The use of medicinal and aromatic plants in beekeeping: evaluation of sage

Abstract

Since the dawn of civilization, medicinal and aromatic herbs have been employed for improving animal, human, and plant health, often by trial and error over centuries and more recently via targeted scientific investigations. Today, the use of aromatic and medicinal plants is again common in people’s daily lives, and many traditional alternative medicine practices have been scientifically verified as beneficial by pharmacologists and molecular biologists. Humanity has used plants for thousands of years for a variety of purposes, including cosmetics, food, fuel, industrial applications, medicine, shelter and as attractive plants, and honey plants for beekeepers. From a beekeeper’s perspective, sage as a common medicinal and aromatic plant is a valuable medicinal, fragrant, and used in honey production This chapter focuses on the application of aromatic and medicinal herbs to beekeeping, using sage as a case study to evaluate the practice. It is believed that additional aromatic and medicinal plants from the Lamiaceae family will be helpful in assessing the bee pasture plant based on this case study. Generally, the botanical analysis and increased knowledge of aromatic and medicinal plants will result in an increase in the use and application of these plants in many different contexts. For example, the sage plant has produced honey containing sage and bee pasture facilities through its use in the beekeeping industry and has been the subject of numerous scientific research in addition to its culinary, medicinal, and industrial uses. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.