#540305 - 08/11/07 11:40 AM
Salvia - have you tried it?
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TSOrocks
Board Addict
Registered: 01/28/04
Posts: 385
Loc: Appalachian Foothills of North...
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Hello all,
I'm trying to get some info. on salvia, as far as "how it makes you feel".....is it worth trying?
Please only respond if you have actually tried it.
Thanks in advance!
-TSO 
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#540620 - 08/12/07 03:15 AM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: kserah]
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ross78240
Enthusiast
Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 272
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The active chemical is salvinorin.
It is currently legal but many cities have banned the sale to minors. The disassociative effects have been known to cause accidental deaths and injuries. There has been some research done that indicates it causes olneys brain lessions. Permanent brain damage. It's currently used in Mexico by the Oaxacan indian shamans to divine the cause of sickness and misfortune. They NEVER concentrate the leaves and consider the plant "sacred". The origins of the plant is a mystery since it is a cultigen and rarely produces viable seeds.
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#540702 - 08/12/07 10:11 AM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: TSOrocks]
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ross78240
Enthusiast
Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 272
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There is another herb that may be of interest to you. It's called Kava-Kava. It is used in the Pacific Islands as a ceremonial drink and is legal in the US.
Its effects are:
-A state of relaxation, without feeling drugged
-Muscle tenseness is less
-Peacefulness and contentment
-More sociable, especially with the right company
-Mild euphoria, sometimes
-Mental alertness is often not effected, except on high doses
-Initial alertness followed by drowsiness which comes on after a few hours, so kava can be taken in the evening, a few hours before bedtime.
There are tons of places on the internet and at local vitamin and Health food stores that sell it.
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#540760 - 08/12/07 01:50 PM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: ross78240]
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Administrator
Administrator
GRAND Pooh-Bah
Registered: 11/18/01
Posts: 6112
Loc: DrugBuyers.Com
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We welcome Salvia discussions.
Just note our site is to discuss drugs for their medical properties within a medical context. We do not welcome recreational drug use discussions.
If you are interested in recreational drug use info / discussion please fin another place. We suggest http://www.drugbuyers.com/illicit_drugs/
A quick look at our Rules is also adviced before posting again: http://www.drugbuyers.com/rules
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#541015 - 08/13/07 02:05 AM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: Administrator]
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ross78240
Enthusiast
Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 272
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Admin wrote:
"We welcome Salvia discussions.
Just note our site is to discuss drugs for their medical properties within a medical context. We do not welcome recreational drug use discussions"
FYI....
Salvia has NO medical benefits whatsoever and is recreationally abused in the US by minors and has caused injury and death! That's why laws are being created to stop the sales of it! As a parent, I am very much in favor of these laws.
Since I didn't start this topic and am NOT a recreational drug abuser, mentioning an alternative herb that I have read about that DOES have medicinal properties and is used to treat a medical condition seemed appropriate.
Mea Culpa...?
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#541497 - 08/13/07 06:23 PM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: cleo911]
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ross78240
Enthusiast
Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 272
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Psychedelics,like salvia are used in the US primarily as a recreational drug. Salvinorin is the active chemical in salvia and it is a hallucinogen. Look it up. If your getting high from smoking salvia and it calms you down, I'm happy for you. But there is NO known chemical in the plant that accounts for your perceived calm state of mind. That is unless your adding something else that potentiates the salvia.
The danger with Salvia Divinorum is that it is a dissociative psychedelic that comes on quickly and its effects are sooo bizarre that the person smoking the extract is a danger to himself. If there was a responsible "sitter" to watch out for that person, everything may be alright. But take a look at the youtube videos and you will see how irresponsibly it is being used. RECREATIONALLY!
Edited by Melody (08/17/07 03:44 PM)
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#541516 - 08/13/07 07:07 PM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: kserah]
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TSOrocks
Board Addict
Registered: 01/28/04
Posts: 385
Loc: Appalachian Foothills of North...
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Hello,
Just a quick reply to everyone......
Sorry this turned into such a mess.......I've heard alot of different stories about it, which is why I came here to ask for opinions. At this point, I'm no longer even considering trying it, mostly because it sounds like it would not HELP ME MEDICALLY, which is what I was looking for.....not something to get high on. Like I said, I can get that garbage anywhere, if I want it, which I don't.
Thanks again for all your input! 
-TSO
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#541638 - 08/14/07 02:38 AM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: superscapes]
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ross78240
Enthusiast
Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 272
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What if you had to jump in the car and go somewhere after taking it? The car would probably end up in your living room!
LMAO!
..make a left at the bedroom to get to the hospital emergency room and ask for t-h-o-r-a-z-i-n-e!
but more than likely you wouldn't have any concept that you can even travel through three-dimensional space by using a car!
Haven't we learned anything from the 70's?
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#541982 - 08/14/07 02:03 PM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: cleo911]
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ross78240
Enthusiast
Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 272
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Your saying that 99.9% of the people that are using salvia would say that they are not using it recreationally?
the potential harm that Salvia Divinorum can cause outweighs any possible anti-depressant benifit (IF one exists). Salvia can put you into another world but not being aware of your problems is NOT solving your problems.
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#544671 - 08/18/07 03:33 AM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: kserah]
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ross78240
Enthusiast
Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 272
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kserah,
Salvia extract is sold, for the most part, as "incense" and is labeled by some vendors as "Not for HUMAN consumption". That tells you just how little these online vendors want to be responsible for the people that use salvia and injure themselves!
I've started researching municipalities, that have enacted laws against the sale of Salvia Divinorum, to compile a proposal for my City Council to vote on to make the sale of salvia a Class C misdomeaner.
Now if I can just come up with a good name for the law....?
When I have the draft written, I'll post it so that others can send it to their local and State representatives.
This won't stop online sales but at least it would stop over the counter sales and bring awareness to Salvia's health hazards.
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#544794 - 08/18/07 09:12 AM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: TSOrocks]
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Administrator
Administrator
GRAND Pooh-Bah
Registered: 11/18/01
Posts: 6112
Loc: DrugBuyers.Com
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To all readers that have used Savia...
Does it have any medical use or properties that may help treat any medical conditions?
Please try to discuss this in a friendly manner, withing a medical context, and with open minds...
Those that know it all and are always right... need not discuss... and this is a discussion board...
