Salvia sclarea leaves and flowers, steam distilled, from Bulgaria.

Aroma: Bright, floral, earthy, nutty, herbaceous, with a subtle fruity note.

History: The name clary sage is derived from the Latin word for clear because the herb is used for clearing mucous-y conditions from the eyes. During the sixteenth century the herb was also used in England for brewing beer as a replacement for hops.

Common Uses: Clary sage is viewed by aromatherapists as an antidepressant, and antispasmodic, deodorant, emmenagogue, hypotensive, nervine, sedative, tonic and uterine. It is well known for providing a euphoric action, for balancing uterine issues, and as an agent to clean greasy hair. There is also some documentation of its effectiveness in helping to relax the spasms of asthma.

Possible Uses: Amenorrhea, asthma, coughing, dysmenorrhea, exhaustion, gas, labor pains, sore throat, stress. [Julia Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), 62-67.]

Emotional uses: revitalize, clarify, inspire

Colour: Light Golden Yellow

Consistency: Thin to Medium

Perfumery Note: Middle

Strength of Initial Aroma: Medium - Strong

Constituents: Linalol, Sclareol, Myrcene, Phellandrene, Pinene [Shirley Price, The Aromatherapy Workbook (Hammersmith, London: Thorsons, 1993), 54-5.]

Safety Information: Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand does not indicate any special precautions when using this oil. [Robert Tisserand, Essential Oil Safety (United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone, 1995), 205.]

Photo thanks to Martin Kammerhofer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons