ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Sage species (Salvia spp.) have been used extensively as pharmaceutical herbs since antiquity. From ethnobotanical surveys (Palevitch et al., 1982; Skoula, 1994) it follows that infusions from dry or fresh plant parts are used against abdominal pains, coughs, throataches, stomatitis, gingivitis, tooth-aches, diarrhoea, stomac-aches, diabetes, hypertension, rheumatism and skin diseases. They are also used as abortifacients, expectorants, cerebral sedatives, psychotropics, stomach stimulants, for hair care, cleaning of crockery etc. Most of the product is still collected from natural stands, especially in some countries of the Eastern Mediterranean (former Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece, Turkey), whereas systematic cultivation is carried out in Italy, the U.K. and the U.S.A. In view of the globally increasing demand for natural products and, in particular, of the increasing trends in market demands of the main importers (Kaldis et al., 1993), sage cultivation may be a promising alternative to collection. Furthermore, it will provide a means of diversification in agriculture, with a potential for exploitation of marginal lands in the Mediterranean region.
