Mental, Physical, and Long-Term Effects of Salvia Use

Although salvia is not considered addictive, people who struggle with substance use, polydrug use, or co-occurring disorders are more likely to use this drug or take too much of it. Even a small dose of a powerful hallucinogen like salvia can trigger mental health issues. Meanwhile, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2016 survey on drug use and health, 5346 individuals 12 years old and older used Salvia Divinorum. The survey also states that 5293 individuals aged 18 and above, and 3821 individuals aged 26 and above, used the Salvia plant, although it’s now known how much of them suffered from Salvia addiction or Salvia abuse.

1. That means individual state laws apply to salvia but no federal ones.
2. Contrary to diabetes or other metabolic diseases as prevalent as CKD, renal function impairment is often asymptomatic until very late stages [2].
3. Salvia divinorum appears to be safe both physiologically and psychologically.
4. Addiction Resource is not a healthcare provider, nor does it claim to offer sound medical advice to anyone.

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They also inhibited COX-2, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, and nuclear factor κβ activity [64]. Miltiorrhiza significantly inhibited the mRNA and protein expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-8 in LPS-stimulated macrophages [65]. Investigations into the constituents of Saliva plants have also confirmed that caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid [66] and ursolic acid [51] have strong anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, their effects were substantially greater than the sage flavonoids, luteolin and apigenin [48]. In another in vitro study, salvianolic acid L showed potent free radical scavenging activities for DPPH and superoxide anion radicals.

Salvia Addiction Causes

It must be noted that because there is limited research on this particular drug, more studies are needed to fully assess its dangers as all of Salvia’s effects are still not known. It is also not known whether the substance has addictive properties and if there is a risk for Salvia addiction. When it comes to the dangers that come with the use of the drug, users typically experience impaired judgment, sensory and cognitive changes as a result of intense hallucinations. Scientists have also found that the use of Salvia either alone or combined with alcohol and other drugs has cardiovascular, neurologic, and gastrointestinal effects. Furthermore, using it in combination with other drugs of abuse (such as alcohol) resulted in complications and psychomotor disturbances.

Associated Data

Other species of salvia seeds and plants that are not hallucinogenic are commonly sold for gardening. Salvia is a herb from the mint family and can cause brief, intense psychedelic experiences.2 Salvinorin A is the active ingredient in salvia divinorum, which has a long history of use by Indigenous shamans in Mexico. There’s some evidence that salvia divinorum has mood-enhancing, antidepressant and anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects. It’s said to increase feelings of relaxation and self awareness, and may work as a potential natural remedy for depression. Many hallucinogens, from shrooms to LSD, are not believed to be addictive, although some people develop compulsive behaviors around consuming these drugs. Taking salvia may instead be a symptom of a larger polydrug abuse problem.

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For centuries, it was used by indigenous, tribal populations as a method of “divine sight,” fueling spiritual visions through its hallucinogenic effect. As a result, it is often called by the name “diviner’s sage,” though it is also known as magic mint, Sally-D, and Maria Pastora. This study used a single-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects design. All participants completed an unblinded practice session and a single-blinded scanning session at Johns Hopkins University. Participants were asked to refrain from using psychoactive drugs 24 h before each session.

M.K.D. collected data, analyzed data, produced figures, and wrote the manuscript. M.W.J. contributed to study design, collected data, and edited the manuscript. J.M.C. recruited participants, collected data, and contributed to writing the manuscript. S.L.H. analyzed data, produced figures, and contributed to writing the manuscript. F.S.B. designed and had primary oversight of the study, collected data, advised on analyses, and edited the manuscript.

Recorded audio prompts for the inhalation were presented through the headphones, and after each inhalation, music played through the headphones for the remainder of the scan. An experimenter remained in the scanner room with a hand on participants’ shin during functional scans. After scanning, participants completed questionnaires (see Supplementary Information for descriptions) and were debriefed. Most drug users have untreated disorders like depression, bipolar illness, ADD, childhood traumas, and PTSD. There are no industrial or commercial uses for salvia divinorum in Canada.

