Diviner’s Sage (Salvia divinorum) is a tender rainforest perennial from the primary and secondary cloud forests in the Sierra Mazateca of Mexico.
Its scientific and common names refer to its use by the Mazatec shamans for producing a visionary state of consciousness during shamanic medicine healing.
Salvia divinorum contains opioid-like compounds, specifically salvinorin A, that produce short-lived hallucinatory states.
Interestingly, salvinorin A is not an alkaloid (which is unusual for plants producing opioid effects), but the first known dieterpene hallucinogen, and though little is studied yet about this plant, it seems to have low toxicity.
Strangely, it is also known to have no actions at the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor, which is the principal target for the activity of well-known hallucinogens, such as LSD.
Salvia divinorum is used either by chewing, smoking, as an incense or as a tea.
It is also used in traditional medicine in smaller amounts for its diuretic properties and for treating conditions such as headaches, rheumatism and anemia.
More recent research is investigating Salvinorin A as a treatment for drug addiction, or for its potential analgesic use. Many countries and some US states control the sale of Salvia divinorum, and there is quite a lot of controversy about whether it could be of value to society given its potential for abuse.
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Photo by Luis Pérez