Salvia: Salvia divinorum (also known as the sage of the diviners, ska maría pastora, seer’s sage, yerba de la Pastora, or simply salvia) is a plant species with transient psychoactive properties when its leaves are consumed by chewing, smoking or as a tea. The leaves contain opioid-like compounds that induce hallucinations. Because the plant has not been well-studied in high-quality clinical research, little is known about its toxicology, adverse effects, or safety over long-term consumption.
Its native habitat is cloud forest in the isolated Sierra Mazateca of Oaxaca, Mexico, where it grows in shady, moist locations.The plant grows to over a meter high, has hollow square stems like others in the mint family Lamiaceae, large leaves, and occasional white flowers with violet calyxes. Botanists have not determined whether Salvia divinorum is a cultigen or a hybrid because native plants reproduce vegetatively and rarely produce viable seed.
Mazatec shamans have a long and continuous tradition of religious use of Salvia divinorum to facilitate visionary states of consciousness during spiritual healing sessions. Its chief active psychoactive constituent is a structurally unique diterpenoid called salvinorin A, a potent κ-opioid agonist. Although not thoroughly assessed, preliminary research indicates Salvia divinorum may have low toxicity (high LD50). The effects are rapid in onset and short-lived. Salvia divinorum is legal in some countries and certain US states, while other states have passed laws criminalizing it.
Salvia Divinorum
Salvia divinorum, or salvia for short, is an herb in the mint family that’s often used for its hallucinogenic effects. It’s native to southern Mexico and parts of Central and South America. There, it has been used in traditional ceremonies by the Mazatec Indians for centuries.
Salvia’s active ingredient, salvinorin A, is considered one of the most potent naturally occurring psychoactive drugs. The effects of this drug include hallucinations, dizziness, visual disturbances, and more.
Street names for Salvia include:
- Sally-D
- Magic Mint
- Diviner’s Sage
- Maria Pastora
While salvia is legal in some states, it’s still a powerful drug with real effects and possible risks. If you use salvia or have considered trying it, it’s a good idea to know what the drug is, what the risks are, and what you can expect when you take it. Keep reading to learn more.AA
The herb usually isn’t used in rolled cigarettes, or joints, because the dried leaves may not be potent enough to create any effect.
More often, fresh leaves are used to create an extract. Pipes or water bongs may be used to smoke these extracts. The salvia extracts may also be infused in drinks or vaporizer pens.
Fresh salvia leaves can be chewed, too. As with dried leaves, the fresh leaves aren’t considered very potent, but some people may experience a mild effect.
Salvia Plant
Salvia Divinorum, shortened to just Salvia, is a type of sage and part of the mint family. While this may make it sound harmless, it is actually a potent hallucinogenic. Hailing from South Mexico, the psychedelic was a ceremonious plant among the Mazateca people native to that area, similar to how DMT was used around the Amazon.
Given its relative unpopularity, the federal government has not seen it necessary to ban Salvia. That, however, has not stopped the majority of states banning it themselves. Much of this is because of the dangers that come out of consuming Salvia. While no deaths have been conclusively tied to it, smoking the drug causes erratic, unpredictable behavior and realistic hallucinations. In certain situations, this can cause someone to become violent to themselves or others, especially when used with other drugs. People who smoke Salvia will usually have at least one person who is sober to help in case someone is hurt. Other names for Salvia include:
- Diviner’s Sage
- Magic Mint
- Maria Pastora
- Sally-D
- Seer’s Sage
- Shepherdess’s Herb
- Ska Maria Pastora
- Seer’s Sage
- Shepherdess’s Herb
- Lady Sally
- Purple Sticky
- Incense Special
Salvia Officinalis
Maria Pastora, Sally-D, Salvia, Magic mint, Shepherdess’s Herb, Diviner’s SageWhat is Salvia? Salvia (aka salvia Divinorum) is a psychoactive mint, used in traditional spiritual practices by the Mazatec people of Mexico. It is legal in both Mexico and the United States. However, some states have banned the leafy green, making its possession — like that of heroin or cocaine — a felony.Salvinorin-A, the active property of salvia Divinorum, is considered to be the most potent, selective and naturally occurring hallucinogen when smoked — rivaling the potency of the synthetic hallucinogens like LSD.
