Common Names
Garden sage, meadow sage, sage, scarlet sage, true sage.

Description
A fuzzy perennial that grows to 2 ½ feet in height. Leaves are lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, with rounded teeth, narrowing at base to long petioles. Flowers are in whorls of 4 to 8 in terminal spikes, blue or white.

Flowering Period
July to September.

Habitat
Dumps, waste lands, and gardens.

Harvest
Herb at flowering time; leaves.

Uses
Sage reportedly has many therapeutic uses. The drug is an astringent and carminative. In Appalachia, it was thought to serve as a laxative and a gargle; and it was used to treat baldness, loose teeth, and gas. European research suggests estrogen is present but has not been isolated. It has been used to help achieve regularity of menstrual period. However, its major use is for culinary purposes.