Salvia aurea L.

Salvia aurea, more commonly known as the “golden sage”, is a resilient aromatic shrub that has been used for centuries in the fight against communicable and non-communicable diseases. Decoctions produced from S. aurea have been used to promote longevity in China, whilst in ancient Rome, the medicinal properties and usage of S. aurea were classified as an integral and sacred component of ceremonial events. The sustained cultural and therapeutic importance of S. aurea over centuries has facilitated its ethnobotanical usage as an indispensable natural product aimed at relieving the health-related complications of respiratory ailments. Although the ethnobotanical usage of S. aurea is widespread, the experimental and scientific validation of traditional claims has not attained the necessary degree of attention required for the development of natural herbal alternatives. Richly abundant in a myriad of phytochemicals, S. aurea holds great promise as a biological gold mine of therapeutic activity. Although limited, experimental investigation has focussed primarily on antibacterial, antimycobacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Further investigation into the scientific validation and justification of the indigenous use of this medicinal plant in the fight against respiratory ailments and the complications associated with such conditions is likely to produce novel alternatives to conventional pharmaceuticals.