Subjective effects of Salvia divinorum.

Salvia divinorum, a hallucinogenic plant native to Mexico, has been used by the Mazatec Indians in divinatory rituals to contact spirits of the dead, traditionally by chewing the leaves for visionary effects. Western drug cultures have adopted the plant since the mid-1990s, often smoking dried leaves for immediate effects. Qualitative data from 10 Salvia users, collected via email interviews with in-depth responses presented verbatim, show that effects vary between users and are sensitive to situational factors. Users familiar with the traditional ritualistic setting appear to have a fuller experience than those who are not.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Salvia divinorum is a hallucinogenic plant native to Mexico, where the Mazatec Indians use it in divinatory rituals as a facilitator for contacting the spirits of the dead. A number of traditions surrounding the ritualistic use of Salvia are still observed. Generally the leaves are chewed for the visionary effects. Salvia has recently been embraced by Western drug cultures, where the traditional methods of ingestion are generally eschewed for the more immediately effective technique of smoking the dried leaves. This article discusses the history and indigenous cultural uses of Salvia before outlining its rediscovery in the 1960s and its subsequent introduction to the Western drug scenes (particularly Britain) since the mid 1990s. Qualitative data from 10 Salvia users were collected by means of email interviews. The participants were asked to provide as in-depth responses as possible. No time or space limit on answers was imposed. Their responses to each question are presented verbatim. The effects of Salvia appear to vary between users and seem sensitive to situational factors. Users who understand something of the ritualistic setting for traditional use would appear to have a fuller experience than those who do not.