The up to 80 centimeters high semi-shrub smells strongly aromatic, its silvery-green leaves stand out by their wrinkled surface and felt-like hairiness. That the Sage is one of the oldest and most effective medicinal plants, one notices already by its name: It derives from salvare, to make healthy. Sage is also used as a seasoning herb in the kitchen, even when dried, the leaves retain their aroma. The sage flowers, which appear from May to August, are also edible.

The sage tolerates drought and likes it very sunny and warm - just as it is used to from its Mediterranean homeland. Like many other medicinal and culinary plants, sage was brought over the Alps by monks and cultivated in monastery gardens in this country. Commercial cultivation is found, for example, in Dalmatia and Macedonia, and to a lesser extent in Saxony, on the Upper and Middle Rhine and in the Harz foothills. If sage is grown in semi-shaded areas, it produces particularly high levels of essential oil, but is also more susceptible to disease and pest infestation.

Sage leaves contain high concentrations of tannins and bitter substances. Their astringent effect means that the mucous membranes (for example in the throat area) are no longer so easy for bacteria and viruses to pass through; small wounds close more quickly. The essential oil also contained in the leaves - with the main components thujone, cineole and camphor - has a strong antibacterial and antiviral effect. The fact that sage, in addition to all these properties, also has antispasmodic properties, makes it the ideal remedy for dry coughs and colds.