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>>>Important>>> We need your support to keep this free board going, remain online, and improve the site. Help us help you. Join our VIP program. The membership costs less than $5 per month, pays for itself, and saves you a bundle in discounts, a real WIN-WIN situation: www.drugbuyers.com/join >>> Please do not contact me by PM for lost or forgotten usernames or passwords. You can recover them online or you can contact us via www.drugbuyers.com/help
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#544928 - 08/18/07 03:17 PM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: Administrator]
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kserah
GRAND Pooh-Bah
Registered: 10/05/04
Posts: 5075
Loc: In the moment
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Like any other plant, there may very well be a medicinal use for it. Here are some tidbits from the
The Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics. As I suspected, the effects vary considerable with each user. I did not feel, however, after my own experience, that Salvia has a high abuse potential.
1. What is Salvia divinorum?
Salvia divinorum (a.k.a. Diviner’s Sage, Seer’s Sage, Hojas de la Pastora, or Ska Maria Pastora) is a psychoactive plant native to the eastern Sierra Madre in Mexico. A member of the mint family, Salvia is used by the Mazatec Indians of that region for its medicinal and vision-inducing properties. Preliminary scientific investigation of Salvinorin A, the plant’s active principle, suggests a unique chemical structure and great therapeutic potential. Salvia was first introduced to the United States in 1962 and remained virtually unknown until a recent article in the New York Times created public interest in the plant as a legal hallucinogen.
2. Why is Salvia an Issue for the CCLE?
The Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics believes that people have a fundamental right to access the full spectrum of cognition, to engage in multiple modalities of thought, and to occasion alternative states consciousness. Because Salvia divinorum is both legal in the US and visionary, some law-abiding people have relied upon it to occasion profound alternative states of consciousness without fear of incarceration.
On October 10, 2002, federal legislation (HR 5607) was introduced to make Salvia and its active principle, Salvinorin A, schedule I drugs under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Although HR 5607 died in committee last year (see HR 5607 archive), Congressman Joe Baca (D-CA), the bill’s sponsor, has vowed to reintroduce it this year. Schedule I is reserved for dangerous drugs that pose great risks to public safety. The CCLE opposes the inappropriate scheduling of Salvia as an unwarranted extension of the War on Drugs.
3. What is the Salvia Divinorum Defense Fund?
The Salvia Divinorum Defense Fund was established with tax-deductible contributions to help CCLE educate policy makers and the public about Salvia divinorum and advocate against its scheduling under the Controlled Substances Act. To date publication of a CCLE informative report on Salvia, filing of a Freedom of Information Act Request seeking DEA information about the plant, coordination of a broad based coalition of organizations, experts, and activists who oppose scheduling, and monitoring and reporting on legislative activity concerning the plant have all been made possible by the fund. You can learn more about CCLE’s work on Salvia and even make a donation to the Salvia Divinorum Defense Fund by visiting the Salvia Divinorum Action Center on our website.
SCHEDULING
4. Why would inclusion of Salvia divinorum and Salvinorin A in Schedule I be inappropriate?
Schedule I is typically reserved for dangerous drugs that have a high potential for abuse and no current medical use. The placement of Salvia in schedule I cannot be scientifically justified.
Salvia does not have a high potential for abuse. Salvia remains relatively unknown and is not widely used. Reports of Salvia experiences tend to emphasize the plant’s potentially disturbing psychoactive effects, making it unattractive as a recreational drug. No Salvia poisonings or related emergency room visits have been reported. The plant’s effects are short acting and lack any known toxicity or health risks.
Salvia has tremendous medical potential and can be safely used under medical supervision. Salvia has a long history of medical use in the folk tradition of the Mazatec Indians for relief from anemia, headache, and rheumatism. An article in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology reported its recent successful use in treating a patient’s chronic depression. Current scientific research, supported by ethno-botanical data, suggests that Salvinorin A holds promising therapeutic potential in the fields of psychopharmacology, psychiatry, and herbal medicine.
Schedule I classification would make scientific research on Salvia virtually impossible. Once a plant is placed in Schedule I, scientific research with the plant becomes next to impossible. One need only look at the situation with respect to Cannabis and medical marijuana to see how federal “drug war” politics makes even medicinal use of, and research on, a Schedule I plant very difficult. Given that scientists are just beginning to find promising medical uses for Salvia divinorum, placement of the plant in Schedule I threatens to forestall the development of new and effective medical treatments.
CURRENT USE PATTERNS
5. How is Salvia used?
Salvia is generally acknowledged as a difficult drug to use. The leaves are either chewed or smoked. The intense bitterness of the leaves makes oral ingestion unpleasant while smoking them requires the rapid inhalation of large volumes of smoke.
6. What do the effects of Salvia feel like?
Salvia’s psychoactive effects are inconsistent and short-lived. Even the isolated chemical produces brief effects in humans. Few people consider the effects pleasurable, and most people choose not to repeat the experience after one exposure. Many describe the appearance of geometric shapes in their field of vision, while at higher doses, brief “out of body experiences” or visionary states may be produced.
7. Is it true that some people use Salvia spiritually or religiously?
Some drugs and visionary plants can help users attain mystical states of consciousness. Some people take Salvia with the intent of having a spiritual or religious experience and claim to be able to achieve one from it. It is used this way, for example, by the Indians of the Sierra Mazatec, in Mexico.
8. Isn’t Salvia use prevalent in the youth culture and visible at raves?
Contrary to claims made by parties seeking to schedule Salvia, it is not the “new ecstasy.” Reports of widespread Salvia use at raves have yet to be substantiated. The fact that Salvia is difficult to use and does not generally produce fun or pleasurable effects makes the popular recreational use of Salvia highly unlikely.
PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS
9. Aren’t hallucinogens inherently dangerous?
Any psychoactive substance can be potentially dangerous if it is used irresponsibly. There are no known medical complications, poisonings, deaths, or cases of dependency associated with Salvia. Any danger from the use of Salvia would most likely arise from anxiety reactions experienced by the user or the possibility of accidents occurring while users try to walk or engage in other activities while visually impaired. Anxiety reactions are generally self-limiting due to the brief duration of the effects and respond to quiet reassurance. Additionally, extraneous noise or even opening the eyes may completely terminate the plant’s short-lived effects.
10. Congressman Baca alleges that Salvia caused a teenager to stab someone, is this true?
There is one known case involving a minor who claims to have smoked Salvia, become disoriented, and stabbed another person who was selling him marijuana. The stabbing was not fatal. Because the case involves a minor, the record including the arrest report is sealed and it is very difficult to clearly determine the exact details of the event and what role Salvia may have played in it. We do know that the minor raised Salvia intoxication as a defense to the stabbing charges and that the judge reviewing the evidence rejected that defense.
REGULATION VERSUS PROHIBITION
11. Won’t children have access to Salvia if it is not scheduled the way Congressman Baca proposes?
Outlawing Salvia is not as simple a solution as it may seem. Prohibiting a substance often makes it more attractive (a result known as the forbidden fruit effect) and creates a black market for it, which, ironically, makes it easier to obtain for minors. It has been reported for example that minors have easier access to marijuana than beer, because access to alcohol is better controlled.
Blanket prohibition would keep responsible adults who have been using Salvia without incident and legitimate scientific researchers from having access to the plant as well.
There are less restrictive alternatives to complete prohibition. The town of St. Peters, Missouri, for example, has passed a local ordinance limiting Salvia divinorum sales to adults aged 18 and over.
Salvia Divinorum Action Center
_________________________
If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely is not for you.
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#545093 - 08/19/07 02:46 AM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: kserah]
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ross78240
Enthusiast
Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 272
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Thanks Kserah for the very informative post. I applaud HR 5607 and Congressman Joe Baca's efforts to schedule this plant. My ideas for municipal control would not be a good idea since that wouldn't remove the problem. I need to inform my Congressman to support Baca's efforts.
I noticed that there has not been one single post on this topic, by anyone that uses this plant, to describe how they are personally benifiting and at what doses.
If there is anyone that is reading this that has benefited from salvia, please post your experience. How has it helped with depression or pain relief?
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#548455 - 08/24/07 07:03 AM
Re: Salvia - have you tried it?
[Re: cleo911]
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Klonzer
Member
Registered: 06/18/07
Posts: 130
Loc: Psychedelic Subconsiousness
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Here is Salvia Divinorum FAQ for everybody to read...it should answer most of the people questions...not all, but most common.
Credits goes to http://www.erowid.org
more info about Salvia Divinorum can be found @ http://www.erowid.org/plants/salvia/salvia.shtml
BASICS
* Why a new FAQ?
* What is Salvia divinorum?
* Is Salvia divinorum legal?
o Is salvinorin an Analogue Drug?
o Is it controlled in some other way?
* Is Salvia divinorum known by any other names?
* Are there other species of Salvia that are also psychoactive?
EFFECTS & USE
* What are the effects of Salvia divinorum?
* What is the duration of effects?
* What are the main things to consider when first trying Salvia divinorum?
* What health risks might be associated with its use?
* How is Salvia divinorum consumed?
* I've read that only fresh Salvia divinorum leaves can be used, and I have also read that the active compound is unstable. Are these points true?
* Why does Salvia divinorum produce psychoactive effects?
* How does Salvia divinorum mix with other psychoactive drugs?
Are there medications that should be avoided while taking S. divinorum?
* I've tried Salvia divinorum and can't get any effects; what should I try next?
* Will use of Salvia divinorum show up in a drug test?
* Are there any medical uses of Salvia divinorum?
CULTIVATION & EXTRACTION
* How do I go about obtaining and growing a Salvia divinorum plant?
* Can I grow the plant from seeds, and if so who sells these?
* What is the best way to harvest dry Salvia divinorum leaves?
* Where can I buy Salvia divinorum plants or products?
* How easy is it to extract salvinorin A? Can this be done at home?
* What percent salvinorin content do Salvia divinorum plants have?
* What is the deal with the various commercially available extracts and tinctures?
RESOURCES & REFERENCES
* Where can I learn more about Salvia divinorum?
o What are good books about Salvia divinorum?
o What are good web sites about Salvia divinorum?
o Are there any Salvia divinorum related e-mail lists?
* What if I have more questions about Salvia divinorum?
* References
* Credits, Copyrights & Revision Info
BASICS
Why a New FAQ? #
There is a lot of good information on the web and elsewhere regarding Salvia divinorum. What was the impetus for creating a new FAQ?
The other FAQ, available exclusively via Daniel Siebert's SageWisdom.org, doesn't really follow the guidelines that have traditionally been established for FAQs, in two ways. First, it requires that it not be copied to other sites. Traditionally, netiquette encourages that information FAQs be posted at numerous sites (as long as they remain intact, include the credits and authorship information, and retain a link to their site of origin). Second, the other FAQ acts—to some extent—as a vehicle of commercial advertising, exclusively plugging the products sold at the web site where it is hosted. While there is indeed much good information in this other FAQ, it is the belief of the authors that a FAQ true to the original spirit of the web acts as a service to provide non-biased, non-commercial information. Hence the birth of "The Community Salvia divinorum FAQ."
Siebert's FAQ currently resides at: http://www.sagewisdom.org/faq.html.
How to read this document#
This FAQ is not intended to encourage any specific type of use of the plant Salvia divinorum or its extracts. This document is a collection of information, believed to be accurate by its authors, which is intended to help promote knowledge about this plant, its modern and traditional use, and to describe techniques used by formal and informal researchers. Although parts of this FAQ may include instructions for extraction or use, these are explicitly not intended to suggest that it is safe or prudent to ingest any salvinorin-containing substance. Many activities include risks and because this plant and its active compounds are new to the global culture, there may be unknown or undocumented risks.
What is Salvia divinorum? #
Salvia divinorum is a psychoactive plant in the Labiatae family (sometimes called the "mint family"). So far as is known, it is endemic only to the Mazatec region of the Sierra Madre mountains in Oaxaca, Mexico, also known as the Sierra Mazateca (Ott 1996). Some Mazatec curanderos and curanderas (medicine men and women, frequently referred to as shamans) use S. divinorum as an aid to prophecy in healing rituals. The plant's species name, "divinorum", is said to mean "of the seer", (Ott 1996) and refers to its traditional use in medicinal divination (learning the cause or identification of an illness).
Interestingly, Dr. Albert Hofmann—who along with R. Gordon Wasson originally brought a cutting of the plant out of Mexico in 1962—remarked: "... Salvia divinorum... is a wrong name, bad Latin; it should actually be Salvia divinatorum. They do not know very good Latin, these botanists. I was not very happy with the name because Salvia divinorum means "Salvia of the ghosts", whereas Salvia divinatorum, the correct name, means 'Salvia of the priests'." (Grof & Hofmann 2001).
However, Salvia divinorum was named by the botanist Carl Epling, who probably had a better handle on Latin than Albert Hofmann. Hildegarde of Bingen's "Liber divinorum operum", translates as "The book of divine works". Although there was a rush to publish the identity of the plant, the naming debate is more of a trivial footnote than a substantive problem with its botanical name.
For more information on the early history of S. divinorum, see The Early History of Salvia divinorum, by LJ Valdés. For a good overview of traditional ethnographic use, see Leander Valdes's excellent Ethnopharmacology of Ska Maria Pastora. For a botanical description of S. divinorum, as well as photos of it growing in its native habitat, see http://www.sabia.com/Salvia/index.html.
Is Salvia divinorum legal? #
As of February 2006, Salvia divinorum and its primary active chemical salvinorin A are specifically scheduled or controlled in only a few countries. Australia was the first country to officially schedule Salvia divinorum and Salvinorin A, and it is now controlled in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, and South Korea as well. There are also a number of U.S. states which have placed some level of control on Salvia divinorum. For more information about S. divinorum legal status, see Erowid's Salvia Law Vault (http://www.erowid.org/plants/salvia/salvia_law.shtml).
Is Salvinorin an Analogue Drug? #
Salvia divinorum's primary active chemical, salvinorin A, is not chemically similar to any other schedule I or II compound and thus is not covered under the United States' Federal Analogue Act of 1986. The DEA recently added text to their page about Salvia divinorum suggesting that salvinorin is chemically similar to other scheduled compounds, but the author of their text is clearly confused and doesn't understand the chemistry involved. For more information about this issue, see the related Ask Erowid question: http://www.erowid.org/ask/ask.cgi?ID=2936. In other countries or under state laws, salvia may qualify as meeting some criteria for 'analog'-type control, but we are not aware of any prosecutions on this (or any other) basis as of June 2002.
Is it controlled in some other way? #
In the United States and other countries, there are other regulatory organizations which could potentially impact the legality of sales and/or distribution of Salvia divinorum. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has control over what substances may be sold as foods or medicines. It appears that the FDA does not have any specific Rules related to the consumption of herbs via smoking; it is possible that this is historically due to the lax (and bizarre) situation with tobacco. So far as we are aware, the FDA has not placed Salvia divinorum into any category related to consumption (i.e., Generally Recognized As Safe, not for use in food, not for use in alcohol, etc.).
However, on April 3, 2000, the FDA published notice in the Federal Register stating that it intends to act against the producers of "various products that are being manufactured, marketed, or distributed as alternatives to illicit street drugs" intended for recreational use, and the notice defines "recreational use" as: "to get high, to promote euphoria, or to induce hallucinations". Although S. divinorum's effects are unique and unlike any other drug, licit or illicit, there are some companies which market it in a manner that compares it to illicit drugs. According to the FDA notice, it is possible that these products may be considered to be unapproved and/or misbranded drugs in violation of the Food and Cosmetic Act (Hanna 2001). In these situations it is clearly the method of marketing that is being targeted; the plant and its active compound are still not controlled. We have not yet heard of any action that has been taken against anyone selling S. divinorum as a psychoactive drug.
Is Salvia divinorum known by any other names? #
Traditional names for the plant include "ska Pastora" (Shepherdess' herb), "ska María Pastora" (Mary Shepherdess' herb), "hojas de la Pastora" (leaves of the Shepherdess), "hojas de María Pastora" (leaves of Mary Shepherdess), "hierba María" (Mary's herb), "yerba de María" (herb of Mary), and "la hembra" (the female). R. Gordon Wasson proposed that S. divinorum might represent the ancient Aztec herb pipiltzintzintli ("most noble little prince"). There are some modern psychonauts who call it "mint" or "sadi" (short for Salvia divinorum). However, most commonly it is simply referred to by its genus name, "Salvia".
NOTE: Ska may be translated as either "the leaves" or the "herb" - ska (Maria) Pastora = the leaves (or herb) of (Mary) the Shepherdess. Hierba and yerba are variants of the same word.
Are there other species of Salvia that are also psychoactive? #
Although there are hundreds of different species in the genus Salvia, many of which are available at nurseries and garden shops throughout the world, to date none of these have been shown to contain the same salvinorin compounds that are found in S. divinorum. S. divinorum is considered a "specialty plant" and it is highly unlikely to be available through a local nursery or garden shop. Some have argued that S. splendens (which contains the neo-clerodane diterpenoid compounds Salviarin and splendidin) is also psychoactive, but the effects are thought to be more Valium-like (very mildly sedating) and not visionary. An informal, controlled study that looked into the putative activity of S. splendens showed that there were no more effects from this Salvia than from the placebo herb (Sage Student 2002). Others insist that it is indeed psychoactive and the paper which identified kappa-opioid activity of salvinorin suggested there may yet be more to the story about splendens:
"Interestingly, a threedimensional search of the National Cancer Society Database using the pharmacophore features and geometries derived from salvinorin docked with the KOR model produced splendidin... Splendidin was originally isolated from Salvia splendens..."(Roth 2002)
The common culinary sage, Salvia officianalis, has been said to provoke "intoxication and giddiness" if smelled for a prolonged time (Duke 1987 in Ott 1993). Indeed, S. officianalis does contain terpenoid thujone compounds, which are the psychoactive components also contained in Artemisia absinthium (used in the infamous alcoholic preparation absinthe). While it is possible that there may be more psychoactive Salvia plants, today's state of knowledge places S. divinorum as one of a kind. If one sees a plant that is merely labeled "Salvia" in a store, it is highly unlikely that this plant is S. divinorum.
EFFECTS & USE
What are the effects of Salvia divinorum? #
Salvia divinorum produces unique effects that are difficult to accurately describe by comparing them to those produced by other psychoactive plants or drugs. The primary psychoactive chemical in Salvia divinorum is salvinorin A, but there may be other minor chemicals that affect its action. Effects vary, based on dose and method of ingestion. Effects range from very light, at lower doses, to overwhelmingly strong at higher doses. While Salvia divinorum's effects are usually grouped with other visionary-class psychoactives such as smoked DMT, its effects are so radically different that such comparisons can often just lead to misunderstandings. Some effects that have been reported are:
* Loss of physical coordination
* Uncontrollable laughter
* Visual alterations or visions
* Experiencing multiple realities
* A contemplative sense of peace
* Sense of profound understanding
* Dream-like veneer over the world
* Sense of total confusion or madness
* Seeing or becoming part of a tunnel
* Loss of sense of awareness as an individual
* Experiencing a "non-Euclidean" geometry
* Sense of flying, floating, twisting, or turning
* Feeling of being immersed in an energy field
* Feeling of being connected to a larger "whole"
* Feeling of being underground or underwater
* Appearing to travel to other places and/or times
* Becoming inanimate objects (a wall, stairs, a couch, etc.)
* Viewing patterns or shapes that are tube-like, snake-like, or worm-like
Despite the fact that Salvia divinorum is, on rare occasions, marketed as a "legal Cannabis substitute", the effects that it produces are not generally perceived as being like those produced by Cannabis. However, many miscellaneous herbs are touted as 'cannabis substitutes' without any significant similarity to Cannabis effects. S. divinorum is not considered a 'party drug', as its effects are not particularly conducive to social interaction, tend towards the non-verbal, and can often be extremly disconcerting and frightening. Those experienced with Salvia divinorum generally use it in more quiet settings for introspective contemplation and meditation. The expectations and interests of those using it for the first time vary considerably, but often include seeking the novelty of a new psychoactive experience. From most reports, only a small portion of those who get a strong salvinorin experience return very often to that strange space.
What is the duration of Salvia divinorum? #
The duration of effects depends on the method of consumption and the amount consumed. It has been reported lasting from about 15 minutes to over 3 hours. Generally, smoked salvia effects come on quickly, peak for 5-20 minutes, and then begin to subside. The oral and sublingual methods take longer to begin effects and last longer. Although there is a small number of people who report effects lasting over 4 hours from oral/quid use, the large majority of people find most effects taper off before 2 hours. More details regarding duration and intensity are presented below under the question "How is Salvia divinorum consumed?".
Below are four excerpted trip reports that give first-hand impressions of the Salvia divinorum experience. More such reports can be found around the net, in the Erowid Experience Vaults, SageWisdom.org, and the Lycaeum Trip Archive.
Trip #1
This description is adapted from "Switching Realities: Salvia divinorum" by anonymous, posted to the Erowid Experience Vaults. The effects were produced by two smoked hits of dried leaf. The full report can be found at http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=2139
The first thing to happen was for my vision (I could still see a little, from a small digital clock in the room) to just spin out of control, into a tunnel. I got a bit nervous, reaching for the light. With the light on, I felt a little strange, but no visual activity, so I mustered up some courage, shut off the music and turned the light out. I lay back and relaxed. What happened was wonderful. At first I kept switching realities... I was completely somewhere and someone else. I lived a complete life, had a complete memory of this life, and was just putting something on a shelf when I snapped back here to who I am. This sort of thing happened about three times. In one of them, the only thing I was aware of was that someone had just let out a blood-curdling scream. I was back here instantly, although I was scared that someone in my house had just heard that scream, but luckily it wasn't me screaming. After this I just enjoyed some morphing color patches. They were not very bright, but very beautiful. Then the plant starting to talk with me. It was definitely female. I felt as if my mother was holding me as an infant, but unlike my mother. This was somehow more comforting. I felt better than I have ever felt in a trip...
Trip #2
This description is adapted from D.M. Turner's book Salvinorin: The Psychedelic Essence of Salvia divinorum. It describes a trip on approximately 1.7 mg of pure salvinorin A, vaporized and inhaled. The full report can be found at http://www.erowid.org/library/books_online/salvinorin/j3.shtml
. . . I must have lost consciousness briefly. Or, there was no transition. The next thing I experienced was the feeling of my stretching grin extending outside of my face, or, beyond the borders of what I have learned to experience as my face. Was there a ripping sound? Was there a painful feeling of pins and needles, a feeling of the skin being stretched beyond what is normal? I was laying on my back, on the bed, and the right half of my body was being stretched out and somehow below me. The left half of my body was being pulled up and out. The vaulted arch of our ceiling opened up, and a Caucasian man, with a hat like a bowler, leaned down to his right, down to the brown leg of his slacks. He looked at me, from what seemed nearly a hundred feet, and said, "It's time to go now," and began moving his right leg forward in a step. As his right leg swung forward, my body was merging into his pant leg, below his knee, this part of his body being as tall as I am. Rather, most of my body was being pulled into his leg. My neck, arms, and head were being dragged forward as the bed was being stretched. The visual experience was as if the world, including my body and all that I saw, had become flat, two-dimensional, and was a sheet, or a thin rubber skin, a layer. As the pulling forward and out was taking place, the colored forms of what I saw were smeared, as if a running palette of colors, pulled, stretched, thinned. I pulled back, wondering if I could pull away from this tearing of the world. ‘It's time to go now.' My body and the world as I knew it, was being pulled into the black universe, Stars studding the space, while the outline of this man was covered with the "being pulled", "smeared" reality, of which I was an integral part. • I was stunned, frightened, disbelieving. I think it hurt, but even more painful was the idea that ‘This was it.' My mind began trying to sort out what had happened. [ . . . ] My wife later told me I was staring in disbelief around me and at my body and saying ‘It's smeared, it's smearing. It's the universe. We are moving into the universe, it's ending.' I looked carefully at my left forearm and hand. I saw the transition between my flesh, and tiny bubbles of color, streaming upward and outward into the pulling canvas of matter. My legs were doing the same thing, as was the entire room. ‘It's time to go now.' • The sense continued, hammering. I felt, but did not think, ‘No, I'm not ready. There is so much undone, unfelt, unsaid.' I felt I should have been better warned or prepared. [ . . . ] I wondered about the plant from which this material was derived. Is this the reason for the plant's existence? To mediate the ending of the universe? • To one of my requests for reassurance my wife said ‘It's happening, relax, lay back in bed.' I'd been twisting and turning, trying to move away from the dissolving edge. I said to my wife ‘If this is how it ends, I ought to just relax. I will miss you, I'm glad we met. Please lay by my side so we can go out together.' She lay down next to me and I kissed her forehead. She then lay across my chest, enveloping me with her body. I felt her love, and felt we were ending together. I felt us both merging with the edges of the end, and felt my body merging more fully with the sheet of reality that we were becoming. • Some moments later I opened my eyes again, and felt the ripping and pulling diminishing. I looked up and saw that the ceiling was beginning to congeal around a well-demarcated line. I looked at my left hand and saw there was an irregular line, curving in the same pattern as that of the ceiling. My hand was slowly filling in with substance again...
Trip #3
This description is adapted from "A Total Mind/Body Trip — Salvia divinorum (extract)" by Elfstone, posted to the Erowid Experience Vaults. The effects were produced by about a half-teaspoon of a "7X" extract. The full report can be found at http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=2140
He said that after taking the last hit and laying down, that was the last thing he remembered for awhile. It was just like being hit over the head with a baseball bat. As awareness resurfaced, he would perceive the room; but no sooner did he perceive it than he was rolled under again, becoming one with the totality of the cosmos. He would then roll back into the room again and see us briefly, knowing that he was about to be rolled right back under, and was fearful that this process was never going to end. He said the image that came to mind was being rolled up in straw mats, becoming one with the mat, with no differentiation between self/other. At one point, when he sat up and rested his hands on the carpet, he perceived himself as resting his hands on an ocean of fish, packed very tightly. As he rolled back into the room, he would perceive the floor as being about chest high, with only his upper torso and head emerging briefly, followed by becoming totally dissolved back into the ground. As he was comforted by his wife, he was concerned that he would take her under with him when the next roll came around. Thus in the intensity of the experience it was a total body/mind trip, with no ability to distinguish this as merely an altered state of consciousness. This was the most powerful psychedelic experience my friend had ever had, bar none! He said, ‘It's right up there with birth and death!"
Trip #4
This description is adapted from the account "Chewing vs. Smoking II" by B. Schuldes, Germany, which appeared in the Autumnal Equinox 1995 issue of The Entheogen Review, pp. 8–9.
Not fully satisfied with the effects of smoked Salvia…I tried 18 large leaves 14–18 cm long (minus stem length). These were rolled into two "cigars" and held in my mouth, chewing occasionally, sucking and holding the juice about 3–5 minutes. I tried to wet the whole inner surface of my mouth for maximum absorption. The taste is very bitter. Then I swallowed and repeated the process until no more juice could be obtained and I spat out the empty "cigars." WOW! I doubt if I'll ever bother smoking Salvia again! The first ten minutes: nothing. Then suddenly the effect came on overwhelmingly within the space of a minute. I tried to tell my wife about it, but couldn't speak: I was just too amazed and kept uttering: "Strong, so great!" This inability to speak became [unaccountably] amusing: I began to laugh uncontrollably and had to bury my face in the pillows, not wanting to wake the kids in the next room. (Sometimes when smoking I experienced this laughter also, but not with such intensity and duration—a full five minutes of non-stop, very powerful laughter. Finally I got it under control and rolled over on my back in the darkened room. With closed eyes I was standing in strange buildings, similar to those in fantasy paintings or ancient oriental palaces: the Alhambra of Grenada. A large, almost endless empty hall with beautiful arches and hundreds of columns: all in a strange, gloomy, blue-grey light with colors expressive of deep magic and majesty. Then I remembered someone's report of "becoming a plant" on Salvia: instantly I turned into a tree with bark like oak (many plateaus and valleys), yet somehow smooth and not rough like an oak. This bark was like a sense organ: I felt like a tree feels. (I know it sounds odd, but while it was happening I had no doubt that a tree feels that way.) Then I sensed the presence of something else, but couldn't get an image of it. This was accompanied by strong emotions which are impossible to describe. I became suddenly very attracted to my wife lying beside me - the effect changed from entheogen to aphrodisiac.
What is the Salvia Experience Scale I heard about? #
The Salvia Experience Scale is something described in Daniel Siebert's FAQ. It is a scale from 1 to 6, increasing from light to strong, with the mnemonic S-A-L-V-I-A: Subtle, Altered, Light, Vivid, Immaterial, and Amnesic. For more information about this scale, see SageWisdom.org.
Are there any after effects or hangover from using Salvia divinorum? #
There is no commonly reported next-day hangover after smoking Salvia divinorum and occasional reports of a positive-mood afterglow lasting betweeen a few hours and a couple of days.
I have heard quite a few people mention the "afterglow." I have heard a *very* few people mention a dizzy feeling after for a few hours (but really not too many people). I have felt sort of "out of it" myself for an hour or so after being down--just a little bit cloudy mentally. Generally speaking, it seems pretty free of any sort of negative side effects.
What are the main things to consider when first trying Salvia divinorum? #
It is important for anyone thinking of trying a new psychoactive to try to acquaint themselves whatever medical contraindications and problems are currently known. Once the decision has been made to try the substance, perhaps the most important things to think about when planning to try Salvia divinorum are: Have a Sitter, Create a Safe Space, Plan your Time, Prepare your Aesthetic Environment, Think about Medications, & Know the Effects.
Have a Sitter An individual planning to take Salvia divinorum should have a non-inebriated "sitter" present at all times. Under the effects of S. divinorum, people have been known to get up and walk around, completely unaware of their surroundings with a 'blank' look in their eyes. It is possible that someone in such a mental state might walk into traffic, off a ledge, etc. People have been known to stumble about, knocking over and subsequently breaking glass objects. A non-inebriated friend (preferably one who is familiar with the effects of S. divinorum and/or other psychoactive drugs) should act as a 'sitter', to protect one's physical body while one is in the S. divinorum 'trance'. In some cases the trance is considered a light one, and it can be broken by noise or by turning on the lights and opening one's eyes. Frequently the trance will come back, if one returns to quiet and darkness. In extreme cases, someone under the influence of S. divinorum may become agitated and need to be calmed down or restrained. It is very important to have a trusted, non-inebriated sitter present during all S. divinorum voyages, and particularly so during the early voyages when one is getting used to the effects of the plant. The sitter should know that in the majority of cases, even if the person who has taken S. divinorum is 'freaking out', such a condition does not last long and it is best to remain as calm as possible, try to non-verbally reassure the tripper at first, and keep them from leaving the pre-defined area, and verbally reassure the person if necessary. Within 10 to 60 minutes, the situation should improve. Inexperienced sitters should be encouraged to read for themselves about the effects and the basics of 'guiding'. There is some information at http://www.erowid.org/psychoactives/guides/guides.shtml, which can help the sitter have a better idea of what their role may entail. A search in the Erowid Experience Vaults on the term 'sitter' will turn up a number of accounts of S. divinorum use that might also be helpful to read.
Create a Safe Space The space where the experience will take place should have dangerous objects put away and should be surveyed for potential accidents. If there are any candles burning, a person moving around deep in a trance might accidentally start a fire. Experienced S. divinorum users strongly suggest that the best way to take S. divinorum is lying comfortably in bed in a dimly lit room. Do not smoke Salvia divinorum while standing. There should be nothing potentially dangerous around (fire, knives, guns, glass), and the phone should be taken off the hook so that one won't be disturbed.
Plan your Time Think carefully about when your next obligation to the outside world will occur and choose carefully a time that will not require driving or other activity for a period appropriate to the route of ingestion. Experienced users often choose to plan entire days for their work with powerful entheogens so that there is no obligation between the time they wake up and when they go to sleep. An individual using S. divinorum should not operate a car or heavy machinery until the effects have fully receded. One should wait until one is completely 'down' and no longer experiencing any effects, and then wait another hour to be safe before driving or operating machinery.
Prepare your Aesthetic Environment Along with creating a safe space to be in, it is also important to pay attention to the visual and audio aspects of the environment. Some people prefer silence, and others like various sorts of 'mood' music (generally without vocals). Many experienced users prefer to be in softly lit rooms.
Think about Medications As with all other strong psychoactives, its important that the user consider carefully the herbs, supplements, and medications that they have ingested within the last few days. While there is little known about cross-reactions between Salvia divinorum and other herbs and medications at this point, mixing medications can lead to unexpected results.
