Inhaling Clary Sage Oil: Gentlest Methods First
The simplest way to enjoy clary sage aroma is also the one with the least equipment: a drop on a tissue or cotton pad, kept a little way from your face. The method many guides still suggest, a bowl of hot water with oil on top, is the one we would skip. Here are the options in order, gentlest first, with what is known about each.
Clary Sage Essential Oil
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Put one or two drops on a tissue, hold it at arm's length or set it on the table beside you, and breathe normally. The drop count is our own suggestion rather than a studied dose; a scent you can just notice is the aim. The oil is concentrated, so keep it off your skin, put the tissue somewhere out of reach afterwards, and wash your hands. The big advantage is control: you can end the session in one second by moving the tissue away, which a diffuser running in a closed room cannot match.
A personal inhaler or scent stick
A personal inhaler is a small capped tube with a wick that holds the oil, and it keeps the aroma to your own breath and out of everyone else's air. We do not sell them; you will find them at craft and aromatherapy-supply shops. Look for one that caps tightly, which suits the oil, since we recommend keeping it tightly capped, cool and dark. Our storage article explains why.
Diffusers
Diffusers are the popular choice and the one with the most interesting measurements. A chamber study of an ultrasonic diffuser, run with lemon, lavender, eucalyptus and grapeseed oils, found that ordinary use can add noticeably to the particles in room air, and that tap water produced about five times the particle output of deionised water in one eucalyptus test (Schwartz-Narbonne et al., Indoor Air, 2021). Clary sage was not one of the oils tested, so read it as a general reminder: a diffuser adds something to the air, so small rooms, short sessions and an open window or door are sensible.
The American Lung Association notes that concentrated essential oils can give off volatile organic compounds, that some oils can trigger asthma symptoms in sensitive people, and that anyone using a diffuser should follow the manufacturer's instructions in a well-ventilated space (American Lung Association). It goes further and says that adding anything to the air you breathe is not recommended. If you have asthma or COPD, ask your clinician first, and stop if you notice wheeze, cough or chest tightness. Diffuser blends are covered in our diffuser blends article.
The steam bowl
This is the one we recommend leaving out. A prospective study of Dutch burn centres and emergency departments found that steam-inhalation therapy caused burns in about three admitted patients a year, most of them children, who needed skin grafting more often than adults. The authors noted that steam inhalation has no proven benefit and called it a dangerous procedure (Baartmans et al., Br J Gen Pract, 2012). The bowl is the hazard, not the oil, but a layer of undiluted oil on hot water also makes a splash to the eyes more unpleasant. Our advice is simply not to add clary sage oil to steam.
How long, and when to stop
We do not have a source for an ideal session length, so our working rule is short sessions in a room with air moving through it. Stop at once if you get a headache, dizziness, a cough, wheeze or nausea. Clary sage is one to enjoy in the evening at home and not before driving.
Children, pets and everyone else in the room
Keep the oil away from children and pets. For animals, our articles on dogs and cats cover what is known, and a veterinarian is the right person for a bird or small animal. For an infant or toddler, ask a pediatrician. We recommend avoiding clary sage oil during pregnancy and suggest asking an obstetric clinician or midwife. We sell an external cosmetic oil and make no health claims for inhaling it; if you are curious about what has been studied, our stress, mood and sleep article reports it without suggesting any of it as a measure.
Start with the tissue, enjoy the aroma, and let it be the small, easy pleasure it is meant to be.
Clary Sage Essential Oil
Clary Sage Essential Oil from our own shop, in sizes from 0.5 oz to bulk.
From $19.99
Shop Now →Sources & Further Reading
- Schwartz-Narbonne R., Du B., Siegel J.A., 2021. VOC and particulate matter emissions from an ultrasonic essential oil diffuser. Indoor Air. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33905580
- American Lung Association. Essential oils: more harmful than helpful? lung.org/blog/essential-oils-harmful-or-helpful
- Baartmans M.G. et al., 2012. Steam inhalation therapy: severe scalds as an adverse side effect. Br J Gen Pract. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22781995