Anti-inflammatory effects of different extracts from three Salvia species

Salvia L. species have been used for the treatment of various inflammatory ailments in traditional medicine. In order to evaluate this ethnobotanical information, water, methanol, n-butanol, acetone, and chloroform extracts from 3 Salvia species (S. fruticosa, S. verticillata, and S. trichoclada) were screened for their anti-inflammatory activity using in vivo experimental models in rats. For this purpose a carrageenan-induced inflammatory paw edema model was used. All extracts demonstrated anti-inflammatory activities; however, n-butanol extract of Salvia fruticosa (syn. S. triloba), which is known as Turkish sage, was found to be the most active. It can be expected that the active flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenoids may be responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity of these plants.