Salvia: Everything You Should Know About The Ancient Hallucinogenic 

Salvia has been around since literal ancient times. 

Salvia divinorum (which is usually just called salvia) is a herbal mint plant native to Mexico that’s also part of the sage family of plants. Salvia is famous for its hallucinogenic effects, which are similar enough to magic mushrooms or LSD. Some users have reported experiencing mystical or spiritual experiences after taking salvia. 

Salvia is sought after because it’s accessible and considered significantly safer to use than other drugs from both a safety standpoint and a legal standpoint.

However long-term effects aren’t yet well understood, so as always, caution is advised. 

Read this article to get a better understanding of the ancient plant.

Quick Summary 

Salvia is a hallucinogenic that’s been used since ancient times and is generally considered to be safer than other hallucinogens or psychedelics. Many people have reported experiencing mystical experiences from taking salvia. Salvia is legal in many countries and places but also illegal in quite a few. 

What’s salvia?

Salvia divinorum is a type of sage plant that has hallucinogenic effects when taken. It’s a commonly used recreational drug with the younger crowd partly because it’s thought to have a low risk of addiction and bad side effects. 

Salvia is known by many as an ancient hallucinogenic because the Mazatec Indians have been using it for centuries for both spiritual and medical purposes.

What are the desired effects of taking salvia?

Salvia is a hallucinogen which means it makes you see or feel things that aren’t real. It can also put you in an elevated mood. Some of the hallucinations and sensations that salvia causes are dream-like which makes telling the difference between reality and fantasy tough.

Here are some of the effects of taking salvia:

• Visual distortions like bright lights, odd patterns and vivid colors.
• Cartoon style imagery leaking into real life.
• Getting in a better mood.
• Laughing fits. 
• Becoming noticeably more talkative.
• Various kinds of out-of-body experiences. 
• Becoming detached from yourself or the environment around you.
• Flashbacks of memories from various points in your life. 
• Feeling like you’re being pulled, stretched, flipped or twisted. 
• Feeling like you’ve merged with and become an object in your surroundings. 
• Sense of uneasiness. 
• Loss of contact with reality. 
• Thinking you’ve contacted otherworldly beings, visited other dimensions or just flat out distorted time and space. 

What are the risks of taking salvia?

Taking salvia can have some unwanted side effects if you’re unlucky. The most common are nausea, brain fog and dizziness. 

Here are some of the potential side effects of taking salvia:

• Nauseousness.
• Feeling dizzy.
• Becoming clumsy and losing coordination.
• Losing the ability to focus.
• Feeling confused.
• Slurring speech.
• Sluggishness. 
• Loss of memory.
• Feeling like you’ve been transported to other dimensions or places. 
• Having your sense of time and space become disrupted. 

To date, there aren’t any known long-term side effects of taking salvia. It’s also noted that salvia is considered to be pretty low risk when it comes to potential for addiction and there have been no reported overdoses caused by salvia. 

Still, more studies and research need to be done in order to really understand the long-term effects of taking salvia. Till then, salvia can’t really be considered completely safe.

What are the possible medical uses of salvia? 

Salvia doesn’t currently have any approved medical uses however there’s research being done on its possible use in treating mental health issues. For example, salvia is being researched for its possible use in treating dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.  

Salvia Experiences

You can read about peoples experiences with ayahuasca over at Erowid. Here's a small selection: 

"Basically, it annihilated my normal sense of self. I had no conception in these initial minutes that this plant was totally safe, or that the effects were temporary. I felt it had actually warped my psyche irreversibly. My mind searched in vain for some explanation as to what might be happening to me. Surely I must be dying. I was becoming ever more convinced this was the end. Or even that I'd already died and was entering the Dreaming for good. Surely I must be dying. I was becoming ever more convinced this was the end. Or even that I'd already died and was entering the Dreaming for good.I realized this had to be a dream, and yet I knew I was awake. That left only one option. The world was a dream, not really 'real' at all. A completely directed, constructed plastic dream set up for me by God and my father and mother, which I feared was now finally, irreversibly dissolving."

"In my uncertain state I found this instant response a little cheeky, and was unnerved by it, although this is the sort of thing I usually love. The confusion led me to try and get my bearings, but the Salvia, picking up speed now, easily outran my attempts to be master of the situation. This led to further distress on my part in the standard cycle. I began to feel environmental disturbances/distractions. The setting sun outside my window was illuminating my room very, very dimly, but I had become hypersensitive to light. Looking at the dimly lit window felt like I was staring into the sun. I learned that the recommended silent darkness approach really means darkness, total pitch black."

