Salvia divinorum
From Drug Rehab Wiki
Contents |
Definition
Salvia divinorum (meaning ‘sage of the diviners’) is a perennial herb and a wild member of the mint family whose active constituent, salvinorin A, produces powerful hallucinogenic effects and synesthesia. Salvinorin A, also known as Divinorum A, is a neoclerodane diterpene that is found mostly in the plant’s leaves and less often in the stems. It has large green leaves, hollow square stems, and white flowers with purple/blue calyces and can grow up to 3 feet in height. It is a native plant of Oaxaca, Mexico but can also be found in certain regions of Central and South America. Salvia divinorum has long been used by the Mazatec Indians in traditional religious rituals and healing practices; shamans believe the plant’s psychoactive effects induce spiritual visions and healing powers that have a divine connection to such as deities as the Virgin Mary, from whom the local names “Hierba de la Pastora” or “Hierba de la Virgen” derives. However, salvia divinorum is academically considered a new psychoactive plant discovery and that found by U.S. anthropologists in the 1930s. Currently, salvia divinorum is not controlled under the U.S. federal government’s Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Side Effects and Symptoms
A small percentage of recreational users report not feeling any prominent effect from salvia divinorum upon first use, but like other substance use, users may need to build a tolerance to salvia divinorum’s psychoactive agents overtime in order to feel their effect. Most often, users experience mild hallucinations such as visions of vivid colors or shapes, bright lights, bodily distortion, or body movement; other effects include insuppressible laughter, dysphoria, excessive sweating, an ‘out-of-body’ sensation, and perception of overlapping realities. However, some experience extreme dissociative states followed by amnesia, especially if salvia divinorum is used in high quantities, extract-enhanced forms, or as pure salvinorin A. Use of salvia divinorum and its constituents has recently been compared to producing similar effects to ketamine, PCP, or psilocybin mushrooms. Salvia divinorum is the first example of a highly selective non-nitrogenous κ opioid receptor agonist, although evidence of how it is metabolized has yet to be discovered. Scientific research has not found any cases of noticeable physical harm aside from dizziness, lack of coordination, and slurred speech. There appears to be no signs of withdrawal or addiction, but animal experimentation has discovered other physiological effects that salvia divinorum possibly causes. Conclusion of these experiments found that salvia divinorum in very high doses might cause brain damage like Olmey’s legions, produce depressive-like effects, and aggravate psychiatric conditions.
Salvia Use and Abuse
Among Mazatec Indians, salvia divinorum leaves are crushed and mixed with water to form a chewable or drinkable solution. It is commonly abused for its hallucinogenic effects that are parallel to those of other scheduled hallucinogens and has become increasingly popular due to its rare unrestricted status in the U.S. Salvia divinorum plant seeds, fresh leaves, dried leaves, plant cuttings, whole plants, liquid extracts, and enhanced extracts are widely available on the Internet, or at head shops and tobacco shops. One ounce of dried leaves can range in price from $40–$60. Most U.S. users either chew or smoke the substance. Dried leaves or enhanced-extract leaves are smoked; smokers can experience the psychoactive effects within 30 seconds which may last approximately 30 minutes. Other users chew a mixture of leaf material and juice which is absorbed by the oral mucosa. Chewing generally produces effects within 5–10 minutes and has a short duration. Although other constituents have been isolated from the salvia divinorum plant, only salvinorin A produces psychoactive effects. Salvia divinorum’s street names include Maria Pastora, Diviner’s Sage, Salvia, Sage for the Seers, Sally-D, and Magic Mint.
Statistical Information
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 1.8 million American over the age of 12 have used salvia divinorum at least once in their lifetime, with 42% having used in the past year. Young adult males ages 18–25 were much more likely than any other group to use salvia divinorum.
Legal Status
Salvia divinorum is legal in most countries including the U.S. Its production within the U.S. is presently not monitored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and salvia divinorum and its constituents have not been approved for medical use. Salvia divinorum and salvinorin A are currently not listed as controlled substances under the CSA, but are banned in 13 states and restricted in 4 states, with pending legislation in 7 other states. Salvia divinorum is imported from Mexico as well as other Central and South American countries, but also can be grown domestically. Globally, salvia divinorum is illegal in 9 countries.
References
http://www.justice.gov/dea/concern/salvia_divinorum_and_salvinorin_A_November_2008_first_fact.pdf
Gahlinger, Paul M. (2004). Illegal drugs: A complete guide to their history, chemistry, use and abuse. New York, NY: Plume, Penguin Group.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2544632/
http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15563650701241795
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugs_concern/salvia_d/salvia_d.htm
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/hallucinogens/hallucinogens.htm
http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/316/1/440.abstract
salvia divinorum. (n.d.). WordNet® 3.0. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/salvia divinorum
