Salvia divinorum

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{{Taxobox | color = lightgreen | name = Diviner's sage | image = Salviadivinorum.jpg | image_width = 260px | image_caption = A healthy Salvia Divinorum. | regnum = Plantae | divisio = Magnoliophyta | classis = Magnoliopsida | ordo = Lamiales | familia = Lamiaceae | genus = Salvia | species = S. divinorum | binomial = Salvia divinorum }}

Salvia divinorum (also known as Diviner's sage, María Pastora or simply Salvia, although the genus name is shared among many plants) is a psychoactive plant, a member of the sage genus and the Lamiaceae (mint) family. The plant is grown by the Mazatec indigenous people of the Oaxaca mountains of southern Mexico in isolated, moist, and secret plots. It has been used as an entheogen by their shamans for centuries for healing during spirit journeys. It is thought to be a cultigen. No definitively wild populations have been found. The Latin name Salvia divinorum literally translates to "sage of the diviners".

The primary psychoactive constituent is trans-neoclerodane diterpenoid known as salvinorin A. Salvia also contains the closely related compounds salvinorins B-G, divinatorins A-E, salvinicins A and B, and hardwickiic acid. Salvinorin A is the most potent naturally-occurring hallucinogen known. It is active at doses as low as 100 µg [1]. Recent research has shown that salvinorin A is a remarkably potent and selective kappa opioid receptor agonist. It has been demonstrated that the effects of salvinorin A are blocked by kappa opioid receptor antagonists. This indicates that the effects of S. divinorum can be largely, if not entirely, attributed to kappa agonism. Salvinorin A is unique in that it is the only naturally occurring substance known to induce a visionary state via this mechanism of action.

1 History
2 Usage and effects
3 Chemistry
4 Legal Status, Controversy
5 Botany
6 References
7 External links

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History

In 1939 Salvia was first recorded in print by Jean Basset Johnston. He was studying the psilocybin mushroom use of the Mazatecs in Mexico when he encountered this entheogen. R. Gordon Wasson documented its use a decade later and reported its effects through his own testimonials. Historical data at this point is largely unresearched, but it is likely to date back into the early history of Central America. It was not until the 1990s that it become more widely known through the experiments of Daniel Siebert.

As is often the case with cultigens, it is likely that the history of this plant dates back a number of generations. Cultigens require a long historical relationship with human cultures, and salvia is no exception. Perhaps the decline of its widespread use began with the Spanish Conquest, or this phenomenon may have been already underway, either due to religious or political reasons.

Gordon Wasson theorized that this plant was the mythological pipilzintzintli, the "Noble Prince" of the Aztec codices. This theory would explain why a cultigen of such extraordinary power was not otherwise known to the Aztecs, but this theory is not without dispute. The Aztecs were extremely knowledgeable in plant identification, and in their records report that pipilzintzintli has both male and female varieties. Salvia divinorum is lacking sexes, meaning there are no male or female flowers, as its flowers contain both sexes. The skeptics of this theory report that the Aztecs would have known the difference between male flowers and female flowers. Wasson, still, may have been correct in his hypothesis, in that there are a number of historical accounts of gendered properties being assigned to plants in a metaphorical manner, not in a botanically anatomical one.

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Usage and effects

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Methods of ingestion

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Traditional methods

Mazatec shamans use two methods of ingestion. Often, they simply eat the fresh leaves by chewing and swallowing them. Sometimes, they crush the leaves to extract the leaf juices, which they then drink (usually mixed with water). Reportedly, dosages vary from as few as 6 leaves to as many as 120, when using these methods.

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Nontraditional methods

Dry leaves can be smoked in a pipe but most users prefer the use of a bong to cool the smoke. The temperature required to release salvinorin-A from the plant material is quite high (about 240°C). A,,/.m regular flame will work, but the direct application of something more intense, such as the flame produced from a butane torch lighter, is often preferred.

Many people find that smoking the unprocessed dried salvia leaf produces only light or unnoticable effects, perhaps due to the large volume of plant material that must be smoked to produce psychoactive effects. However, responses vary widely. A concentrated preparation of salvia leaf called salvia extract, with relative strength suggested by terms such as 5x, 10x, and 20x, may be smoked in place of natural strength leaves; this reduces the total amount of smoke inhaled for a given dosage of salvinorin overall, and facilitates more powerful experiences. One cone of 5X strength extract should be enough to produce the desired effect. More potent extracts require as little as one small hit for very powerful effects.

