Briefly summarizing the results of the analyses, the oil of wild sage
may be said to be composed: (1) Of total borneol camphor, 43 per cent,
of which about 6.8 per cent exists as bornyl heptoate (calculating
the esters of the oil as heptoic acid salts of borneol), leaving 35.8
per cent of free borneol camphor present in the oil; (2) of cineol
(eucalyptol), 18 to 20 per cent; (3) of fenchone, 8 to 10 per cent;
(4) of free acids, chiefly œnanthylic, or heptoic, acid, 0.58 per
cent, with traces of formic and caprylic acids; (5) of combined acids
in form of esters, chiefly, œnanthylic acid, with smaller quantities
of valerianic, undecylic, and formic acids. It is very probable that
a small amount of terpenes were also present in the portion distilled
below 175° C., which, however, were not identified.
As will be noted from the above, the chief constituents of the oil
of wild sage are borneol camphor and cineol, each of which possesses
valuable antiseptic qualities. Since there is a high percentage of
these constituents, the oil from this wild plant should prove of value
for medicinal purposes. Another important use of the oil is suggested
by the high content of borneol, a constituent which finds application
in celluloid manufacture, and which is readily separated from this
oil. Lastly, combining the agreeable aromatic quality with its
antiseptic qualities, the oil should prove important as an ingredient
of medicinal soaps or as a scenting substance.
Inasmuch as the wild sage plant grows chiefly on sandy and stony
hills which are practically waste lands and which require but little
moisture, it would seem that the plant could be cultivated in various
sections of the Northwestern States.