Mexico´s sage richness, traditional uses and chemical composition: a re-view

Abstract

Objective: To report the Genus richness, the traditional uses and the main chemical constituents of Salvia species distributed in Mexico.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A bibliographic review was made in several databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar to know the diversity of the Genus, compile the traditional uses and the main chemical constituents of Salvia. Books and theses available in the repositories of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM in Spanish) were also reviewed.

Results: In Mexico there are 307 species distributed in three subgenera with an endemism of about 77 %; 63 native species of Salvia have traditional uses, mainly medicinal and only 17 species are edible, ornamental and ceremonial. Sages are used to treat 141 ailments, the most reported being stomach pain, diarrhoea, insomnia, fever, susto, bile, cough and dysentery. Terpenes are the most diverse and abundant constituents in Salvia species, followed by phenolic acids and flavonoids.

Study Limitations/Implications: This review provided insight into the great diversity of Mexican salvias and their medicinal importance in treating various ailments. However, few species have been studied phytochemically and pharmacologically.

Findings/Conclusions: In the future, with prior implementation of their cultivation, Mexican sages could be a promising resource as a herbal remedy and/or as a source of bioactive compounds to provide medical care in the treatment of diseases, mainly of the digestive system.

Keywords: Ethnobotany, phytochemistry, flavonoids, traditional medicine, terpenoids.