Salvia

Salvia Divinorum

Salvia is a psychoactive herb that is used in a variety of vision questions, meditations, and healing arts performed by the Mazatec shamens in Mexico. The herb’s name translates as “diviner’s sage”, and is used traditionally in healing and divination.

What makes salvia popular is it’s concentration of Salvinorin A, a very potent molecule with hallucinogenic effects. This potent molecule makes salvia divinorum a very powerful naturally-occurring hallucinogen, as opposed to synthetic hallucinogens such as LSD found in several street drugs.

It was discovered by the modern world when Jean Basset Johnson was studying the Mazatec shamens in 1939, where he published information on salvia as part of his research. However the hallucinogenic effects were not fully explored by Daniel Siebert many years later.

What Happens When You Smoke Salvia?

Salvia induces a hallucinogenic state, causing you to see vivid imagery, but unlike synthetic hallucinogens, it affects all of your senses, not just vision. This can range anywhere from a complete psychedelic experience (such as travelling to other dimensions) to very mild experiences (such as feeling extremely relaxed and seeing your couch dance in front of you).

Other common effects when smoking salvia include:

• Out of body experiences
• Giddyness and the desire to laugh excessively
• Seeing ghosts and other supernatural creatures
• Feelings of being one with the universe
• Seeing events from the past and future

Depending on the individual and the concentration of the salvia, the experience can range anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour. How you consume the salvia divinorum is also a major factor in determining the length of the experience (smoking salvia is the most common method however).

Is Salvia Divinorum Legal?

It might come as a shock, but yes salvia is legal. Salvia divinorium is not classified as a drug or controlled substance. Some countries and states have raised concerns about salvia, however it has not yet been declared dangerous nor is it banned in any country in the world. You can be rest assured that you will not face any trouble with the law if you smoke salvia.

For More Information on Salvia Divinorum

Want to find more information on salvia divinorum? Here are several great places to get started:

• Salvia divinorum from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Teenagers Are Smoking Salvia Divinorum And Posting Videos On YouTube - an interesting news story covered by CBC in 2007. A mother is blaming salvia divinorum for the death of her son, who committed suicide shortly after taking salvia.
• There are many drugs that help people get out of their minds yet stay within the law - they're called 'legal highs' - a new story published by the Guardian in 2009 that discusses the legal and experience side of salvia.
• Sacred Weeds: Salvia Divinorum - a scientific study on Salvia Divinorum aka Diviner's Sage