SIGNS OF USE:
- Dizziness
- Slurred speech
- Loss of coordination
- Short but intense hallucinations
- Feelings of detachment from one’s body
- Sweating
What does it look like?
It looks like green plant leaves or a liquid extract.
How is Salvia used?
Salvia can be chewed, smoked, or vaporized, depending on the form it is in.
Big Money Salvia
Diviner’s Sage, Magic Mint, Maria Pastora, Sally-D, Seer’s Sage, and Shepherdess’s Herb
Salvia (Salvia divinorum) is an herb in the mint family found in southern Mexico. The main active ingredient in salvia, salvinorin A, changes the chemistry in the brain, causing hallucinations (seeing something that seems real but isn’t). The effects usually last less than 30 minutes but may be very intense and frightening.
Although salvia is not illegal (according to Federal law), several states and countries have passed laws to regulate its use. The Drug Enforcement Administration lists salvia as a drug of concern that poses risk to people who use it.
How Salvia is Used
Usually, people chew fresh S. Divinorum leaves or drink their extracted juices. The dried leaves of S. Divinorum are smoked in rolled cigarettes, inhaled through water pipes (hookahs), or vaporized and inhaled.
Researchers are studying salvia to learn exactly how it acts in the brain to produce its effects. What is currently known is that salvinorin A, the main active ingredient in salvia, changes the way the brain works by changing the way nerve cells communicate. Nerve cells, called neurons, send messages to each other by releasing chemicals called neurotransmitters. Salvia affects this signaling process.
Salvinorin A attaches to parts of nerve cells called kappa opioid receptors. (Note: These receptors are different from the ones involved with opioid drugs like heroin and morphine.)
Salvia Drug
How much salvia is safe to ingest depends on what type of salvia you use. Salvia is potent, so small doses may produce hallucinogenic effects. The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) advises no more than 500 micrograms, or 0.0005 grams.
If you’re smoking dried leaves, a dose of 1/4 gram to 1 gram is considered safe for consumption.
If you use extracts, less is more. The NDIC recommends that the higher the extract concentration, the smaller the dose.
For example, 0.1 to 0.3 grams of 5x salvia extract may be considered safe. If you try 10x salvia extract, a safe range may be between 0.05 and 0.15 grams.
If you choose to chew fresh salvia leaves, one dose of about five leaves is considered safe.
How does salvia affect your brain?
How salvinorin A, the active ingredient in salvia, impacts your brain is unclear. Researchers continue to study the drug to better understand its effects.
It’s thought that this ingredient attaches to the nerve cells in your body to create a variety of hallucinogenic effects.
The effects of salvia on your brain may include:
- visual and auditory hallucinations, such as seeing bright lights, vivid colors, or extreme shapes
- distorted reality and altered perceptions of surroundings
- feeling as if you’re having an “out-of-body” experience or feeling detached from reality
- slurred speech
- laughing uncontrollably
- anxiety or fear from a “bad trip”
These effects may occur rapidly, within just 5 to 10 minutes of smoking or inhaling the drug.
Although these effects, or “the high,” can be short-lived, some people may experience a salvia “high” for several hours.
Although your brain will experience the greatest effects, some physical effects are possible.
These include:
- nausea
- dizziness
- possible loss of control over motor functions and coordination
- irregular heart rate
Can you eat Salvias?
A: There are hundreds of members of the salvia family but only a few are considered edible. Ornamental salvias, like ‘May Night’, tricolor salvia and annual salvia, are not edible. They’re not poisonous, but they’re nothing you‘d want to put in the soup.
Are Salvias perennials?
There are over 900 species of salvias and many of the tender perennial species are popular as annuals in regions where they do not fully winter hardy. The following common salvias are usually grown as annuals. They may be grown as perennials in warmer regions.
Are Salvias poisonous?
