Clary sage is a Mediterranean shrub from the salvia family with a looooong medical history—its uses can be found in the writings of Theophrastus (4th century BCE) and Pliny the Elder (1st century CE). It has been documented for use as a hormone-regulating her, used by women dealing with things like menstrual cramps and other hormonal imbalances. [1] [2]  

The chief components of clary sage essential oil are sclareol, alpha terpineol, geraniol, linalyl acetate, linalool, caryophyllene, neryl acetate and germacrene-D.

The clinical uses for clary sage oil are manifold: it’s been demonstrated to have antioxidant[4] antidepressant,[5] antifungal,[6] [7] anti-infectious,[8] anti-microbial[9] and anti-inflammatory[10] properties. Combine that with its hormone-regulating actions, and this is a great herb for hormonal acne.

Find it in

Chamomile Cleansing Cream

Citations

[1] Han, Sun Hee, You Ja Ro, and Myung Haeng Hur. "Effects of aromatherapy on menstrual cramps and dysmenorrhea in college student woman: A blind randomized clinical trial." Journal of Korean Academy of Adult Nursing 13.3 (2001): 420-430.

[2] Hur, M., Lee, M. S., Seong, K., & Lee, M. (2012). Aromatherapy Massage on the Abdomen for Alleviating Menstrual Pain in High School Girls: A Preliminary Controlled Clinical Study. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012, 1-3. doi:10.1155/2012/187163

[4] Gülçin, Ilhami, et al. "Evaluation of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.)." Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry 28.1 (2004): 25-33.

[5] Seol, Geun Hee, et al. "Antidepressant-like effect of Salvia sclarea is explained by modulation of dopamine activities in rats." Journal of ethnopharmacology 130.1 (2010): 187-190.

[6] Pitarokili, Danae, et al. "Composition and antifungal activity on soil-borne pathogens of the essential oil of Salvia sclarea from Greece." Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 50.23 (2002): 6688-6691.

[7] Džamić, Ana, et al. "Chemical composition and antifungal activity of Salvia sclarea (Lamiaceae) essential oil." Archives of Biological Sciences 60.2 (2008): 233-237.

[8] Sienkiewicz, M., Łysakowska, M., Kowalczyk, E., Szymańska, G., Kochan, E., Krukowska, J., . . . Zielińska-Bliźniewska, H. (2017). The ability of selected plant essential oils to enhance the action of recommended antibiotics against pathogenic wound bacteria. Burns, 43(2), 310-317. doi:10.1016/j.burns.2016.08.032

[9] Cui, H., Zhang, X., Zhou, H., Zhao, C., & Lin, L. (2015). Antimicrobial activity and mechanisms of Salvia sclarea essential oil. Botanical Studies, 56(1). doi:10.1186/s40529-015-0096-4

[10] Moretti, Mario DL, Alessandra T. Peana, and Margherita Satta. "A study on anti-inflammatory and peripheral analgesic action of Salvia sclarea oil and its main components." Journal of Essential Oil Research 9.2 (1997): 199-204. [Link]