Salvia Divinorum: In Brief

by Tingleleaf

Originally taken from: http://tingleleaf.com/trip/salviadiviron.asp

IN THE BEGINING:

In the autumn of 1962, in the rural hills of Oaxaca, Mexico, Albert Hofmann, the discoverer of the entheogenic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and R. Gordon Wasson, the father of ethnomycology, traveled by mule in search of one of the flowery dreams of this subtropical landscape. The object of their expedition was a specimen of the Mint Family (Lamiaceae/Labiatae) used for centuries by Mazatec curanderas (shamans) to summon healing visions. From the plants collected by Hofmann and Wasson, Linnaean taxonomists deemed this species theretofore unidentified and christened this plant-teacher SALVIA DIVINORUM, the Sage of the Diviners (or simply "the Divine Sage"). To the Mazatec, it was known as Ska Maria Pastora, the Leaves of the Virgin Shepherdess.

SALVIA IN DETAIL:

Salvia leaves contain Salvinorin A, a molecule composed of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. When smoked, this compound is active in doses of 200 to 500 micrograms (that's 200 to 500 millionths of a gram!), making it the most potent naturally occurring hallucinogen known, comparable to LSD in strength. The active hallucinogenic ingredients are unique, and so SALVIA DIVINORUM is NOT an analog of or very similar to any other drug.

EFFECTS:

If vaporized and inhaled, full effects are felt in thirty seconds without a transition period into the experience. The most intense effects last five to ten minutes and then gradually lessen over the next twenty to thirty minutes. The experience can include a sense of metamorphosing into inanimate objects, seeing two dimensional geometric patterns, remembrance of things past, loss of physical and mental identity, sensations of extraordinary motion, uncontrollable laughter, and simultaneous existence in different times and places. Many experienced users of hallucinogens agree that the the effects of SALVIA DIVINORUM are fundamentally without parallel.

EXTRACTS:

Salvia Divinorum, as all organically grown plants, may vary slightly in consistency and composition from plant to another, and from harvest to harvest. Of specific interest, the concentration of Salvinorin-A (which is thought to be the active hallucinogenic component of the plant) may fluctuate with growing conditions, seasons, etc. As the body chemistry of each individual person is also unique at any given point, these variables lead to a certain unpredictability in the effects of the plant on any particular individual. For example, some people have achieved startling results by brewing Salvia Divinorum leaves and drinking the tea, while others require a vaporized doze of Salvinorin-A contained in several grams of leaves to achieve a similar result. To address this issue of naturally variable potency and inconsistency in dosage, extracts have been developed to assure a sufficient concentration of Salvinorin-A for sustained hallucinogenic effects in most individuals. Extracts are named according to their content of Salvinorin-A in relation to an equal quantity of dried leaves. For example, 1gram of 5X extract is equal in concentration of Salvinorin-A to 5grams of dried leaves, 5grams of 5X extract is equal in concentration of Salvinorin-A to 25grams of dried leaves and so on. Extracts have achieved a popularity (and notoriety) for their ability to rapidly deliver a potent doze of Salvinorin-A to the individual, leading to an especially vivid and dramatic hallucinogenic experience not usually experienced with dried leaves.

LEGALITY:

Currently, SALVIA DIVINORUM is legal everywhere in the world except Australia, where it is scheduled by that nation's equivalent of a Drug Enforcement Agency. SALVIA DIVINORUM IS LEGAL IN THE UNITED STATES.

Update: There are reports that Salvia Divinorum is now banned in Sweden and Israel.