"My first sensation, as with all other sessions, is that of a shift in perception where I feel/see subtle vibrations. The room begins to soften. The edges to my vision (peripheral) begin to blur andvibrate. It’s similar to the feelings of a “tunnel vision.” It feels very “deja vu” and child-like. The idea of “memory echoes” describes what I’m feeling very well. Strangely, my body feels both jagged and fluid and I’m moving with these vibrations. My body begins to get warmer. The feeling gets intense and I place my hand over my face. I close my eyes. I begin to get lost in a sort of swirling sensation, where my focus is up and my vision swirls into or from my head (not sure which direction). I don’t feel dizzy/nauseous. On the far edges of these swirls are patterns of objects that repeat over and over. These objects are so difficult to describe. They are so bizarre. Some of them look like parts of things I’ve seen like people (particularly body parts like legs, arms, necks, bellies, and not faces), trees, landscapes, urban streets, but there is no consistency. Random images? There is a greenish color to it all. It’s like a marching, swirling, mosaic of semi-emerald photo pieces I took while traveling that are merged with other objects. The quality of these images is similar to a mirrored reflection of said objects; they don’t seem like to original object, but like a reflection of it."

Salvia Ceremony

Where can you get salvia?

Salvia is legal in many places but isn’t widely available for multiple reasons. Even in countries where salvia is legal, the market for hallucinogens is usually quite small. Many businesses don’t want to carry it and would rather sell things like tobacco or cannabis if it’s legal there. 

That being said, certain smoke shops in the United States carry salvia. In states where it’s legal, salvia can be bought in these smoke shops and online. 

What forms of salvia are available?

The most popular ways to get salvia are foraging wild plants, planting the plant yourself and buying dried salvia or salvia extracts.  

All of these options are only available if salvia is legal in your area. Please check the legality of salvia in your area before you try and get it. 

How can you get some salvia for yourself?

Foraging for salvia.  

If you live in a place where Salvia divinorum grows naturally and is legal, you can harvest it for yourself. This method works pretty well in Mexico. 

Planting salvia yourself.  

Planting and growing your own salvia plants is a pretty difficult task since most nurseries don’t sell Salvia divinorum seeds or plants. You’ll have more luck getting the plant from other local salvia enthusiasts. Also, you need to be good enough at gardening to keep your salvia plant alive.

Buying dried salvia.  

Dried salvia is the most commonly available form of salvia available for purchase. Dried salvia looks like any other dried spice and because of this it’s pretty common for scammers to sell “dried salvia” that’s dried salvia mixed in with other, cheaper spices. If you’re going to buy dried salvia, try and get it from a seller that has a decent reputation who avoids doing these kinds of things.

Buying salvia extracts. 

Salvia extracts contain the primary psychoactive ingredient of salvia in a concentrated form. While you potentially can get stronger effects from these extracts, you should be wary of extracts since they’re not regulated and can have other things mixed into it without your knowledge.

You can get extracts in a variety of potencies, usually in multiples of strength, like 10X, 20X, 70X

Where is salvia legal and where is it illegal?

Salvia is legal in a lot of places but it’s also illegal in a few. Salvia is loosely regulated in most places around the world but that doesn’t mean it’s legal everywhere. 

You need to do some research and check if Salvia is legal where you live or wherever you plan on using it. Salvia is notably legal inMexico and some states of America.

Salvia is legal in the following states of America. 

• Washington
• Nevada
• Arizona
• Oregon
• New York
• New Mexico
• South Carolina
• New Hampshire
• Rhode Island
• Idaho
• Massachusetts
• California (age-restricted to 18 and above)
• Maine (age-restricted to 18 and above)
• Maryland (age-restricted to 21 and above)

Here’s a list of countries where Salvia is illegal: 

• United Kingdom
• Switzerland
• Sweden
• South Korea
• Singapore
• Russia
• Romania
• Philippines
• Portugal
• Poland
• Japan
• Lithuania
• Latvia
• Ireland
• Germany
• Czech Republic
• Croatia
• Canada
• Bulgaria
• Brazil
• Belgium
• Australia
• Armenia 

FAQs

• Is salvia considered a drug? 

Yes, salvia is considered a drug and is a controlled substance in multiple countries. 

• Is salvia illegal? 

Yes, salvia is illegal in multiple different countries around the world. However, it’s also completely legal in some.

• Can I find salvia in the wild? 

Yes, you can find Salvia divinorum in the wild. Foraging for it is pretty common in Mexico.

Final Thoughts

Salvia has a pretty cool history and a solid enough reputation as far as hallucinogens go. It’s a hallucinogen that’s been used for generations and is a pretty safe bet as far as health issues are concerned. However, you should still treat it with respect and take care if you choose to use it.