ABSTRACT
This aptly summarizes the folkloric belief in the leaves of common garden sage as an almost magical cure-all. This well-known plant with its many-branched stem, opposite hairy leaves, and blue, rarely pink or white, flowers is cultivated in the temperate parts of Europe and North America. Known by the scientific name Salvia officinalis L., it belongs to the mint family or Lamiaceae. Commercial samples are frequently adulterated with Greek sage, Salvia triloba L., another recent victim of taxonomic tinkering now referred to as Salvia fruticosa Mill.