Sublingually ingested tinctures constitute another form of prepared salvia. A tincture is made from salvia leaf that has had the psychoactive components extracted, often using acetone or high-proof ethanol. Once produced, the liquid can either be used as a tincture or infused into salvia leaf, creating smokable salvia extract.

The traditional Mazatec method can also be employed; however, Salvinorin-A is generally considered to be inactive when ingested, because the chemical is inefficiently absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract unless thoroughly emulsified; therefore, emphasis is often placed on holding the leaves (and also the saliva secreted during chewing) in the mouth as long as possible, to facilitate absorption through the oral mucosa. This consumes much more of the drug than smoking, and also produces a longer-lasting experience.

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Subjective effects

Most users find that the effects of salvinorin are not conducive to socializing. People given Salvia often feel as though a trick has been played on them; in fact, while under the influence, most people tend to find any external stimuli distracting. Most people under the influence of salvia will remain in place although some users may move around. This can be especially dangerous as the user is in an altered state of consciousness and is therefore at a greater risk of unintended bodily injury. It is advisable to have a sober trip sitter present.

The effects of salvia are found by many to be highly spiritual. Others find salvia useful for meditation. Consciousness is retained until the highest doses, but body control, awareness of externalities, and individual personality can disappear with even modest amounts. Even experienced drug users may feel totally out of control and confused.

At lower doses the user may experience spontaneous laughter, mild closed-eye visuals, stuttering or strobing visual effects, changes in depth perception, and a heightened sense of color and texture.

Moderate doses appear trance-like. Time distortion and open-eye visuals become increasingly apparent. Fractal patterns and geometric shapes may be noticeable with eyes open, and can be very confusing. Many people experience sensations of falling, similar to what is occasionally felt at the onset of sleep. The user may experience fully formed visions of other places, people, and events, especially with eyes closed.

At high doses, the effects become more powerful and may additionally include out-of-body experiences, perceptions of gravitational distortion, vertigo, sensations of wind or physical pressure, hearing voices, flanging of sound, significant open and closed-eye visuals, experiencing alternate realities, contact with beings or entities, dissolution of one's ego, and dissociation. It is also typical that, while under the effects of salvia, a person will not realize they have used the drug. The salvia experience is quite different from that of most other hallucinogenic drugs and may be overwhelming, even with the correct set and setting. Most users recommend darkness and silence as the best environment, however, minimal, ambient or relaxing music can be helpful.

According to experience reports at Erowid and elsewhere, Salvia seems to produce visual hallucinations which have a somewhat higher level of consistency than other substances. Reports of contact with an entity supposedly associated with the plant, ("the Shepherdess") again with fairly consistent characteristics, are also common.

Many salvia users, during high-dose out-of-body experiences, may suddenly "merge" with objects. With the significant time distortion typical of salvia, users may live a lifetime as another person, or as an inanimate object, such as a wall or a piece of furniture. The experiences can be extremely pleasant, or very frightening and confusing.

People often fail to achieve the effects the first time they try the plant, possibly due to problems in the administration of the drug. With repeated use, anecdotal evidence suggests that decreased dosage may be possible for the same level experience. Due to the lack of scientific studies on Salvia, if true it is unknown whether this is due to learning proper techniques of administration or a sensitization factor, sometimes colloquially referred to as "reverse-tolerance". It should be noted that as with other hallucinogens (such as Psilocybin), some users will have a high natural tolerance to the main active constituent, Salvinorin A.

Some people who try Salvia find it difficult or impossible to achieve the desired effects. This may be due to an insufficient flame. However, sometimes the results are unpredictable. For example, a user may smoke a large amount and feel no effect, but the next day may smoke a small amount and experience a strong trip.

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Duration and after-effects

If inhaled, the effects do not last very long, with the peak reached within one minute and then a slow descent back to one's self after about five minutes and back to baseline within 15 to 20 minutes. Chewing the leaf (in a 'quid') makes the effects come on more slowly and be experienced for longer. The first 5 minutes after smoking extract are very intense, and should be experienced lying or sitting down, eyes closed.

Most users report no hangover or negative after-effects. Some users report a pleasing "afterglow," or pleasant sensation and state of mind persisting after the experience has ended. Others, however, claim that Salvia has a depressing effect. Salvia has not been found to be either physically or psychologically addictive. There are no proven health risks associated with the psychoactive chemicals, although the long-term effects on the human body are not well documented. However, smoking any substance is generally regarded as unhealthy by medical professionals.

