Salvia divinorum

Safety note. Salvia divinorum is less studied than psilocybin or mescaline, and a plant product's strength is not predictable. NIDA links psychedelic and dissociative drugs to unusual and sometimes dangerous behavior and injuries, particularly when no other person is present to respond to an emergency. [1] If someone becomes confused, very agitated, has a seizure, or cannot be roused, call 911 (US) or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222: plant and mushroom poisoning. This page gives no preparation or use instructions and does not help identify the plant.

What it is

Salvia divinorum Epling & Jativa is an accepted species name in the mint family (Lamiaceae). [2] A review of fifty years of research says its traditional use is confined to a very small region of Mexico, that the first flowering specimen was collected during a 1962 expedition to Oaxaca by Hofmann and Wasson, and that its main active compound is salvinorin A. [3] Other reviews describe it as used for centuries by the Mazatec people for divination and spiritual healing. [4] The Mazatec are an Indigenous people of Mexico, and traditional use belongs to them. Modern recreational use is a different context. See Salvia divinorum traditional contexts and Indigenous traditions, ethics and conservation.

Plant versus compound

The plant is S. divinorum; the compound is salvinorin A, a diterpene and the first reported psychoactive diterpene. It is described as a non-nitrogen-containing compound, so it is not an alkaloid, and it acts as a selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist. [3][5] NIDA says salvia primarily activates kappa opioid receptors, unlike classic psychedelics, which act mainly on serotonin systems. [1] Do not treat salvia as a classic psychedelic. See salvinorin A: compound guide and classic psychedelics.

What research shows

Evidence labels used here: preclinical (cells or animals only), insufficient evidence, evidence of harm. "Insufficient evidence" means studies are too few or too small to judge.

• Human laboratory effects: insufficient evidence for any benefit. One double-blind, placebo-controlled study gave inhaled salvinorin A (study amounts, ascending) to 4 healthy, hallucinogen-experienced adults under supportive conditions. Effects peaked within minutes and were no longer definite at about 20 minutes. Participants described intense experiences with changes in spatial orientation, pressure-like body sensations and recurring themes, and the measured profile resembled classic hallucinogens on some questionnaires. [6] This shows what happens in a small lab study, not safety or usefulness for any condition.
• Therapeutic potential: preclinical. A pharmacology review reports rapid onset and short half-lives in animals and no evidence of short- or long-term toxicity in animal studies, and says many further investigations are needed. [5] A 2014 review says the effects of salvinorin A have primarily been investigated in animal models. [3]
• Treatment of any condition in people: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read.

Risks

• Mental health and thinking. A review of usage and misuse notes it is widely believed to have low addictive potential and low toxicity, but recent findings suggest salvinorin A can precipitate psychiatric symptoms and negatively affect cognition. [7] Another review says websites misread limited research on side effects as proof of safety, and that health risks exist especially for teenagers, users of other substances, and people with underlying psychotic disturbances. [4]
• Who uses it. In a US national survey from 2008 (55,623 people), salvia use was most common among 18 to 25 year olds and people with risk-taking behaviors or other drug use, and was associated with self-reported depression and anxiety. This is an association, not proof of cause. [8] In NIDA's report of the 2022 Monitoring the Future survey, 0.8% of 8th, 10th and 12th graders reported using salvia in the past year. [1]
• Medicines, pregnancy, heart and liver conditions: Proper evidence not found specific to salvia in the sources we read. See how interactions work.
• Quality. We read no regulator or laboratory source on product content and give no figure; sold products are a marketing claim unless tested.

Legal status

Not legal advice; laws change. We searched the US federal schedule lists in 21 CFR 1308.11 to 1308.15 and did not find Salvia divinorum or salvinorin A named. [9] US state laws, Mexico and other countries: not verified here, and salvia is regulated differently in different places. Do not infer legality from availability. See legal status by country.