Abstract
Background: Common sage (Salvia officinalis) is a popular culinary and medicinal herb. A literature survey has revealed that sage oils can vary widely in their chemical compositions. The purpose of this study was to examine sage essential oil from different sources/origins and to define the possible chemotypes of sage oil. Methods: Three different samples of sage leaf essential oil have been obtained and analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. A hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out on 185 sage oil compositions reported in the literature as well as the three samples in this study. Results: The major components of the three sage oils were the oxygenated monoterpenoids α-thujone (17.2–27.4%), 1,8-cineole (11.9–26.9%), and camphor (12.8–21.4%). The cluster analysis revealed five major chemotypes of sage oil, with the most common being a α-thujone > camphor > 1,8-cineole chemotype, of which the three samples in this study belong. The other chemotypes are an α-humulene-rich chemotype, a β-thujone-rich chemotype, a 1,8-cineole/camphor chemotype, and a sclareol/α-thujone chemotype. Conclusions: Most sage oils belonged to the “typical”, α-thujone > camphor > 1,8-cineole, chemotype, but the essential oil compositions do vary widely and may have a profound effect on flavor and fragrance profiles as well as biological activities. There are currently no studies correlating sage oil composition with fragrance descriptions or with biological activities.
Highlights
Sage is a popular culinary and medicinal herb, native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean, but cultivated worldwide
(13–21%), with lesser amounts of β-thujone (3.8–6.0%), camphene (3.5–5.3%), and the sesquiterpene α-humulene (3.1–4.4%). This chemical profile is similar to many sage oil descriptions previously reported [15,17,18,19,20,22,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,37,39,40,41,42,44,45,47,49,51,52,53,55,57,58,60,61,63,64,65,67], yet notably different from many others [14,25,26,34,37,38,41,46,54,56]
This prompted us to undertake a hierarchical cluster analysis of S. officinalis leaf oil compositions in order to describe the various chemotypes of this herb
Summary
Sage ( known as garden sage, common sage, or culinary sage; Salvia officinalis L., Lamiaceae) is a popular culinary and medicinal herb, native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean, but cultivated worldwide. Common sage (Salvia officinalis) is a popular culinary and medicinal herb. Methods: Three different samples of sage leaf essential oil have been obtained and analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. A hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out on 185 sage oil compositions reported in the literature as well as the three samples in this study. Results: The major components of the three sage oils were the oxygenated monoterpenoids α-thujone (17.2–27.4%), 1,8-cineole (11.9–26.9%), and camphor (12.8–21.4%). The cluster analysis revealed five major chemotypes of sage oil, with the most common being a α-thujone > camphor >
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
