Salvia Sclarea (Clary Sage)
Family: Lamiaceae
50 seeds per pack

Clary sage is a biennial and short-lived herbaceous perennial in the mint family native to the Mediterranean region of southern Europe to central Asia.
 
Wrinkled, oblong leaves to 20cm long, and long racemes of pale pink flowers with clearly visible mauve-pink bracts, opening in late spring and summer. thick square stems that are covered in hairs
 
Salvia is derived from the Latin term salveo, which means ‘be well’ and refers to the plant's medicinal properties. the original meaning of the second part its name came from the Latin word “clarus” which means “clarifying/cleansing.’

Common traditional names . clary sage, the clary, clear eye, eye bright, Eye of christ.

In the Middle Ages, the clary sage was considered a sacred plant and was used in making magical potions and during cleansing rituals. For some time, it was known as the ‘Eye of Christ.’ It was believed that the oil was magical and could cure any illness.
Women used this oil because of its side effect of reducing period pains (cramps) and help ease the symptoms of menopause (hotflushes).

Traditional uses medicinal use of the plant goes back to the writings of Theophrastus (4th century BCE), Dioscorides (1st century CE), and Pliny the Elder (1st century CE)

The seeds have been used medicinally to reduce inflammation of the eye, Clary seeds have a gelatinous coat, which is why some old herbal books such a the 1653 complete herbal by nicholas culpeper who recommended placing a seed into the eye of someone with a foreign object in it so that it could stick to the object and make it easy to remove. Early Romans used clary sage seeds soaked in water as eyewash.
 
The lovely smelling  leaves are edible and used as flavoring in food, beer, wine and oils. In the  16th-century elderflower infused clary was added to Rhine wines to make a more potent variety known as Muscatel a flavoring for vermouths.
 
It is also used in modern day aromatherapy. In the United States aromatherapy is quite popular and it is produced large scale in northeastern North Carolina.
 
Thought to encourage vivid dreams and  teach spiritual lessons. Clary sage can also be used to open up pathways in your brain to encourage more creative and intuitive paths.
 
Clary sage is resistant to browsing by deer and rabbits and it is also quite drought tolerant.
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