenopausal women, without a control group. A 2025 in vitro study found emulsified baby sage oleoresins showed anti-obesogenic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity; no human trial has tested them¹³. Products listing sage (668 in the label database) include liquid extracts, capsules, tea bags, and lozenges; see Form comparison.

Common sage contains thujone, which can be toxic in large amounts, the reason behind its pregnancy caution¹¹. Health Canada labels exclude seizure disorders¹⁰, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says to talk with a health care provider before combining herbs with medicines¹¹.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

41 sources, 40 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources