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24/7 HelplineSalvia divinorum is an herb used for religious ceremonies by indigenous peoples through the Americas for its psychoactive effects. Of late, North Americans have been partaking recreationally, often in individual quests for spiritual insight.
Though not widely popular, social media videos demonstrating salvia’s intense hallucinatory powers do also point to its inherent danger when abused.
Sovereign Health Rancho San Diego provides treatment for salvia abuse. Using formidable recovery modalities and alternative, individual and group therapies, we give each adolescent what they were originally searching for in the drug: personal revelation, direction and breakthrough from their current circumstance.
Abusing Salvia
On the black market, salvia is referred to as: “diviner’s sage,” “magic mint” and “sally d.”
Similar to marijuana, the herb is consumed by:
- Smoking
- Chewing
- Converted into a liquid concentrate for multipurpose
- Vaping
Studies aren’t conclusive on if there is such thing as salvia addiction. Salvia is decriminalized in several U.S. states, but illegal in most others.
While psychoactive drugs made from plant products such as salvia, ayahuasca, peyote and others are often dismissed as harmless, there are nonetheless a number of dangers associated with their use, and abuse of salvia could co-occur with a variety of other more serious issues.
Dangers of salvia
- Sudden alteration of perception
- Memory loss
- Unconsciousness
Symptoms of salvia use
- Depersonalization
- Hallucinations
- Memory loss and severe impairment of coordination
- Mood swings, including sensations of extreme fear and panic
- Psychosis
Salvia Inside the Body
Salvia is little researched and so how it functions within the brain is not entirely understood. The fact that it is unregulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration makes users experience and aftermath at the mercy of:
- The dealt dose
- The user’s expectations and environment while using salvia e.g. a solemn religious ceremony or a raucous party
- The user’s mental state and mental health
- The user’s genetic predisposition to addiction and pharmacogenetic response to the herb
Psychedelic effects of salvia occur very quickly after metabolizing the drug and the duration of the high is short – less than 30 minutes. Hallucinations are said to be tactile, visual and auditory – often with spiritual undertones.
What is understood by scientists is that salvia:
- Acts on different opioid receptors than those affected by opioids
- Similar to LSD, withdrawal symptoms could occur well after salvia abuse, possibly leading to traumatic flashbacks, suicide ideation and memory problems
