Salvia Divinorum

Salvia Divinorum is a herb belonging to the Lamiaceae family of plants (also known as the Sage or Mint family). In traditional Mazatec ceremonies in the Sierra Madre region of Oaxaca, Mexico, Saliva leaves are used for spiritual and healing purposes.

In ceremonial settings, the leaves are chewed or made into a tea for drinking, whereas recreationally, salvia tends to be consumed by smoking the dried leaves in a pipe.

Although it is a psychedelic, Saliva has a unique effect, different from classical psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin, which notably includes dissociation from the physical body and extreme distortions in someone’s perception of time and space. 

Effects

  • Positive effects can include spiritual enhancement, euphoria, increased laughter, feelings of unity and interconnectedness, and dream-like states.

  • Neutral effects can include changes in someone’s sense of gravity, a change in the sense of bodily form, altered depth perception, shifting sense of self to other forms (such as other people or inanimate objects), altered sense of time, hallucinations.

  • Negative effects can include dysphoria, confusion, anxiety, paranoia, and feelings of doom.

  • Physical effects can include loss of motor control, spontaneous bodily sensations, sedation, and pain relief.

The effects of salvia reported from recreational smoked use of the plant tend to differ significantly from those who have participated in traditional Mazatec ceremonies. Whereas people who smoke salvia recreationally often experience confusion, dysphoria, and intense shifts in their sense of reality, ceremonial use tends to produce flowing internal visual hallucinations and people may come into contact and communion with catholic saints.

Dosage

  • Light dose: 10 grams of fresh leaves (for chewing)/ 2 grams of dried leaves (for smoking or making into tea)

  • Moderate dose: 30g fresh leaves/ 6g dried leaves

  • Strong dose: 50g fresh leaves/ 10g dried leaves

Salvia extracts available commercially online and in smart shops, are usually marketed in doses that state how many times more potent the extract is than the herb. A low dose is between 5x to 10x, whereas a high dose extract is anything from 20x and above.

Duration

Duration if smoked

Onset: 30 seconds - 1 minute

Peak: 1 - 5 minutes after onset

Offset: 5 - 20 minutes after onset

Total duration: 20-30 minutes

If the leaves are consumed orally, the effects will take longer to onset (more quickly for drinking in a tea than eating) and last longer because the drug has to be absorbed by the digestive system.

Duration for quidding method

A common method for consuming dried salvia leaves is quidding. Quidding involves chewing a ball, or “quid” of dried salvia leaves and keeping the moist pulp of chewed leaves in the mouth. This allows psychoactive chemicals to be absorbed through the bloodstream. 

Onset: 10-12 minutes

Peak: 20 minutes

Total duration: 40 minutes - one hour

Harm-reduction

What not to mix with 

  • Anticholinergics: Anticholinergic drugs are drugs that inhibit the action of the chemical messenger acetylcholine. These drugs are prescribed for medical conditions which include respiratory disorders, allergies, and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. 

    Because evidence has demonstrated salvia can also inhibit the action of acetylcholine, using salvia in combination with anticholinergic drugs may increase side effects caused by acetylcholine inhibition, which include dizziness, disturbance in heart rate, constipation, and vision problems.

  • Cannabis: Research has demonstrated that salvia may interact with cannabinoid receptors, meaning the drugs may synergize (intensify the effects of one another). Furthermore, as both drugs can cause paranoia and anxiety, the combination may lead to negative psychological consequences. 

  • Sedatives: Because salvia can have a sedative effect on the body, combining it with other sedative drugs such as alcohol and benzodiazepines, could be potentially dangerous.

What are the dangers?

  • Addiction: In one study, researchers found that salvia directly affects the reward system of the brain, and produces addictive behavior in rats. Human evidence also suggests salvia can be addictive.

  • Increased risk of epileptic seizures: Salvia elicits effects on the brain by activating proteins called kappa opioid receptors. Evidence has demonstrated kappa opioid receptors may play a role in the development of epileptic seizures. 

    If you suffer from epilepsy, the use of salvia should be avoided. 

  • Risky behaviors and impulsive decision-making: As mental coordination whilst under the influence of drugs is impaired, this can lead to somebody doing something dangerous or deadly. 

    Impaired judgment and false senses of certainty may also mean people under the influence make decisions they later regret. 

  • Experiencing a psychedelic crisis, risk of psychosis and Hallucinogenic Perception Persisting Disorder: General risks for all psychedelics apply. Read more under our general psychedelic risks and harm-reduction section of our website.

  • Difficulty “landing”: After experiencing profound changes in one’s sense of reality, it can sometimes be difficult to return to everyday life. Challenging experiences and being unable to understand or express the experience can leave people feeling isolated, confused, and distressed. Working with an integration coach or attending an integration circle can help people to make sense of their experience and ground back into everyday life.


How can the risks be minimised?

  • Paying attention to set and setting can help decrease the risk of a psychedelic crisis. You can read more under the Risk and Harm Reduction section of our website.

  • Taking psychedelics in a safe environment with a trusted trip sitter or guide can help reduce the risk of negative outcomes caused by impulsive decision-making and behaviors linked to impaired judgment.

  • In general, the effects of salvia tend to be much more pleasant when taken in a ceremonial or facilitated setting rather than smoked recreationally. However, if you’re considering attending a salvia ceremony, or taking salvia under the guidance of a facilitator then be sure to be cautious about which ceremony and facilitator you choose. You can learn more under the “Finding the Right Facillitation” section of our website.

  • Integrating a psychedelic experience has the potential to resolve trauma relating to difficult psychedelic experiences. Integration can also people process and learn-from psychedelic experiences. To learn more about integration and integration tools and tips, you can visit the “Psychedelic Integration” section of our website.

  • .Avoiding long-term use will decrease the likelihood of developing an addiction

What are the potential benefits?

Evidence has suggested that salvia could be effective in:

In Mazatec shamanism, salvia is used medically to treat diarrhea, headache, rheumatism, anemia and swollen belly.

Weblinks

References

Studies

Credit to Dr Andrew Gibson for contributing his medical expertise and background in harm-reduction to the process of making this content.