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Summer savory
CautionSommer-Bohnenkraut · (Satureja hortensis)
Mint family (Lamiaceae)
Description
Thanks to its traditional role as a seasoning for beans and other legumes, this pungent, aromatic annual herb of the mint family (Lamiaceae) is known in German as 'bean herb'. Harvested at flowering, the herb is rich in essential oil with a high proportion of carvacrol and thymol, alongside rosmarinic acid and tannins. Beyond its wide use as a culinary spice, an infusion is traditionally drunk for mild digestive complaints, and in folk use the herb also serves as a gargle and in compresses for skin irritation. In ordinary culinary amounts, summer savory is considered safe; the undiluted essential oil, however, is irritating to the skin and should not be applied directly. Concentrated extracts and essential oil should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
CONTRAINDICATED during pregnancy
Do not use as a herbal preparation (tea, extract, oil) during pregnancy — insufficient safety data, possible emmenagogue effect. Small culinary amounts are considered safe.
CONTRAINDICATED during breastfeeding
Avoid concentrated preparations due to insufficient data. Culinary amounts in food are traditionally accepted.
CONTRAINDICATED for children
No concentrated extracts or essential oil in children — insufficient safety data.
Fresh or dried leaves and shoot tips are used as a culinary herb. Summer savory is the classic herb for beans — tradition holds that it reduces the flatulent effect of legumes. In Bulgarian cuisine it is an ingredient of sharena sol (speckled salt); in Provençal cuisine it is part of herbes de Provence.
Preparation & dosage
A tea from the flowering shoots has been used since antiquity for digestive complaints such as flatulence, abdominal cramps, nausea and diarrhoea. The plant is already mentioned in the ancient cookbook De re coquinaria (3rd/4th c.). Carminative and stomachic effects are attributed to the essential oils carvacrol and thymol.
Preparation & dosage
Pour 150 ml hot water over 1–2 g dried herb, steep 10 minutes, strain.
- Dry amount
- 1–2 g
- Doses per day
- 3×
A decoction of the herb is used in folk medicine as a gargle for throat inflammations and pharyngeal complaints. The antiseptic effect is attributed to the high carvacrol content of the essential oil.
Preparation & dosage
In folk medicine, savory tea is used for coughs and bronchial catarrh. The expectorant effect is attributed to the essential oil, which helps loosen bronchial secretions.
Preparation & dosage
Pour 150 ml hot water over 1–2 g dried herb, steep 10 minutes.
- Dry amount
- 1–2 g
- Doses per day
- 3×
A sprig of fresh savory rubbed on insect stings (bees, wasps) is said to soothe itching and swelling — a widespread folk remedy. Essential oils act locally cooling and mildly antiseptic.
Sources: [3]
The essential oil (0.5–2% in flowering herb) with lead compounds carvacrol and thymol shows strong antimicrobial and antifungal activity in laboratory studies. Used externally diluted in aromatherapy; do not apply undiluted to the skin.
Savory extracts are used in traditional herbal medicine as appetite stimulants and digestive aids. Historically documented as a remedy among Romans; in the 17th century described by Nicholas Culpeper as wind-expelling.
Preparation & dosage
Safe in normal culinary amounts. Do not apply the essential oil undiluted to the skin — irritating. Do not use concentrated extracts and essential oils during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Consult a doctor if on long-term medication. ASPCA classification (accessed 2026-08-10): non-toxic to cats.
Do not use as a herbal preparation (tea, extract, oil) during pregnancy — insufficient safety data, possible emmenagogue effect. Small culinary amounts are considered safe.
Avoid concentrated preparations due to insufficient data. Culinary amounts in food are traditionally accepted.
No concentrated extracts or essential oil in children — insufficient safety data.
Contraindications
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding (as a herbal preparation)
- Known hypersensitivity to plants of the mint family (Lamiaceae)
Harvested part: flowering herb
- Time of day:
- Morning after the dew has dried — highest essential oil content. Harvest just before or at the onset of flowering for maximum aroma.
- Drying:
- Dry in small bundles in a warm, airy place or at max. 40 °C in a dehydrator. Dry whole sprigs, then strip.
- Storage:
- 12 months — Dark, dry, airtight in glass or tin containers; aroma preserved for up to 12 months.
- Time of day:
- Harvest leaves and young shoots from June onwards several times; preferably in the midday warmth for more intense aroma.
- Drying:
- Fresh use preferred; leaves can also be frozen.
- Storage:
- 6 months — Frozen, keeps for up to 6 months; fresh at room temperature only a few days.
- CarvacrolEssential oilContent: 20-85 % (im äther. Öl)Aerial parts
Phenolic monoterpene; lead compound of the essential oil. Strongly antimicrobial and antifungal in laboratory studies.
- γ-TerpinenEssential oilContent: 10-40 % (im äther. Öl)Aerial parts
Monoterpene; precursor to carvacrol and thymol; contributes to the typical aroma.
- ThymolEssential oilContent: variabel, bis 20 % (im äther. Öl)Aerial parts
Phenolic monoterpene; antiseptic and carminative; occurs alongside carvacrol as a second lead compound.
- p-CymenEssential oilContent: 5-30 % (im äther. Öl)Aerial parts
Aromatic hydrocarbon; synergistically enhances the antimicrobial effect of carvacrol.
- RosmarinsäurePhenolic acidContent: ~3,4 % (Tannine gesamt)Aerial parts
Main phenolic acid; antioxidant and anti-inflammatory; typical of Lamiaceae.
- Flavonoide (Luteolin, Apigenin)FlavonoidContent: variabelAerial parts
Antioxidant protective compounds; contribute to anti-inflammatory activity.
- Gerbstoffe (Tannine)TanninContent: ~3,4 %Aerial parts
Astringent; contribute to the antidiarrhoeal effect of savory tea.
- β-CaryophyllenSesquiterpeneContent: variabelAerial parts
Sesquiterpene; anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial; widespread in aromatic Lamiaceae.
- [3]MonographSatureja hortensis — Plants for a Future (PFAF)(accessed: 2026-05-22)
- [4]MonographA comprehensive review of summer savory (Satureja hortensis L.): promising ingredient for production of functional foods. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2023. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1198970(accessed: 2026-05-22)
- [5]MonographASPCA Animal Poison Control — Savory (Summer) (Satureja hortensis)(accessed: 2026-08-10)
- [1]WikipediaSommer-Bohnenkraut (Wikipedia DE)(accessed: 2026-05-22)
- [2]WikipediaSummer savory (Wikipedia EN)(accessed: 2026-05-22)
Distribution in Europe
🪴 Grow at home
- ☀ Light
- full sun
- 💧 Water
- weekly
- 🌱 Soil
- Standard herb compost
- 🪴 Pot
- 15 cm
- ⭐ Difficulty
- ★☆☆ beginner
- 🐾 Pets
- non-toxic — verified against the ASPCA list
Tips:
- Sunny, fairly dry — like all Mediterranean herbs.
- Classic companion for bean dishes.
- Harvest before frost — annual.
Care tips are general indoor-gardening recommendations, not scientific sources.
🤝 Permaculture Partners
In your garden, this plant acts as:
✨ Best symbiotic partners
- 🌿 Phaseolus vulgaris Savory strengthens beans and deters black bean aphid.
- 🌿 Phaseolus vulgaris Savory is the classic bean partner against aphids.
- 🌿 Fenugreek Classic companion-planting partner.
⚠️ Better not planted together
- 🥬 Garlic Classic companion-planting partner.
Source: Helga und Margarete Langerhorst, Mein gesunder Naturgarten (eigene Kuration)