Know the Effects New users should acquaint themselves with the general effects of Salvia divinorum so that they are not expecting cannabis-like effects. The plant they are working with has the potential to be extremely powerful.
What health risks might be associated with its use?.
The leaves of the plant have been used by Mazatec Indians for hundreds of years without any reported health risks and no evidence of addiction. Salvia divinorum's popularity amongst contemporary psychonauts increased slowly through the 1980s and early 1990s and then more rapidly since the first 'X' extracts began to be marketed in 1997. Although there have undoubtedly been tens of thousands of people who have now tried S. divinorum (if not more), many people only try it once or a few times, and decide that they don't need to experiment further or just dislike the effects. This sort of experimental use is not very likely to have any serious detrimental effects caused directly by the plant's compounds, regardless of how it is ingested.
Problems of Smoking People who smoke the plant on a regular basis might have some concern about potentially detrimental effects on the lungs. There is increasing evidence that any inhaled particulate matter is unhealthy. However, such use is extremely unlikely to cause damage comparable to chronic cigarette smoking. We have never heard of a 'daily' smoker of S. divinorum, let alone someone who smokes it many times per day. Those who use the concentrated 'X' extracts may benefit from not having to inhale as much smoke; the more potent the extract, the less smoke that needs to be inhaled. Perhaps the biggest problem with more potent extracts is that users are more likely to accidentally smoke a stronger dose than they intend to. Overly large doses can be extremely frightening, can cause one to stumble around unaware of one's surroundings, or may cause black outs. Clearly it could be dangerous to do such doses alone and particularly if one is near busy streets, swimming pools, fire, large bodies of water, glass objects, etc. It is always better to take S. divinorum at 'ground level' (we heard of one person lunging toward a balcony in a second-story hotel room, who had to be restrained by the sitters).
Accidents The most common adverse events reported so far associated with using Salvia divinorum are simply accidents such as bruises, cuts, and burns from falling or dropping a lighter or pipe.
Traumatic Experience Perhaps the second most likely adverse effect of using Salvia divinorum is having a difficult psycho-spiritual experience. As with any strong psychoactive, acute anxiety reactions from unexpected or unwanted experiences can lead to lasting feelings of dysphoria in a small number of users. Although lasting anxiety is uncommon, the primary treatment is discontinuing use of Salvia divinorum and other entheogens and symptomatic treatment for anxiety such as relaxation, rest, regular excercise, sleeping well, and talking about one's feelings.
Oral Toxicity If one drinks an infusion or chews the leaves, it is more difficult to take an overly large dose. There are no reports yet of physically toxic reactions (hospitalizations or serious problems due to pharmacological reactions). The current view is that the leaves are effectively 'non-toxic' and that it would be difficult to eat or chew enough to cause serious injury or lasting adverse health reactions. Generally, no lasting side-effects are reported from consuming S. divinorum. On rare occasions people get mild nausea from oral consumption. The acute effects can cause people to be dizzy and uncoordinated.
Addiction There is no evidence that the plant or its primary active compound in isolation, salvinorin A, are habit forming or physically addictive. Those who use S. divinorum as a tool for spiritual or psychological insight have reported the difficult to quantify 'health benefits' of stress reduction, centering, a greater understanding of the world and their place in it, and/or a feeling of connectedness to the universe. One psychologist wrote an article for the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology (2001; 21: 634–635) about how his patient who was using S. divinorum found it to be useful for combatting the symptoms of her depression. See http://www.erowid.org/references/refs_view.php?ID=1316. A religious group in Canada has been using low doses of S. divinorum as an aid to their meditations. See http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v09n1/09136sou.html and http://www.maps.org/research/Salvia/sdmeditation.html and http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v10n1/10106upd.html..
How is Salvia divinorum consumed? #
Infusion Most ethnographic accounts state that the Mazatecs make an infusion by rubbing leaves together and squeezing the leaf-juice into water. A couple of reports state that the leaves were first crushed on a metate (a flat stone). One ethnographic report described the preparation of a dose by merely piling up the leaves in pairs, face to face, and then rolling them into a cigar-shaped bundle, chewed, and swallowed (Blosser 1991–1993 in Ott 1999). Unfortunately, as far as a 'dose' goes, the available ethnographic data usually relates the number of leaves used per dose (frequently stated as so many 'pairs' of leaves, due to the Mazatec penchant for counting them in this manner). Such information may not be too useful because leaves can vary quite a bit in size, with some leaves being five or more times the size of others, depending on growing conditions, and the potency of leaves is believed to vary dramatically from plant to plant.
With regard to infusions, the number of leaves used to prepare a single dose reported in the ethnographic literature has ranged from 6 to 240 (Ott 1995). One paper (Ott 1999) described two doses as being a "large double-handful of leaves (plant tops, stems and all)", and another paper mentions using 20 to 80 or more pairs of leaves, helpfully also gave the weight of the fresh leaves as being about 50 to about 200 grams (Valdés et al. 1983).
Contemporary studies into the chemistry and pharmacology of Salvia divinorum have discovered that the traditional infusion preparation is perhaps the least efficient method of consuming the plant. The plant's active chemistry is not soluble in water, and it is speculated that it may be partially deactivated via the stomach. Comparatively larger amounts need to be consumed, if it is taken this way. On the other hand, effects—which begin after about 15 minutes (Valdés et al. 1983, Ott 1999)—may last longer than via other routes of ingestion; over 2.5 hours in one report (Valdés et al. 1983), and up to 3 hours 20 minutes in another case (Ott 1999).
Modern psychonautical investigations have found two more effective methods of consuming the plant:
The Quid The quid method produces a somewhat shorter duration of effects than the oral infusion. With this approach, one takes fresh leaves, rolls them into one or two 'cigars', and then chews them while not swallowing the juice or saliva in one's mouth. In this manner, the active chemistry of the plant is absorbed via the mucous membranes in the mouth, which is a much more efficient method than absorption via the stomach. When taking the leaves as a quid, the effects tend to last about an hour. The following has been reported as an effective dosing procedure using fresh leaves as a quid:
"Ten leaves averaging 3.4–4 inches wide and 9 inches long (and weighing 25–26 grams) have the midribs removed. These are rolled into two ‘cigars' of five leaves each. Laying in quiet darkness, the first cigar is placed in the mouth and held there, chewing it slowly with my front teeth. I do not swallow at all. After about 10 minutes I spit this out into a bowl, and start chewing the second cigar. Effects usually commence within about 5 minutes after beginning to chew the second cigar. I spit this cigar out after a 10 minute chew. The experience lasts about 45–60 minutes (from start to finish)." (Aardvark 1998)
Smoking A shorter duration of effects can be obtained by smoking the dried leaves of Salvia divinorum. Repeated experimentation has resulted in a general consensus that using a bong is one of the most effective ways to smoke Salvia divinorum leaf because one can get large breaths full of the smoke quickly. There have been some reports of people smoking S. divinorum leaves rolled into 'joints', occasionally with effective results (and in a few cases people prefer this method). However, in the majority number of cases, people have reported little or no effects from smoking joints of leaves. Terence McKenna used to recommend a "gravity bong" as an even better way to smoke the dried leaves, saying "This does not fail."
