The Analysis of the Content and Chemical Composition of Essential Oil in the Leaves of Sage (Salvia officinalisL.) cv. ‘Bona’ in the Second Year of Cultivation

The research was conducted in the years 1997–1999. The original material for the research was sage leaves (Salvia offcinalis L.) cv. ‘Bona’, which came from a two-year plantation. A three-year research study proved that the percentage amount of oil in the raw material of sage was related to the harvest time of the crop. It was higher in leaves coming from the second term of crop (middle of September) and ranged from 1.6% to 1.8%. The percentage amount of oil in sage leaves collected in May (frst crop) was lower and fluctuated between 0.8% and 1.4%. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of distilled oils were made using GC and GC/MS. The analyses demonstrated the presence of 31 components in the oil. We found that the oil components varied quantitatively, depending on the harvest time. The main components occurring in sage oil were α-thujone (18.4–27.9%), β-thujone (8.0–15.0%), 1,8-cineole (4.0–14.4%) and camphor (11.7–27.0%).