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Chemistry

Image:Salvinorin-A-structure.png The primary active constituent is Salvinorin A, sum formula C₂₃H₂₈O₈. Unlike most other known psychoactive compounds, Salvinorin A is not an amine—meaning it contains no nitrogen functional group. The Salvinorin group of compounds (including Salvinorin A, Salvinorin B and Salvinorin C) are called neoclerodane diterpenoids.

Extraction and purification of Salvinorin A has been documented but should only be attempted by qualified researchers with experience in chemistry and the proper laboratory equipment. Measurement of safe dosages is difficult and requires a sophisticated analytical balance, due to the extreme quantitative potency of Salvinorin A.

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Legal Status, Controversy

Until the late 1980s, not many people knew about salvia. The heavy commercialization of the Internet in the mid-1990s and the realization that the plant was not legally controlled engendered numerous Internet mail-order businesses which sold dried salvia leaves and other preparations, sometimes for exorbitant prices.

The general public became increasingly aware of salvia in 2002. As of June 1, 2002, Australia became the first country to ban salvia and salvinorin [2], [3]. In late 2002, Rep. Joe Baca (D-California) introduced a bill in the United States House of Representatives to schedule salvia as a controlled substance, and the DEA has indicated on its website that it is aware of salvia and is evaluating the plant for possible scheduling. According to the Australian Drugs and Poisons Committee, Salvia had potential to be abused, and had not yet shown evidence of damage or threat to public health/safety.

Press accounts of efforts to ban salvia often quote law enforcement and government officials who exhibit an inaccurate knowledge of the drug's effects, and frequently characterize the "high" as "chewable marijuana", or as identical to LSD and PCP (two drugs with quite dissimilar effects to each other, as well as to salvia).

Under Louisiana Act № 159, 40 plants, including Salvia divinorum, have become illegal if sold for human consumption. It is still legal to own the plants. More laws regarding S. divinorum can be found at Erowid's Salvia Law vault.

Salvia divinorum was outlawed in Missouri in fall 2005. New York is considering a bill that would place heavy civil penalties on the sale of the plant. Illinois is also considering regulating Salvia divinorum.

In January 2006, the Swedish government declared their intention on making salvinorin A and all plants containing the chemical illegal. This law has been in effect since 1 March 2006.

In Delaware on January 23 2006, teen Bret Chidester committed suicide. In an essay found after his death, he wrote "Salvia allows us to give up our senses and wander in the interdimensional time and space,... Also, and this is probably hard for most to accept, our existence in general is pointless. Final point: Us earthly humans are nothing." Despite there being arguably more relevant factors, most notably it being reported that Brett was using a prescription acne medication that has been linked to depression, the Delaware State Legislature moved rapidly to pass legislation that would make Salvia divinorum illegal there.

Unlike marijuana, salvia has a nondescript appearance (being in the same genus as cooking sage), can be grown in a small space, has no odor and requires no elaborate lighting set-up. For these reasons, criminalization is likely to affect only the commercial sale of the plant, and not its private cultivation, which would be very difficult to police. For most regular users growing the plant is considered to be an integral part of establishing a relationship with it.

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Botany

Unlike other sages, Salvia divinorum produces very few seeds, and the seeds it does produce seldom germinate. It appears to have very little histocompatibility variation, so the pollen from a plant genetically identical to the style fails to reach the ovule. It is propagated by cuttings and by falling over and growing new roots. Although reportedly (Valdez, et al) isolated stands of S. divinorum exist in its native range, these are thought to be purposely created and tended by the people of the region. Therefore it is considered a true cultivar and thus does not occur naturally in the wild anywhere.

For the most part, the fate of the species lies with a very small number of clone plants. Of these few clones, there are only two that are in any kind of public circulation; the Wasson/Hofmann strain, and the Blosser ("Palatable") strain. The former is a strain discovered by those whose name the plant bears, when on a visit to the Mazatecs. The latter is the same case, in regards to name, and was discovered in Oaxaca; it is called "Palatable" as well, as it is said to have more palatable leaves when ingested orally than those of the Wasson/Hofmann strain, though other reports state that there is little difference between the taste of the plants. Other varieties are also grown, including the Luna strain which is a strange offshoot of the Hofmann/Wasson line. A few other strains exist, but they are mostly quite similar, in potency, effect, and growth.

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