Clary Sage EO

Latin name :

Salvia sclarea

Botanical profile :

Clary sage is a plant of the Lamiaceae family (such as basil, rosemary, mint or patchouli) and of the genus Salvia.

Geographic origin :

Originally from Western Asia (Middle East and Turkey), clary sage is now mainly grown in France, Russia, the United States and Hungary.

Chemotypes :

The genus Salvia is composed by almost 1000 species, which can be classified according to their composition:
Linalyl Acetate and other esters sages : Clary sage EO / Clary Sage Absolute (Salvia sclaréa - Europe), Doris sage (Salvia dorisiana - rich in Perillyl Acetate) and Sardinian sage (Salvia desoleana - rich in Linalyl Acetate and Terpinyl Acetate).
Eucalyptol or Camphor sages : Including the Lavender-leaved sage (Salvia lavandulifolia), the Three-lobed sage (Salvia fruticosa), the Bengal sage (Salvia bengalensis - India and Pakistan), the White sage (Salvia apiana - California) and the Dandelion leaved sage from the Atlas (Salvia ancheri).
Thujones sage : Including the Dalmatian Sage EO (Salvia officinalis) and all its varieties. Apple sage (Salvia pomifera from Crete, with Beta-Thujone).
Bisabolol or Nerolidol sages : Including the two chemotypes of the blue mountains sages of South Africa (Salvia stenophylla).
Beta-Caryophyllene and other sesquiterpenes sages : Such as the Spanish sage (Salvia hispanica - Beta-Caryophyllene), the Glutinous sage (Salvia glutinosa - γ-Muurolene), the Gentian sage (Salvia tomentosa - Beta-Caryophyllene and Borneol) and the Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans - Central America, with Beta-Caryophyllene and trans-β-Ocimene).
Diterpenoids sages : Such as the Chinese sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza), whose roots are extracted for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Extraction process :

Clary sage is a short-lived plant, measuring up to 1.60 m in cultivation. In early spring, the clary sage fields are perennialized by sowing the seeds of the plant. Harvesting takes place during the flowering period in August. The harvest is mechanical: a tractor cuts, shreds and recovers the fresh plants before taking them to the extraction factory.
The leaves can be extracted fresh or dry. The process then used depends on the efficiency and yield with which the essential oil is wanted to be obtained. The extraction is carried out by steam entrainment for one or two hours under high water vapour pressure. The essential oil is recovered from the refrigerant outlet by settling over the clary sage hydrolate. If this extraction is carried out on the fresh product, the yield is 0.1%. If it is carried out on dry leaves, the yield is 0.2%.
A clary sage absolute can also be obtained by extraction with volatile solvents. The resulting extract has a much more coumarinous, Hay Absolute and slightly spicy smell.

Major Components :

Linalyl Acetate (50-60%)
Linalool (20-30%)
Alpha-Terpineol (5-10%)
Gamma-Caryophyllene (≈3%)
Geraniol (≈1%)