Botanical atlas
African Sage
Salvia africana
This plant is kept in the atlas for identification and safety, not for use. Read the safety notes below before handling it, and keep it away from children, cats, and food.
Along South Africa's Cape coast, African sage has long been gathered from the fynbos and dried into what local households simply call wildesalie tea, brewed at the first sign of a cough, cold, or upset stomach. Khoisan and later Cape farming communities both drew on this fragrant shrub, and bundles of it were commonly hung in kitchens to scent the air and stay within easy reach. It also found a place in traditional smudging and cleansing practices, its smoke considered purifying when burned in small amounts. Today it remains a familiar dooryard plant, valued as much for its everyday usefulness as for the bees and sunbirds it draws into the garden.
Safety.
African sage has no significant reported toxicity as a mild tea; just don't confuse it with the unrelated, psychoactive Salvia divinorum.
Our sister app HerbLens identifies african sage from a photo and keeps its full botanical portrait: growing guide, harvest notes, and look-alike warnings.
View on HerbLensHerbSense shares traditional herbal knowledge for education, not diagnosis or treatment. Herbs can interact with medicines and conditions. Speak with your doctor before acting on anything here, and seek care promptly for anything severe, sudden, or worsening.