In an analysis of 10 Salvia species, it was confirmed that all species exhibited significant antioxidant activity as measured by oxygen radical absorbance capacity, radical scavenging capacity and total phenolic content. The extent of antioxidant activity varied across species and extraction methods used, the ethanolic extract of S. The flavonoid luteolin was identified to be highly active in inducing the synthesis and secretion of neurotrophic factors, including nerve growth factor, glial-derived neurotrophic factor and BDNF in cultured astrocytes [34].

Salvinorin A (SA) is a potent, selective κ-opioid receptor agonist and atypical dissociative hallucinogen found in Salvia divinorum, a plant only recently scheduled in many countries. Although Salvia divinorum leaves were traditionally administered orally by the indigenous Mazatecs of Mexico for ritualistic purposes1, the plant is now recreationally administered via vaporization or combustion. When inhaled, SA can produce intense feelings of depersonalization and derealization https://sober-home.org/12-steps-of-aa-what-are-the-principles-of-aa/ accompanied by drastic perceptual changes, with effects beginning within a minute of inhalation and subsiding by 15 min2,3,4. Unlike classic psychedelics, inhaled SA appears to be more incapacitating, causing unique alterations in interoception4, dense amnesia3, and more closely mimicking near-death experiences (similar to ketamine)21. One study reported SA experiences to be more similar to dreaming than experiences under other hallucinogens22 (cf. 23).

Note that the numbers in parentheses (1, 2, etc.) are clickable links to medically peer-reviewed studies. Currently, salvia isn’t approved for any medical uses https://sober-home.org/ in the United States. It’s also not controlled under Congress’s Controlled Substances Act. That means individual state laws apply to salvia but no federal ones.

It is worth noting that the DMN stood out as the best predictor of brain function for sFC and eFC. By increasing DMN entropy, it has been proposed that psychedelics could loosen the inflexibility of behaviors in conditions such as depression and addiction. If such effects of classic psychedelics are important and related to therapeutic outcomes, then it could be inferred based on our findings that that such benefits extend to κ-opioid agonists. With the increasing acceptance of hallucinogens as potential therapeutics, exploration of different pharmacological tools and their combinations will be a necessary avenue in future research. This study used fMRI to measure how inhaled SA alters brain functional connectivity in humans.

Divinorum [78] exhibited antidepressant and anxiolytic effects in animals models. However, the certainty of the evidence and the risk of bias are suboptimal and further clinical studies are still needed to determine the potential effects of Salvia miltiorrhiza for patients with CKD. A salvia dependence can occur due to the plant’s effects on the mind. The active ingredient, salvinorin A, attaches to the opioid receptors in the brain. Acting at the KOR, or kappa opiate receptor site, the compound alters the user’s ability to perceive reality. People may find the herb appealing because of the hallucinations it produces.

Effects of other hallucinogens include flashbacks to drug experiences, visual impairment and a condition called hallucinogen persisting perception disorder. However, it’s unclear if salvia causes similar long-term effects. If the person ingesting salvia does so regularly or has a preexisting mental health problem, taking the drug can lead to long-term depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, “flashback” hallucinations, and even psychosis that persists.

It’s as if the musicians in the orchestra stop following a central conductor and each start keeping time with separate metronomes. Some researchers think that the decreased activity between these network connections is part of the essence of what makes psychedelic drugs so psychedelic. However, animal studies suggest the drug may impair memory and learning, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Divinorum can also be developed, so it is possible that individuals who use this substance frequently may have to take higher doses or larger amounts to achieve the same effect as they had when they first started using it. And the same goes for LSD, a hallucinogen that is most often compared with S.

After this period has passed, a 1- to 2-minute period of “coming up” begins. M.W.J. has served as a paid consultant for Entheogen Biomedical and Otsuka Pharmaceutical regarding medications development related to psychedelic compounds. M.K.D., D.G.M., J.M.C., S.L.H., T.E.P., and F.S.B. have no competing interests to declare. All rights reserved |Privacy Policy|Advertising Policy Recover HQ does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If so, the Recovery HQ Team is here to assist you during this difficult time.