Hello everyone! Hope you guys are doing absolutely fine. Today, in this article, I will be talking to you about what does salvia smells like? You will get to know either salvia has a good smell or people do not like that. Let’s move forward so that I can tell you more about salvia, its different types, and its applications.
Sage is not considered as an ordinary shrub in someone’s garden. It is known as a gold mine in the culinary and medicine sectors. The scientific name of sage is salvia which is a common plant in Bosnia, Albania, and the USA. You can easily grow this plant in your garden in comparison to other similar species. The reason behind its easy growth is it does not need any exceptional care.
Most of us are aware of salvia because of its medicinal characteristics e.g., mental health, digestive issues, skin problems, and respiratory complication. The people suffering from anxiety, memory loss, and depression, salvia is very therapeutic. It can also be used for the mothers as a secret tool in order to reduce the milk flow. Let’s take a deeper look at the article.
What Does Salvia Smell Like?
As many people reported different salvia species smell differently. In this section, I will focus on the different smells coming from different types of salvia.
How Can You Recognize Salvia?
Salvia is basically a perennial herb that belongs to the mint family. You can find it in South America, Southern Mexico, and Central America. The plant consists of purple and white flowers with large green leaves.
They usually grow in clusters and are 3 feet tall. Their smell is just like incense and they can be sold in three different types liquid extract, seeds, and dried leaves.
How Does a Fresh Leaf of Salvia Smell Like?
Just like some vegetables, when you find fresh leaves of salvia sitting in your kitchen or anywhere else, you will find them releasing a heady and leafy smell. It is unpleasant for many people.
Salvia is a different scent in comparison to marijuana leaves. You can compare it with the bitter herbs e.g., goldenseal and angelica when they are fresh.
Is Salvia Fragrant?
It has been reported that not all salvias have a pleasant smell but many of them consist of scented leaves. Many varieties are cultivated to have a sweet or pungent smell that they emit into the air. Salvia does not only have a delicious smell but you can also use it as a gorgeous addition to your landscape.
A few smells are enchanting universally whereas some aren’t as savory. The salvia plants that I have selected to elaborate on have a strong yet pleasant smell so that you take advantage of these properties whenever you plan your garden.
What Does Salvia Smell Like When Smoked or Burnt?
Salvia has been sold for many years in 3 different forms e.g., leaves, extracts, and seeds but when you burn it, many people say that salvia smells like incense.
Most of the people seem always confused whether salvia smells like a cigarette or marijuana. Though salvia is a herb it has no addictive chemicals e.g., nicotine and THC that are present in cigarettes and weeds.
Depending upon the salvia you have started burning, it will either smell like you are burning the grass or it will release a light fragrance.
If you have burnt the white ceremonial salvia in a ventilated environment, you can start walking around while enjoying smoking sage. It gives a light aromatic smell and is used commonly in incense.
Is Burning Salvia Harmful to Your Lungs?
Any type of smoke including salvia smoke when used in excess is considered harmful for your lungs. Salvia does not consist of substances that are additive like cigarettes and weed.
When you start burning salvia, you start inhaling mini burning particles at the same time.
No scientific study has proved that there is any side effect associated with these substances when you inhale them. If you have any respiratory problems or asthma issues, you should not burn salvia, it may cause a couple of serious issues for you e.g., difficulties in breathing.
One more thing you should always take care of is to open all the doors and windows if you are about to burn salvia because the fresh air is very important to keep yourself comfortable.
Which Salvia Smells the Best?
As I mentioned earlier, there are various types of salvia and they produce distinctive aromas. Their fragrance is normally unique to individuals. The best smell is totally dependent on your liking.
Because everyone has a different choice and taste. So, if you like a particular smell, there is a brighter chance that others will not like that. I’m listing a few of the salvia species below that offer good fragrance. Let’s take a look at them.
- Salvia Elegans,
- Clevelandii,
- Salvia Dorisiana,
- White Ceremonial Salvia,
- Salvia Discolor / Peruvian Sage,
- Salvia Greggii,
- Salvia Spathacea,
- Salvia Gravida,
- Salvia Melissodora,
- Salvia Apiana,
- Salvia Canariensis ‘Lancelot’, and
- Salvia Caymanensis.
I have provided the details associated with all the above-mentioned salvia species below. Let’s read to know more about these plants.
What Kind of Smell Does Salvia Elegans Have?
It is among one of the most preferable species of salvia that usually grows up to 3 to 5 feet in a vertical dimension. As we know flowers are the basic source for any plant that makes it look beautiful.
Salvia Elegans has bright scarlet-colored flowers that help the plant increase its beauty. Its fragrance is similar to pineapple.
What Does Salvia Clevelandii Smell Like?
