Salvia divinorum

Salvia divinorum (Latin: "sage of the diviners"; also called 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.Valdes 1987, p. 106. 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.Marushia 2002, p. 3. Mazatec shamans have a long and continuous tradition of religious use of Salvia divinorum to facilitate visionary states of consciousness during spiritual healing sessions.Valdés, Díaz & Paul 1983, p. 287. Its chief active psychoactive constituent is a structurally unique diterpenoid called salvinorin A,Prisinzano 2006, p. 527.Imanshahidi & Hosseinzadeh 2006, p. 430. a potent κ-opioid agonist. Although not thoroughly assessed, preliminary research indicates Salvia divinorum may have low toxicity (high ).Grundmann 2007 Its effects are rapid but short-lived. Salvia divinorum is legal in some countries including the U.S., although many states have passed laws criminalizing it.

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