Meadow Sage (Salvia pratensis): Medicinal, Culinary & Garden Beauty

Meadow sage (Salvia pratensis, Meadow Clary/May Night), a Lamiaceae perennial from southern Europe (now West Asia, North Africa), offers violet-to-pink flowers, whitish jagged leaves, and multiple uses.

Benefits

• Culinary: Pleasant leaf aroma flavors dishes.
• Medicinal: Anti-inflammatory for cuts, sprains, joint pain, ulcers; improves memory; relieves colds/coughs.
• Garden: Attracts butterflies, bees, birds.

Growing Requirements

• Well-drained, mildly acidic to mildly alkaline soil.
• Hardy to -3.8°C (25°F); drought-resistant.
• Blooms spring through summer.
• Part shade required; full shade kills it.
• Susceptible to powdery mildew, verticillium wilt, rhizoctonia—use protective fertilizers.

Critical Warning

Pregnant women must NOT take this herb.