Some provide low ground cover, especially in sunny dry environments. Like many herbs they can be killed by a cold wet winter, especially if the soil is not well drained. But they are easily propagated from summer cuttings, and some cultivars are produced from seeds. Montane tropical America has many Salvia species, perhaps the most spectacular of which is Wagner’s salvia (S. wagneri), or chupamiel, a treelike shrub, native near the mountain lakes of Guatemala. It attains a height of more than 4 metres (13 feet) and has triangular 30-cm (12-inch) spikes of woolly scarlet corollas opening from magenta calyxes. Blue sage (S. farinacea) opens bright blue flowers after fetal alcohol syndrome celebrities rains in the hills of southwestern North America.

Some members are important as sources of flavouring, and many are grown as garden ornamentals. Chia (Salvia hispanica) is cultivated commercially for its edible seeds. Many species are used as herbs, as ornamental plants (usually solution based treatment and detox for flower interest), and sometimes for their ornamental and aromatic foliage.

How does salvia affect your brain and body?

Their flowers come in a range of colors, including purple, blue, red, pink, and white. Gardeners can start both annual and perennial salvias indoors from seed. Sow seeds of the annual Salvia splendens indoors 6 to 8 weeks before planting time. Do not cover the seeds with soil since they require light to germinate. Start other salvias from seed 12 weeks before planting time and follow packet instructions regarding sowing depth.

A 2021 randomized controlled clinical trial found that healthy people who took 600 mg of a proprietary sage extract daily for 2 weeks showed significant improvements in working memory, when compared to a placebo (24). In one study, sage extract reduced blood glucose levels in rats with type 1 diabetes by activating a specific receptor. When this receptor is activated, it can help clear excess free fatty acids in the blood, which in turn improves insulin sensitivity (14, 15). In Britain, sage has for generations been listed as one of the essential herbs, along with parsley, rosemary, and thyme (as in the folk song “Scarborough Fair”). In Italian cuisine, it is an essential condiment for saltimbocca and other dishes, favored with fish. In British and American cooking, it is traditionally served as sage and onion stuffing, an accompaniment to roast turkey or chicken at Christmas or Thanksgiving Day, and for Sunday roast dinners.

How to Grow Salvias: The Complete Salvia Flower Guide

1. In these studies, sage extracts not only suppress the growth of cancer cells but also stimulate cell death.
2. In Britain, sage has for generations been listed as one of the essential herbs, along with parsley, rosemary, and thyme (as in the folk song “Scarborough Fair”).
3. In one study, 39 participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease consumed either 60 drops (2 ml) of a sage extract supplement or a placebo daily for four months.
4. Using a pair of sharp pruning shears, remove the faded flowers just above the highest set of leaves or side shoots.
5. Sow seeds of the annual Salvia splendens indoors 6 to 8 weeks before planting time.
6. In some places, salvia is a “legal high,” a recreational drug that does not fall under any of the government classifications of illegal drugs.

Some perennial salvias may be sown directly in the garden according to packet instructions. Sage is also called common sage, garden sage, and Salvia officinalis. It belongs to the mint family, alongside other herbs like oregano, rosemary, basil, and thyme (1). Plants in the genus Salvia vanderburgh house are herbs, shrubs, or subshrubs and are generally perennial and aromatic. The leaves can be simple or compound and are arranged oppositely along the square stems.

This approach would require only 15 name changes whereas maintaining the five small genera and renaming various Salvia taxa would require over 700 name changes. Salvia’s active ingredient, salvinorin A, is considered one of the most potent naturally occurring psychoactive drugs. The effects of this drug include hallucinations, dizziness, visual disturbances, and more.

However, garden sage has a few attractive ornamental varieties itself. Perennial salvias (also known as “sage”) are heat-loving, deer-resistant plants that thrive from midsummer through fall. Take care when choosing salvias because not all plants are hardy in all regions; some are best treated as annuals, but many perennial varieties are also available. The genus Salvia exhibits a wide range of forms and habits; however, most species grow rapidly.

Growing

You may have to deadhead multiple times over the course of the season, but you will be rewarded for your efforts with many beautiful blooms. All salvias do best in full sun (6-8 hours of sunlight per day) and well-drained soil. Many varieties (typically those with light-colored flowers) will also do well in part-shade, but flowering will be reduced. Diseases most commonly occur in greenhouse production or under cool, wet weather conditions. Potential problems for salvias include damping-off of seedlings, stem and root rots, powdery mildew, Botrytis blight, aphids, spider mites, and whiteflies. For more information on addressing these problems, see factsheets HGIC 2771, Insecticidal Soaps for Garden Pest Control, HGIC 2049, Powdery Mildew, and HGIC 2100, Gray Mold (Botrytis Blight).

AGM cultivars

In a test-tube study, sage extract was found to kill and halt the spread of both oral bacteria and Candida albicans, a fungus that may also cause cavities (10, 11). Another study in 2021 used sage-based mouthwash in late-stage cancer patients. Dental plaque was significantly reduced in the sage group, but plaque was also reduced in the normal saline mouthwash group (9).