A regular pipe lies somewhere between a bong and a joint, in effectiveness. People have suggested that using a pipe with a large bowl and a short stem is the best choice, as there is room for burning a lot of dried leaf this way, and the salvinorin A has less chance to condense out into the pipe when traveling though a short stem. With smoking, the effects come on much more rapidly, within a couple of minutes, and they are gone in about 20 minutes. Several "bong hits" in rapid succession—each held in for about 20 to 30 seconds—generally is enough for effects; effects produced depend on the amount smoked, the potency of the leaf, and the sensitivity of the individual smoking. A dose range of 250 mg to 500 mg of dried leaf, when smoked via a bong, should be sufficient for most people using leaf of average potency (that is, leaf which contains 2 to 3 mg or salvinorin A per gram of dried leaf). It has been noted that the primary active compound, salvinorin A, needs a lot of heat to vaporize, and it is suggested that one hold the flame over the dried herb for the whole time that one is inhaling. Some people report better results when smoking by using a mini-torch style lighter.
Comparison of Consumption Methods As with any new substance, those who choose to experiment in a cautious and intelligent manner with Salvia divinorum will start off with smaller doses and work their way up. Many people find the quid method to be more enjoyable, due to it having a slower onset and longer-lasting effects. The rapid effects of smoked S. divinorum can be overwhelming and confusing. One drawback from any oral consumption is that the plant's leaves can be quite bitter. Oral ingestion is less efficient and thus more expensive, so many choose to experiment with smoking first.
Jonathan Ott (1995) has described "the probable descending order of potency" as follows: sublingual salvinorin A -> vaporized salvinorin A -> chewed leaf, quid -> chewed leaf, swallowed -> infusion of leaf
Ott did not include smoked Salvia divinorum in his rating scheme, stating: "[E]ven 'though as few as 1–2 leaves may be active... for most people the effect is much milder than by oral ingestion (albeit of greater quantities). In a test with 20 people, each of whom was given a 'joint' of dried Salvia divinorum leaves to smoke (containing 1–2 leaves), roughly half felt nothing at all. Of the half who did feel the effects, all reported quite mild effects, except for 2 individuals, who had potent visionary effects. (Ott 1995)."
It is too bad that the weight of the dried leaves wasn't presented with this information, since basing dosage data on the number of leaves is less than precise (leaves can vary in size from less than a centimeter / inch to 15 inches (35cm) long) and up to 5 inches (12cm) wide. These experiments do show, however, that smoking via a joint is not a very effective method. People have had much more effective results using a bong, where a larger quantity of smoke can be inhaled at one time. Ott also didn't include data related to any of the concentrated 'X' extracts mentioned below, presumably as these were not commonly available when he conducted his studies.
To sum up, bong-smoked leaf, or smoked 'X' extracts of various strengths, or vaporized salvinorin A, all tend to come on much more quickly and don't last too long. And, all of these tend to use a relatively small amount of leaf material. The quid method has a slower onset and longer duration, and uses a larger amount of leaf material. And the infusion has the longest duration, and uses the largest amount of leaf material. Depending on what solvent is used, prepared sublingual extracts can use a fairly small amount of leaf material, up to about the same amount as that which is contained in a quid of fresh leaf. Ott found that 100 micrograms to 1 milligram of pure salvinorin A was active sublingually in a solution of acetone and DMSO (Ott 1995)Note; others have found 4 to 10 milligrams or more to be active sublingually in a solution of high-proof ethanol (diluted with 50% hot water, just prior to use).
Yes, Ott actually used DMSO and acetone orally. "Acetone is present in bananas." he quipped when asked about this practice.
I've heard that salvinorin / Salvia divinorum is not orally active, is that true? #
Some authors have said that salvinorin is not at all active when swallowed, but this appears to be a misunderstanding. One traditional mazatec use of Salvia divinorum involves swallowing a liquid infusion / tea which causes strong effects lasting several hours.
Daniel Siebert attributes low activity of infusions, solutions and leaves of salvinorin to inactivation of the compound in the stomach (Siebert 1994), but has never mentioned a mechanism for this inactivation. Leander Valdés postulates a possible mechanism for inactivation (if it occurs) as "I can theorize a possible deactivation mechanism - acid catalyzed hydrolysis of the acetate in the stomach, converting salvinorin A to salvinorin B plus acetic acid (and possibly base catalyzed hydrolysis in the intestines). But taking an infusion of leaves can give a pretty strong experience which can last several hours (up to 4-6 or so)." Ott speculates (Ott 1995) that pure salvinorin would not be well absorbed and in a discussion of the issue of oral inactivation, Valdés goes on to say:
"How can this happen if the compound is inactivated in the GI tract? My work with getting Salvinorin A into a suspension for dosing mice and its potency when given intraperitoneally (where it has to cross a membrane), leads me to believe the low activity when taken orally is due to poor absorption rather than inactivation. There may be some inactivation by the mechanisms I gave above, but I think the big problem is absorption of the compound.
Taking the infusion gives a dose that is slowly absorbed as the liquid travels through the GI tract. I go into this in great detail in my 1994 paper, but the idea that the problems with salvinorin A are due to poor solubility hasn't caught on.
Sublingual solutions, etc., put the compound in a very small amount of solvent next to membranes. This isn't so in the GI tract.
Problems with absorption are very common in the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical pills and liquids people take include some very complex delivery systems. I think that Don Alekandro's infusion was the Mazatec version of one of our fancy delivery systems. It is crude and inefficient, but there are a lot of leaves available in the Sierra Mazateca, and the infusion produces effects which last several hours, which is a lot longer than other methods of taking the plant. Granted, the effects of oral ingestion are not as intense as the reported peak effects of smoked salvinorin A, but this type of experience is not what the Mazatec shaman is after. They want a "separate reality," not an unintelligible one." (LJ Valdés 2002)
However, its important to note that one of the primary references on the weakness of oral activity is a self report by Daniel Siebert about taking 10mg of pure salvinorin A. This oral dose of salvinorin may be too low to make any definitive comments about oral activity or absorption.
I've read that only fresh Salvia divinorum | | | | |
