Three new neoclerodane diterpenoids, salvinorins D-F (4-6), have been isolated from the leaves of Salvia divinorum. The structures were elucidated by chemical and spectroscopic methods, particularly 1D and 2D NMR. A simplified isolation method using chromatography on activated carbon also gave improved yields of the controlled substance salvinorin A (1) and of salvinorin C (3).
Salvinorin A, a neoclerodane diterpene, is the most potent naturally occurring hallucinogen known and rivals the synthetic hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide in potency. Recently, the molecular target of salvinorin A was identified as the kappa opioid receptor (KOR). Salvinorin A represents the only known non-nitrogenous KOR selective agonist. Based on the selectivity of salvinorin A for...
Salvinorin A is a unique hallucinogen that is seeing increased use in humans. It is not currently a controlled substance and is used as a legal alternative to controlled substances. Usually smoked or buccally absorbed by chewing, doses of approximately 200 mcg can produce profound hallucinogenic effects of short duration. The mechanism of action of salvinorin A is at the kappa-opioid receptor....
Salvia divinorum, whose main active ingredient is the neoclerodane diterpene Salvinorin A, is a hallucinogenic plant in the mint family that has been used in traditional spiritual practices for its psychoactive properties by the Mazatecs of Oaxaca, Mexico. More recently, S. divinorum extracts and Salvinorin A have become more widely used in the U.S. as legal hallucinogens. We discovered that...
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Ms. G is a 26-year-old woman with a history of depression that has shown no significant periods of remission since adolescence and has been predominated by feelings of worthlessness, lack of interest in social activities, an absence of occupational satisfaction, and inability to find purpose and meaning in her life. After first seeking treatment for her depression 5 years ago Ms. G was...
Salvinorin C (1), a minor component from a biologically active TLC fraction, was isolated from the leaves of the Mexican mint Salvia divinorum. Its structure was elucidated on the basis of extensive proton and C-13 NMR experiments, as well as by comparison of the NMR data with those of the mono- and diacetate derivatives 5-7 of the major NaBH(4)-reduction product of salvinorin A (2)....
Salvia divinorum Epling & Jativa is an hallucinogenic mint traditionally used for curing and divination by the Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico. Young people from Mexican cities were reported to smoke dried leaves of S. divinorum as a marijuana substitute. Recently, two S. divinorum specimens were seized in a large-scale illicit in-door and out-door hemp plantation. Salvinorin A also called...
Salvia divinorum Epling & J. Tiva-M. is a member of the mint family (or Lamiaceae) native to the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. It is used by the Mazatec Indians of the region, in a manner similar to psilocybian mushrooms and lysergic acid-containing morning glory seeds, as a ritual entheogen (hallucinogen) and divinatory aid. It is propagated vegetatively by the Mazatecs, and no wild specimens...
The diterpene salvinorin A from Salvia divinorum (Epling and Jativa-M), in doses of 200-500 micrograms produces effects which are subjectively identical to those experienced when the whole herb is ingested. Salvinorin A is effectively deactivated by the gastrointestinal system, so alternative routes of absorption must be used to maintain its activity. Traditionally the herb is consumed either...