506 MEDICAL BOTANY. 



colour, sometimes tinged with red or purple. The flowers are in long, terminal spikes, 

 composed of distant whorls, with ovate, acute, caducous bracts. The calyx is tubular 

 and striated, bilabiate ; the upper lip 3-toothed, and the lower one bifid. The corolla is 

 of a blue colour, tubular, ringent, bilabiate ; the upper lip being arched and concave, 

 and the lower one divided into three lobes, of which the outer ones are the smallest. The 

 stamens are affixed to short pedicels transversely about their middle. 



The Sage is indigenous to the south of Europe, and is extensively culti- 

 vated in gardens both in Europe and this country. There are numerous 

 varieties, differing in the colour of their leaves and flowers, but apparently 

 identical in their qualities. This plant flowers in June, at which time the 

 leaves, which are the officinal portion, should be collected. It has been cele- 

 brated from the earliest ages, and is spoken of in terms of praise by all the 

 ancient writers on medicine ; by the Romans, it was termed the Herba sacra, 

 and the school of Salernum considered it as the best remedy for prolonging 

 life : " Cur moriatur homo cui salvia crescit in horto." Even in more modern 

 times, it was still thought to be endowed with high powers, and was arranged 

 among the heroic remedies. 



It has an aromatic, but very peculiar odour, and a warm, bitterish, aroma- 

 tic, and somewhat astringent taste, which it owes to the presence of an abun- 

 dance of volatile oil, which may be obtained by distillation. This oil contains 

 much camphor. 



Medical Uses. — Sage is principally employed as a condiment, but is 

 also in frequent use, in the form of infusion, as a gargle in sore throat and 

 relaxed uvula ; for these purposes the infusion is usually employed, in com- 

 bination with vinegar, or honey and alum. The infusion is also given in a 

 warm state, as a sudorific. At one time it was considered as a powerful an- 

 tispasmodic, and as exercising a marked action on the brain ; but more mo- 

 dern experience has shown that its powers in these respects are very feeble. 

 Van Swieten states that a vinous infusion of it is an excellent fomentation to 

 'arrest the flow of milk to the breasts of nurses who are weaning children. It 

 is even considered by Aetius ( Tetrab. i.) as capable of rendering women fer- 

 tile, and of facilitating parturition, with many other marvellous properties. 



It is stated by Bomare that it was exported ,by the Dutch to China, and 

 was so much preferred by the inhabitants of that country to their own tea, 

 that they willingly exchanged two boxes of theirs for one of the European, 

 but this account has not been confirmed by other writers. 



The essential oil has been administered internally as a carminative and 

 stimulant, and employed externally as a friction in rheumatism, paralysis, &c. 

 Numerous other species of this genus have somewhat the same properties 

 as the S. officinalis. Among these may be noticed S. sclarea, also a native 

 of Europe, especially in the southern parts. It has an agreeable smell, 

 which has been compared to that of Balsam of Tolu and the Pine apple, and 

 hence is used to aromatise jellies, &c. It is said to be antispasmodic and 

 balsamic, and is used for the same purposes as the common sage, and also 

 in hysteric affections. It also had some reputation especially in nebulosities 

 of the cornea. Ettmuller says, that infused in wine, it gives it a muscat 

 odour, and renders it more intoxicating. It is asserted (Journ. Pharm. vi. 

 316) that it contains benzoates. S. bengalensis is used in India as a substi- 

 tute for the common *Sage, from which it differs only in having a highly 

 camphorated smell. (Ainslie, i. 359.) S. pomifera, a native of Greece, de- 

 rives its name from the leaves bearing small round excrescences, caused by 

 the puncture of an insect ; Olivier says that these balls are made into a plea- 

 sant sweetmeat by cooking them with honey and sugar. Belon thus describes 

 them as occurring at Mount Ida: " II croist des saugers qui portent des pommes 

 bonnes a manger; desquelles les paysans remplissent leurs sacs, qu'ils 



