Is Salvia Divinorum the New Legal Drug?

March 30th, 2008 by Carmela

Salvia Divinorum is the new drug on the block: it is a totally legal (at least in most countries and most states in the US) and widely available both over the counter in many tobacco shops and over the Internet. The herb, a close relation of the Salvia plants that you may find flowering in your garden, is billed as the most potent naturally occurring drug. It is, scientists and users state, as potent as LSD.

The active hallucinogenic ingredient in Salvia Divinorum – Salvinorin A – works in a very unique way on the brain’s receptors. Dr. Bryan Roth of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Psychoactive Drug Screening Program (NIMHPDSP is the catchy acronym) says: “What we found is quite remarkable and unprecedented among naturally occurring drugs of abuse … [The Salvia Divinorum] compound seems to have absolute specificity for a single receptor site on the brain.”.

Not much at all is known about the long term effects of Salvia Divinorum but fans may find some solace in the news that it, at least potentially, might eventually lead to new drugs that could be used to treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia.

Related Articles

  • Growing Popularity of Salvia in California
  • What is Salvia?
  • iTunes gets legal MP3 downloads competitor
  • Uni of Washington reveals stance on filesharing


  • Posted in General

    4 Responses

    1. Is Salvia the New Marijuana?

      [...] Salvia Divinorum is widely available on the Internet for delivery throughout the world and is even available over the counter at some tobacco and specialist shops; it may be known as “Magic Mint,” “Ska Maria Pastora” or “Sally D” and is equally popular with young and old fans. [...]

    2. Booming Popularity for Salvia Divinorum

      [...] the long-term effects of Salvia Divinorum are not yet fully understood, it is possible that the line between ‘good’ and [...]

    3. Salvia Dragon: Banning of the legal hallucinogen

      [...] Legislators in the US are, naturally, trying their hardest to gain political brownie-points by banning Salvia Divinorum. Perhaps unsurprisingly the legislative machine has succeeded in banning the substance in a number [...]

    4. Salvia - The Legal Marijuana

      [...] Salvia Divinorum is a member of the herb family and is native to Mexico. Currently it is legal in most states and is widely available across the Internet and even in specialist shops. [...]

    Leave a Comment

    Please note: Comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment.

    If you found this page useful, consider linking to it.
    Simply copy and paste the code below into your web site (Ctrl+C to copy)
    It will look like this: Is Salvia Divinorum the New Legal Drug?