Salvia nilotica is a herbaceous perennial  shrub. Leaves opposite along the stem and branches and also in a basal rosette, lower leaves petiolate and often irregularly lobed, elliptic to obovate,5-16cm long, with sessile glands and hairy on both surfaces, more densely so on the veins beneath, upper leaves sessile, smaller and odten not or hardly lobed.

Salvia nilotica has in leaf essential oils an antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. It has an antifungal activity.