This attracted the attention of lawmakers and concerned parents, who sought to ban the substance by comparing it to LSD and other psychedelics. In some states it was the pushback from psychedelic researchers like Addy and Matthew Johnson, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins University, that saved the drug from being outlawed. The molecule is produced naturally in salvia divinorum, a type of sage in the mint family. The plant is endemic to southern Mexico, where it has been ingested ritualistically by indigenous peoples for centuries.
Another small handful of states have decriminalized salvia possession, so you won’t be arrested if you’re found with the plant or extracts. Currently, salvia isn’t approved for any medical use in the United States. It’s also not controlled under Congress’s Controlled Substances Act. That means individual state laws apply to salvia but no federal ones.
Its enriched history gave it its scientific name, which in translation means sage of the Diviners. As a user progresses through the stages of intensity during a Salvia trip, his trip “environment” (the world he is hallucinating) becomes stronger and more solid as the sensory environment and the old reality slip away. The point where the trip environment begins to become so strong that it overpowers both the sensory environment and even the consciousness is level five. At this stage, a user should make the decision to sit back, relax, dim the lights, and close their eyes, allowing the closed-eye visuals to take their form and guide you into the world of Salvia. The Salvia Experiential is a six level scale designed to let users rate the intensity of their Salvia trip.
Side Effects
Some people lose complete awareness of their physical body and the physical world at this level. While many people do not consider salvia to be dangerous, using it can cause unwanted complications and risks. If you use salvia and want to stop, the support of a comprehensive treatment program can help.
Psychedelic Therapy Centers
The Mazatec method of taking Salvia is a traditional method with historical roots. It’s safe and reliable, but takes up more leaves and raw Salvia plant than other methods. When a Salvia user is in a relaxed and calm environment with few distractions, he/she can reach a state of near “ego loss,” or a so-called divine state of selflessness. The plant’s use by humans has been documented for hundreds of years, and our history with it probably dates back even further. It’s commonly used in religious and spiritual events, such as ceremonies or enlightenment walks, and was a key part of the culture of the Mazatec Native Americans of present day Oaxaca, Mexico.
Addiction
Salvia’s active ingredient is salvinorin A, a kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonist. There are concerns that salvia may affect a person’s thinking, choices, and mental health. That means possible side effects and risks that could be can salvia kill you detrimental to your health may not be understood yet. Because research is limited, the list of possible side effects and risks is short. However, the possible issues are serious and worth consideration. Fresh leaves aren’t considered very potent when chewed, but some people may experience a mild effect.
- Since memory of the trip is lost and the trip isn’t considered enjoyable, most users, even heavy users, try to stick to level 5 as a maximum satisfactory trip.
- Spatio-temporal dislocation is where the user feels transported to an alternative time and place, or has a feeling of being in several locations at once.
- Instead of two dimensional designs and shapes, scenes and 3 dimensional visuals can occur with the eyes closed, and when focused on without distractions these scenes can expand to fill the user’s conscious state.
SIDE EFFECTS OF SALVIA
What points to this is that the Mazatecs do not actually have a native name for the plant, and refer to it as “hojas de María Pastora”, translating into “leaves of Mary the shepherdess”. It is still not entirely clear, how far back the use of salvia among the native tribes goes. Since the plant is endemic only to a small region of Mexico, it could have well been missed by many indians. And those who lived in the area might have lost knowledge about it during the turbulent times of the spanish invasion. It remains a mystery whether the plant was without name only for the generation that Wasson encountered, or if the psychoactive powers of the plant indeed were unknown to previous generation as well.