The name ‘Berggarten’ refers to ‘mountain garden’ and indicates the area in which this plant was grown on a German garden estate as an ornamental sage.

The binary name, officinalis, refers to the plant’s medicinal use—the officina was the traditional storeroom of a monastery where herbs and medicines were stored.

Additionally, for those color enthusiasts out there – the color sage comes from the color of the foliage of the common (is she common though?) sage.

The sage is sage.

Treated as a holy herb by the Romans, planted in monasteries under Charlemagne before becoming an indispensable herb of great renown during the Middle Ages.

A soap, a soup, a cleansing herb for the house and the mind, a toothpaste, an infusion that wards off the plague… whatever you needed, salvia would bring you your salvation.