In the world of adolescent drug abuse, being in vogue means being an aficionado of Salvia Divinorum (aka: Diviner Sage). A drug that’s widely available in marijuana head shops and on the Internet (and grown in home gardens), Salvia has turned out to be a new age alternative to old guard hallucinogens such as LSD. A member of the sage family of herbs, Salvia can be prepared or cooked up to render a “high” that’s best characterized as being “out of body,” or dissociated from a surrounding environment. The Internet now features videos of teenagers under the influence of this drug; most of these vignettes oddly enough depict kids who appear to be in angst or discomfort. Anecdotes abound though of users who experience profoundly hallucinogenic yet calm effects, distortions of sound, color and sense of touch. It seems that like LSD, Salvia tends to elicit feelings and moods that reflect the basic nature of a person who has consumed it. In other words, someone who is a sort of bubbly and effusive personality will end up experiencing a Salvia “high” that’s manageable and pleasant, someone who is dour, downbeat and moody, might experience a very uncomfortable set of effects that may even border on being terrifying. In any event, Salvia “experts” strongly recommend that users arrange for a sober coach or monitor to be present with them. When a Salvia user is intoxicated, coaches are supposed to supervise and steer the experience towards a safe and sane conclusion. A Salvia high is relatively short lived, oftentimes no more than 20-30 minutes long. Salvia’s leaves can be tinctured into a tea, chewed and digested orally or crimped up and smoked. Salvia seeds are less potent than the plant leaves are, but they too contain traces of the prime hallucinogen that causes its unique effects.

Salvia’s hallucinogenic effects are driven by a constituent component called Salvinorin A, a substance member of a chemical class of substances called diterpenoids. Unlike nearly all other modern hallucinogens, Salvia exerts its hallucinogenic power through activation of an opiate receptor site, the kappa receptor to be exact. This particular subunit of opiate receptor is one that is responsible for the feeling of some unusual effects that aren’t commonly associated with popularly abused opiates (i.e. heroin, oxycodone and hydrocodone). The chemical activity of Salvinorin A can result in a range of behaviors and feelings that span experiences of sedation, tranquility and introspection to feelings of anxiousness, central nervous system stimulation and dysphoria. Based on what’s known about Salvinorin A, it’s believed that the drug is not capable of causing physical dependency, but because of its activity at the kappa opiate receptor site addiction and dependency can’t be entirely ruled out yet.

The drug is typically packaged in small amounts, ounces and fractions thereof from the plant’s leaves. Salvia is also grown, tended to and harvested at various strengths and concentrations. The greater the concentration of Salvinorin A, the more likely a user will experience its hallucinogenic effects. Greater concentration and purity doesn’t necessarily extend the length of the high however. With the use of sophisticated laboratory equipment and processes, Salvia use can be detected in urine and in blood. Given the half-life of Salvinorin A however, detection times are short and elusive.

Presently Salvia cannot be tested for in a laboratory setting. However, for DAR trained clients, Salvia will cause symptoms consistent with hallucinogen use. Evaluators should expect modestly dilated pupils, fast pulse and fast Romberg clock. Because of the drug’s interaction with the kappa opiate receptor site, typical hallucinogen signs might be turned down a bit. MEDTOX DAR evaluators are available for Salvia consultation with clients via the DAR Telephone and Online Hotline systems. (Contact MEDTOX for information on how to access the DAR Hotlines)

The MEDTOX Drug Abuse Recognition (DAR) program is amassing a catalog of reference and research materials pertaining to Salvia Divinorum abuse. Further information may be obtained by contacting the DAR group at darsprogram@mac.com.

Reproduced with permission from The MEDTOX® Journal