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Subjective effects of Salvia divinorum.

Phil Dalgarno

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs June 1, 2007 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2007.10399872 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Qualitative study Peer reviewed
Sample size 10
Population Salvia users
Topics Salvia divinorum
Keywords Traditional use Indigenous practices Ritual context Cultural use Ethnobotany Subjective experience Personal perception Visionary effects Altered states Psychedelic experience Cultural immersion Cultural influence Indigenous knowledge Cross-cultural perception
Citations 21
Key findings Users who understand the ritualistic setting for traditional use appear to have a fuller Salvia experience than those who do not.

Abstract

Salvia divinorum is a hallucinogenic plant native to Mexico, where the Mazatec Indians use it in divinatory rituals as a facilitator for contacting the spirits of the dead. A number of traditions surrounding the ritualistic use of Salvia are still observed. Generally the leaves are chewed for the visionary effects. Salvia has recently been embraced by Western drug cultures, where the traditional methods of ingestion are generally eschewed for the more immediately effective technique of smoking the dried leaves. This article discusses the history and indigenous cultural uses of Salvia before outlining its rediscovery in the 1960s and its subsequent introduction to the Western drug scenes (particularly Britain) since the mid 1990s. Qualitative data from 10 Salvia users were collected by means of email interviews. The participants were asked to provide as in-depth responses as possible. No time or space limit on answers was imposed. Their responses to each question are presented verbatim. The effects of Salvia appear to vary between users and seem sensitive to situational factors. Users who understand something of the ritualistic setting for traditional use would appear to have a fuller experience than those who do not.

Comparable studies

Other qualitative studies on salvia divinorum, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Ethnopharmacology of ska María Pastora (Salvia divinorum, Epling and Játiva-M.). Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico 1983 Ethnographic and pharmacological review
Legally tripping: a qualitative profile of Salvia divinorum use among young adults. Young adults who use Salvia divinorum 2011 Ethnographic study
Regulating a novel drug: an evaluation of changes in use of Salvia divinorum in the first year of Florida's ban. Young adults in Florida and law enforcement personnel from the state's most populated... 2012 Mixed methods: three self-report surveys and qualitative interviews
Novel use patterns of Salvia divinorum: unobtrusive observation using YouTube™. YouTube videos depicting Salvia divinorum use 2011 Qualitative and quantitative analysis of online videos
Salvia divinorum: a psychopharmacological riddle and a mind-body prospect. Mazatec traditional practitioners and users of Salvia divinorum 2013 Ethnographic field research with multidisciplinary review

Citations in the library

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Salvia divinorum