Salvia officinalis is an herb indigenous to the Mediterranean, yet now grows throughout the world.
It has a long medicinal history, with its name in Latin, ‘salvere’, meaning ‘to be saved’, a reference to the plant’s medicinal properties.
Sage is used in European herbal medicine for its astringent, antiseptic and healing properties.
Studies demonstrate the anti-inflammatory properties of sage leaves both in vitro and in vivo.
The major diterpenes of sage leaves: carsonol and carsonic acid exhibited antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in vitro.
An in vivo test, using a sage extract cream was shown to have a skin smoothing effect, shown by a UV-induced erythema test.