Author: James Anderson

Our Salvia Guide The Salvia Experience, Benefits, Dosage & More

can you overdose on salvia

It doesn’t cause you to see objects that aren’t truly there — it merely changes the way you perceive existing objects. High-dose salvia is achieved by smoking the concentrated leaf extract. The breath must be held for around 10 seconds or longer to reach this dose. The amount of salvia leaf that constitutes a low dose is hard to quantify.

At the same time, keeping a record of the events might be helpful in the future, since most times a user can’t remember the experience after it happened (if they were even aware during it). 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. Maria Sabina, the best known Mazatec curandera or shaman, dedicated her life to the healing work with psilocybin mushrooms and Salvia divinorum. She once famously remarked that when the mushrooms are not available, she resorts to the use of salvia. She noted that salvia doesn’t have as much strength as the mushrooms, but that could also have been due to the fact that she prepared an infusion with the leaves. While a salvia tea produces psychoactive effects, it is not nearly as strong as the quid method, for example.

How is Salvia Used? What’s the Dose?

Salvia is thought to trigger underlying schizophrenia or psychosis in people susceptible to this condition. Salvia is different in that it can make you see things that aren’t there. Objects can appear and disappear at random and aren’t directly linked to any physical objects. DMT (dimethyltryptamine) is probably the closest to salvia in terms of effects, but there are clear qualitative differences between the two. The sky is the limit with salvia; there’s no real logic to the events it can produce.

There are about 1000 species of Salvia worldwide, but currently, only Salvia divinorum holds psychoactive properties. This herb is unique in the plant kingdom, both in its chemistry and mechanism of action. Even the drug regulators don’t quite know what to do with salvia. It’s one of the only natural psychedelics that isn’t listed on the UN Narcotics Convention.

Most of its uses were based on spiritual healing concepts rather than physical effects. Some of the early work done by prominent psychedelic researchers like Albert Hofmann and Gordon Wasson reported on the traditional uses of the plant by the Mazatec Indians. As your body relaxes, it feels as though your mind starts to “separate” from the body — leading to out-of-body or interdimensional experiences. However, the hallucinations you experience are based on the real world.

  1. If all environmental dangers are taken care of, other factors of safety then come into play.
  2. It shows great potential for treating pain and addiction, as well as depression—whether in traditional Mazatec ceremonies or more clinical, Western settings.
  3. Salvia divinorum is often mistakenly referred to as a legal substitute for cannabis—probably because it’s green, dried, and typically smoked.
  4. The amount of plant material, extract, or tincture required for a single dose will depend on the strength of the product being used.
  5. There has never been a case of someone becoming addicted to this plant.
  6. On the other hand, the effects of this method are more mellow and long-lasting.

Then rinse and gargle with your mouthwash of choice, making sure to keep it in your mouth for at least 30 seconds (you should anyway). When the time’s up, spit, and all the dead skin cells and particles in your mouth will rinse out with it. Salvia divinorum comes from the remote regions of the Sierra Mazateca mountains of South America.

What Does Salvia Feel Like?

These leaves should be soaked in cool water for several minutes, removed, squeezed until no water drips, and then rolled or balled up. 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. Its enriched history gave it its scientific name, which in translation means sage of the Diviners. Level six, the last and highest level, is the point at which total ego loss occurs, and with it the memory of the experience may be entirely lost afterwards.

can you overdose on salvia

Among the indians that live in this region, Salvia divinorum is considered a sacred plant that has been used in shamanic rituals. Smoking is quicker and more efficient but may lead to discomfort in the chest. It can also be difficult to accurately gauge the dose when using extract-enhanced leaves. The first country to ban Salvia divinorum outright was Australia, which designated the plant as Schedule 9, the most strictly controlled, in 2002. In New Zealand, it is illegal to import or sell Salvia without a license.

Shamanic And Cultural History Of Salvia Divinorum

A lot of recreational drug users don’t get this when first trying Salvia divinorum. To give the effect of your quid an extra boost, you can prepare your mouth to more readily absorb and deliver Salvia’s active ingredient. Items you’ll need are an everyday toothbrush and a brand of mouthwash that has alcohol or menthol in it (like Listerine Cool Mint, Crest Mint, etc.). The Salvia Experiential is a six level scale designed to let users rate the intensity of their Salvia trip. The six letters of the acronym S.A.L.V.I.A. correspond to ascending levels of intensity, one through six. In Western society, research into Salvia did not start until the 1930’s, where it was described by Jean Basset Johnson as he was researching the Mexican use of psychedelics.

Can Salvia Cause Ego Death?

Within seconds you’ll go from a completely normal state to experiencing uncontrollable, chaotic, and strange visions. Most people begin laughing uncontrollably for the first few minutes of the experience. Using small amounts of salvia leaves brings on a calm, glowing, slightly psychedelic experience, akin to marijuana. Although not widely used, Salvia divinorum is a potent psychedelic characterized by unique visionary experiences.

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.