It is a very trendy salvia plant and you can use its leaves to make essential oils as well as manufacturing incense. Its flowers have a strong smell that can cover a significant amount of area in its surroundings to spread its beautiful smell.
This plant has flowers having light blue-violet color and it can grow up to 3 to 4 feet in the vertical direction. Many people also call it California blue salvia. You can use it for incensing or smudging because it is having a natural capability to release fragrant. You do not need to rub it at all to make it release the aroma.
How Can You Identify Salvia Dorisiana?
It is another great plant from the species of salvia. You can find many people saying this plant is a fruit scented salvia because of its ability to release light fruit smell.
How to Recognize White Ceremonial Salvia?
If you want to burn white ceremonial salvia, you need to light up and start burning it in a well-ventilated area. After that, you can blow it out and can easily walk around the home with smoking salvia. It is used in incense and releases a distinct light aromatic smell.
What Smell Does Salvia Discolor / Peruvian Sage Has?
Salvia discolor is also known as Peruvian sage and it grooms from summer to fall. You can find this plant in multiple colors but the purple version is used most of the time and it smells like black currants.
What Does Salvia Greggii Smell Like?
You can find salvia Greggii in multiple colors and it also has different cultivated types displaying other shades. The commonly available colors are lavender, orange, red, pink. If you want to see this plant, you have to go to National Park as it one of the best places to see this plant. It can grow large just like a bush and it releases the mid-minty smell.
What Smell Does Salvia Spathacea Have?
Slavia Spathacea is also known as hummingbird sage and it is the best hummingbird magnet in a garden. It grows 2 feet in height and 4 feet in width and is native to California. It has heart-shaped foliage. It releases a slightly sweet and minty fragrance and most people like this kind of smell.
How Can You Identify Salvia Gravida?
Another name of salvia gravida is gravid sage. It is native to Michoacan in Southwestern Mexico. It grows up to 5 feet in height and needs support from either wall or anything else. It should be protected from rainy weather and winter. It releases an earthy, minty fragrance.
What Does Salvia Melissodora Smell Like?
The common name of this salvia species is grapes scented sage. It has been used by Tarahuama as a medicinal plant for many years. The people who like to attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies to their garden, always love this plant.
How Does Salvia Apiana Smell Like?
Salvia Apiana is commonly known as white sage and is native to California. It grows 3 feet vertically and it needs low maintenance to grow. It grows well in sunny weather. Its smell is pungent which is redolent of the pine forest.
How Can You Recognize Salvia Canariensis ‘Lancelot’?
It is one of the most compact salvia varieties. It grows 30 inches in width and up to 4 feet in height. It has an earthy, woody scent. This plant is a genuine source of attraction for honeybees and butterflies. It always needs well-drained soil along with full sunlight. It grows perfectly when you provide it with the average watering.
How to Identify the Smell of Salvia Caymanensis?
This plant always emits a slightly resinous, almost fruity, and woody scent with a minty touch. It grows only up to 18 inches that become 1 and a half feet. It flourishes in well-irrigated and well-drained soil.
You should expose it to full sun with a partially shaded area. It is used to make a fragrant addition to the container gardens.
What Would be My Choice?
As I like fruits so I will definitely choose salvia plants having a fruity smell. Similarly, you can choose any plant that has an enjoyable smell for you.
How Long Does it Take for Salvia to Spread its Smell Around?
When you burn the salvia for any desired purpose, though it smells not good it is not permanent and does not stick to your body or clothes for a long time. If you burn it by yourself, its smell will stick to you maximum for 1 to 2 hours and start reducing gradually and finishes after some time.
If you hate the burning smell of salvia and your nose is not allowing to smell it for a longer time period, you can also speed up the process to get a quick rid of it. All you need to do is just open all the windows and doors of your home and switch the fan ON. The smoky smell will be disappeared in no time and you will start feeling comfortable. If the windows and doors of the home remain close, the smell may last for even a couple of days.
Conclusion
This article has focused on the details of how can you recognize the salvia and provided a few parameters that help you properly recognize the different species of this plant. The basic parameters are the height, length, and area they cover for their growth.
I have provided you with the different types of salvia having different properties when it comes to smell, covering the area, and native location. I have also explained how long its smell can stay at your place if you burn it.
Hopefully, you are now well aware of these facts and you know exactly what you need to do if you are planning to maintain your garden with these plants. You can choose anyone depending upon the properties that are most feasible for you e.g., smell, area, height, etc.
Here is all from today’s article on what does salvia smells like. I have tried my level best to guide you in a well-detailed and well-researched manner. Hope you have enjoyed the content and I looking forward to your positive feedback. If you have any concerns, please share them with us as soon as possible. Our team will definitely help you out if there anything in our capacity.
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