Other plant products Category: Headshop Drugs

Salvia divinorum

(also called: diviner’s sage, divine mint, magic mint, ska maría pastora, sage of the seers, hallucinogenic sage, sage, the matrix, eclipse, salvia, salvia divinorum)

How it’s used

Salvia is a powerful, short acting hallucinogen. You can buy it as a ‘natural high’. The fresh plant leaf is light green in colour and dark brown or black when it is dried for smoking. Different strengths are available (10x, 20x, 30x). You can smoke salvia in pipes or joints and you can chew it. Salvia comes from the American plant salvia divinorum, a member of the mint or sage family. It has long been used in religious ceremonies by the Mazatec Indians in Mexico. Salvia has become popular in Ireland in recent years and you can buy it over the internet or in ‘head shops’ as a legal product.

Short-term effects

The effects depend on the strength of the preparation and the way you take it
The main effects are usually over within 10 minutes but residual effects can last a couple of hours
You may have dramatic images and visions, uncontrollable laughter, echoing of sounds, time distortion and dissociative effects – losing the ability to interact with yourself and those around you
You may feel light-headed and extremely scared

Long-term effects

We don’t know enough about the long-term effects of salvia
Paranoia
Your brain may slow down

Other dangers

If you have underlying mental health problems, any drug can trigger them
Because we don’t know what’s in these drugs, you are not fully informed about the risks of taking the drug or when used with other drugs