This page is about Clary Sage, Salvia sclarea, a native of the Mediterranean region, used in Britain for many years but only introduced into cultivation in the late 16th century. Other common names include Clear Eye – probability the origin of the name Clary.
Sages belong to the genus Salvia within the large plant family Lamiaceae. Salvias comprise a diverse range of plants, including the familiar aromatic kitchen herb; the vivid red bedding plant used in many park schemes; the bushy ornamental blackcurrant-sage; and our native Meadow Clary, an attractive grassland perennial that is sadly in decline.
Like the common culinary herb, Salvia officinalis, Clary Sage is both edible and medicinal. It adds to garden colour with its pale pink flowers and pink-to-purple bracts, but it is usually a short-lived biennial, and often dies after flowering in its second year. But it earns its place in the flower-bed as it is easy to grow and very attractive to bees and other beneficial insects.
You may find Clary Sage referred to as Painted Sage, but this term is probably better applied to Salvia viridis, a garden ornamental with more varied colours.
Medicinal uses
The botanical name Salvia is derived from the Latin salvere or salvus – related to the words save and salvation, meaning to rescue or heal.
Many of the attributes of Salvia officinalis are present in Clary Sage. Specifically, the latter was regarded as a medicinal herb to treat complaints of the eye, and also for digestive problems. Modern medicinal herbalists and aromatherapy practitioners prescribe it for women in particular, as it has oestrogen-stimulating properties and is considered very beneficial in alleviating conditions relating to menstruation and the menopause.
Clary Sage is also known to be: anti-spasmodic; anti-depressant; anti-septic; anti-fungal.
Medicines are prepared from the leaves, fresh or dried, and harvested before the plant comes into flower. The seeds are soaked in water to produce an eyewash. An essential oil can also be extracted from the plant and is used in aromatherapy.
Myth and Magic
In magic and folklore, Clary sage is believed to not only treat the physical eye but also to give the user a clearer mental and spiritual perspective, even opening the ‘third eye’ of the clairvoyant.
Like common sage, it was reputed to increase the memory, hence the use of the word ‘sage’ for a wise person, or one with a long memory.
On the other hand, it also had a reputation for increasing drunkenness, as it was often used as an additive in the brewing or fermenting process. It was also believed to bring on vivid dreams – which might be connected to the previous comment!
Other uses
Clary Sage has a range of applications, including in soaps and deodorants, dandruff treatments, in perfume, skin creams, and in alcoholic drinks.
Acknowledgments: thanks to the following for much of the information above
www.pfaf.org
http://www.botanical.com
http://www.aromatherapylibrary.com
http://www.starchild.co.uk
https://commons.wikimedia.org
(image contributed by Jeantosti)
