Can one chew Salvia Divinorum?

Sure, salvia is chewed all the time. Natives of South America do not go around with bongs and pipes- they chew this plant just like to tobacco. However, when you buy salvia it is important to buy the dried leaves. The green leaves are disgusting and not palatable, unless you want to give then to your cow.

To get the euphoric effects from chewing salvia, you need to work on it. Just sticking a wad of salvia leaves in your mouth will do jack-shit. You have to chew and grind the leaves to release the salvinorin from the plant, which produces the euphoria.

When you buy salvia you will be told how to chew so that you can get that “zingy” feeling. For a mild effect, you need to chew on 2 grs of dried leaves for at least 20 minutes. For a more intense affect, you need to chew on 5-10 grs. 

Unlike tobacco, the juices collected in your mouth are swallowed. While chewing may sound like a chore and may not look appealing, the euphoric effects are much more longer lasting then smoking.

How does one use salvia Divinorum

The majority of people use salvia because it has the ability to induce a soothing effect on the brain. Unlike other illicit drugs, salvia rarely causes aggression or destructive behavior. Moreover, salvia can also cause vivid hallucinations and “out of body sensations.” To obtain these euphoric effects, salvia must be taken the right way.

Most people smoke the dried leaves like a joint or with a bong. The effects of salvia appear rather quickly but also tend to last only a few minutes. The dried leaves must be heated intensely to release the potent chemical, salvinorin. 

Another way of obtaining intense euphoria with salvia is to place the crushed leaves in a blow pipe and heat them. The vapors released must be instantly inhaled. While the hallucinations are intense, this method is not practical. The heat generated can make it difficult to inhale the hot vapor and holding the hot pipe often leads to burns on the fingers.

One can ingest the leaves but if you do not chew the leaves thoroughly, you are unlikely to see any euphoric effects. Swallowing whole leaves is just a waste of money.

One can chew salvia leaves like tobacco. The effects tend to occur after 5-10 minutes but are not intense nor do they last long. For prolonged effects one must chew “like a cow” for a long time

Some people boil the salvia leaves in water or consume them with tea or coffee. Almost any beverage can be used but the effects of salvia are not consistent or intense. The reason is that the acidity in the stomach breaks down the salvia chemicals.

Salvia and the law

In the few years, the increased use of salvia by young people has caught the eye of both law enforcement and health professionals. Research shows that salvia does contain potent chemicals like salvinorin which has the ability to induce mind altering effects leading to psychosis. In the laboratory, even very small amounts of this chemical can lead to severe side effects.

In America, the use of salvia is not federally regulated nor is the plant banned in all States. There have been motions put forward in many states to ban the use of salvia and certain states have banned the sell, consumption or distribution of salvia. Restrictions on personal use and possession are being placed in many states including New York, California, Florida, Delaware, Louisiana, and Missouri etc. 

Some states like Delaware, Louisiana and Missouri have placed Salvia as a Schedule 1 drug. This means that under the Controlled Substances Act, Salvia has:

- High potential for abuse

- No currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States

- Has no medical purpose, even under supervision

In the state of Oklahoma, the plant is recognized as a hallucinogen but growth of this plant for landscaping is not a crime. However, use of Salvia for personal consumption is classified as a Class A misdemeanor in most states. Other states are still grappling with the complexity of the plant and do not know clearly know what to ban and what is illegal about salvia. Some states ban the plant leaves but allow the potent seed extract to be legal. On the DEA website, it says Salvia Divinorum will soon be evaluated and Federal recommendations will be made.

Unlike marijuana or opium, Salvia has nothing distinctive about its flowers or the plant itself. The plant has no smell, looks and grows like an ordinary house plant. For law enforcement, this is going to be a challenge. Making it illegal is one thing, finding out who is growing it and where will be quite another headache.

What the devil is Salvia Divinorum?

Salvia Divinorum is also known as Diviner's Sage, Magic mint and Seers Sage. Salvia is classified as a herb but has the ability to bring on vivid hallucinations. Salvia Divinorum is a member of the sage family. The salvia plant can be found in many parts of Central and South America. It usually grows to a height of 34 feet and has inconspicuous flowers.

The Incas used Salvia Divinorum in religious ceremonies and for the treatment of skin disorders. Even then it was known that the plant had ability to induce hallucinations and disturbances of thought. It was this psychedelic property of the drug that often created religious visions- akin to seeing mother Mary. Of course, the Incas thought that they were something special when they started to develop these visual hallucinations.

Over the years, the demand for Salvia in North America has increased exponentially, partly because of its ability to induce vivid hallucinations. Salvia is chiefly used by young people. It can be smoked, ingested, inhaled or chewed. When the right quality of crushed leaves is consumed, almost everyone mention of a psychedelic experience with unusual vivid perceptions.

Based on little information, the plant appears to have no addictive property or long term toxicity. It is widely available for purchase from many internet sites. One can purchase either the fresh leaves or the concentrated extracts.

Marijuana may not be good after all!

The latest study from McLean hospital in Boston shows that smoking marijuana at a young age leads to more brain impairment when compared to individuals who start to use this illicit plant later in life.

The researchers at McLean Hospital looked at the effects of smoking in people who started to use marijuana before the of 16. The study revealed that these individuals rapidly develop weakened cognition, were not able to plan or develop planning concepts, had minimal abstract thinking and poor concentration. The tests revealed that even following simple commands was poor in these individuals compared to those who started marijuana use later in life. Moreover, early marijuana users repeatedly made the same make, despite being told what the error was.

This study again reinforces the result of other studies that have shown that individuals who smoke large amounts of marijuana do not do well on memory and mental tests.

So what does this mean for the marijuana user?

There is no question that Marijuana is a harmful substance. And while it may have some medical benefits (again this is questionable), it will also make you illiterate. In addition, the earlier you start using it, the faster it will turn you into a buffoon.

Marijuana is for real, say Doctors

Many people want marijuana to become available for the treatment of numerous medical disorders. For most disorders the evidence that this “grass” can do anything is very weak. However, now researchers in California show that for certain disorders, marijuana may actually provide good pain relief.

Researchers indicate that marijuana may be useful for some types of neuropathic pain. These non randomized studies done indicated that marihuana when used by HIV patients, decreased pain intensity compared to the sugar pill. Marijuana also helped relieve pain in individuals suffering from spinal cord injury and other traumatic disorders of the spine. Another study revealed that medium to high doses of marijuana countered the pain caused by injection of capsaicin. In all the above studies, it was observed that marijuana was better than placebo cigarettes.

So far, only the state of California has undertaken active research to finally establish the role of marijuana in medicine.

However, this does not mean that everyone agrees with the above findings.

In fact there are more data which show that marijuana does diddly squat. Some researchers believe that the studies showing marijuana relieves pain are flawed. Moreover, while marijuana may relieve pain the smoke may also cause injury to the lungs. Further, there is evidence that the smoke may even induce lung cancers.

Marijuana contains hundreds of other compounds; most of which have never been purified or isolated. Now research is focused on isolating the active ingredient in marijuana that reduces pain.

The second problem with most studies is that most people used other pain pills and marijuana at the same time and so it is not possible to decipher the actual benefits of marijuana. While marijuana may have some analgesic activity, the long term risks of marijuana smoke may override its benefit.

Even though some states have approved marijuana, controversy about its health benefits still continue.