Beginners Guide to Salvia Divinorum


The purpose of this guide is to educate and inform you about the safe use of Salvia Divinorum. Salvia Divinorum is a psychoactive herb used for centuries by shamans in the Oaxaca region of Mexico. Salvia is a cousin of the sage and mint families. There are over 1,000 different species of Salvia in the world but only Salvia Divinorum has vision inducing effects. The literal translation of Salvia divinorum is “Sage of Seers” and it is also know by the names Diviners Sage, Sheperdess’s Herb,yerba de Maria, Sally D, Ska Pastora and ska Maria Pastoria.


Types of Salvia

Salvia is available in different forms but is most often ingested orally through chewing or smoked in a pipe or vaporizer.

Since the nineties, Salvia has been widely available in dried leaf and extract form with extracts becoming stronger and more potent in recent years. Extracts are available in 5x concentration all the way to 100x concentration. The number 5 in 5x refers to the amount of dried leaf that the extract is derived from. A 5x extract simply means that it takes 5 grams of dried salvia leaf to produce 1 gram of extract.


Standardized Extracts- Standardized extracts provide a consistent quantity of the active component in Salvia, Salvia Divinorum A. This is done by carefully infusing the dried salvia leaves with exact amounts of salvia divinorum extract. Often, the salvia A is extracted from the salvia plant using alcohol diffusion. Standardized extracts are of higher quality than non-standardized extracts.


Effects of Salvia

Although Salvia has been portrayed in the media as a legal alternative to marijuana, this could not be further from the truth. Unlike marijuana, salvia is a serious entheogen that can generate visions and feelings that are unlike anything the user has ever before experienced. Many salvia users experience complete disassociation from reality. The effects are intense but peak quickly. Typical Salvia trips last 15-20 minutes but can last longer depending on the quantity and concentration of the salvia. After peaking, the user is in a relaxed and often euphoric state.


Smoking Salvia

Salvia Divinorum is typically smoked in the form of a concentrated extract for maximum effect. As the case when smoking any plant or herb, it is best to use a water pipe or vaporizer to minimize any negative effects to your lungs. Smoke is smoke after all.