Inhibitory effect of <i>Salvia</i> species herbal preparations on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butylcholinesterase (BuChE) activitiy may contribute to regulation of cognitive performance and impaired cholinergic functions in patients with Alzheimerâs disease. This functional role of <i>Salvia</i> species and their components makes the investigations on <i>Salvia</i> valuable in medicine-related plant research. Within this work it was aimed to investigate the <i>in vitro</i> anti-cholinesterase effect of essential oils derived from ten <i>Salvia</i> species, which grow in Turkey. The chemical composition of essential oils were characterized by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. Results showed that all of the essential oils exhibited AChE inhibitory activity. <i>S. pseudeuphratica, S. hydrangea and S. divaricata</i> essential oils demonstrated the most potent AChE inhibitory effect [50% inhibition concentration (IC<sub>50</sub>) = 26.00 ± 2.00 μg/mL, 40.0 ± 4.00, 64.68 ± 4.16, respectively]. The essential oil of <i>S. pseudeuphratica</i> demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity against AChE and BuChE among the tested <i>Salvia</i> essential oils. Evidences from the our study augment the importance of essential oils obtained from <i>Salvia</i> species and may support utilization of <i>Salvia</i> species for symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer disease.