Muskatna žalfija

The plant

Clary sage (Salvia sclarea) is a biennial herbaceous plant of the genus Salvia, in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the northern Mediterranean Basin and to some areas in north Africa and Central Asia. The plant has long been cultivated as an herb and is currently grown for its essential oil. The word clary derives from Middle English clarie, from Anglo-Norman sclaree, from Late or Medieval Latin sclarēia, meaning clear. The plant reaches 3 to 4 ft (0.91 to 1.22 m) in height, with thick, square stems covered in hairs. The flowers are held in large colorful bracts that range in color from pale mauve to lilac or white-to-pink. The upper leaf surface is rugose and covered with glandular hairs.

Composition of the oil

The main components of the essential oil are 45 to 75% linalyl acetate and 9 to 25% linalool. Other constituents include germacrene D (up to 5%), β-caryophyllene (up to 2.5%) and α-terpineol (up to 4.5%). Geraniol, nerol and their acetates are each present at up to 2.5%.

Sclareol and ambroxide

Sclareol is a fragrant chemical compound found in Salvia sclarea. It is classified as a bicyclic diterpene alcohol, with the formula C₂₀H₃₆O₂ and a molar mass of 308.506 g/mol. Its CAS number is 515-03-7. Sclareol is mainly produced in the glandular trichomes of sage flower calyces. It is an amber-colored solid with a sweet, herbaceous, balsamic scent. Sclareol melts at 95.6 to 98.7 °C.

Sclareol is the most common starting material for manufacturing ambroxide, which is used as a fixative in commercial perfumes. Sclareol has been used extensively to prepare Ambrox because it is available commercially at a reasonable price as an extract of Salvia sclarea. The industrial route has three steps: oxidative degradation of the sclareol side chain to sclareolide, reduction of sclareolide to ambradiol, and cyclodehydration of ambradiol. Stoll completed the first synthesis of Ambrox by reducing sclareolide with LiAlH₄ and cyclizing the resulting diol with acid. A newer patented method that starts from homofarnesol was stated to need 100 times less agricultural surface than the traditional method from clary sage. Ambroxide has a scent with woody, musky and slightly salty nuances.

Production and history

In the United States, the oil is mostly produced on a large scale in and around Bertie County in northeastern North Carolina. Clary sage oil is also used in aromatherapy. The medicinal uses of the plant are described as far back as the 4th century BCE, in the writings of Theophrastus, and in the 1st-century CE writings of Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder.

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Related: Basil · Basil Oil · Myrtle · Oregano · Rosemary · Rosemary Oil · Sage · Thyme