English: Salvia divinorum parade in Berlin 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
So everybody knows that in this new day and age, there is a huge market for different types of shall we say, personal diversional materials. We have gone beyond Jack Daniels and cigars with our feet kicked up chillaxin, there is a an aggressive search for legal mind altering items and its HUGE business. Enter Salvia Divinorum aka “Diviner’s Sage.” Now this is not your mom’s sage spice you find in her cabinet or that she adds to her spaghetti, this is some pure diversional stuff right here! I’m not sitting in judgment of anyone’s habits, but I just felt the need to speak on this new phenomenon and I found a great site to give me some information, www.thebestsalvia.com it was pretty descriptive about the benefits and history of the herb.
One of my interests in this subject is because we see so much talk in the music industry surrounding drugs like Molly, X and of course the ever present marijuana. It seems everywhere we turn, we are inundated with songs and videos about this drug or that and so I figured I would explore one of the currently legal diversions. Since having your mind in an altered state is such a huge subject within the music/entertainment industry…lets have a class!!!
According to Wikipedia, “Salvia divinorum (also known as Diviner’s Sage, Ska María Pastora, Seer’s Sage, and by its genus name Salvia) is a psychoactive plant which can induce dissociative effects and is a potent producer of “visions” and other hallucinatory experiences. Its native habitat is within cloud forest in the isolated Sierra Mazateca of Oaxaca, Mexico, where it grows in shady and moist locations. The plant grows to over a meter high, has hollow square stems, large leaves, and occasional white flowers with violet calyxes. Botanists have not determined whether Salvia divinorum is a cultigen or a hybrid; native plants reproduce vegetatively, rarely producing viable seed.
Mazatec shamans have a long and continuous tradition of religious use of Salvia divinorum, using it to facilitate visionary states of consciousness during spiritual healing sessions. Most of the plant’s local common names allude to the Mazatec belief that the plant is an incarnation of the Virgin Mary, with its ritual use also invoking that relationship. Its chief active psychoactive constituent is a structurally unique diterpenoid called salvinorin A, a potent κ-opioid and D2 receptor agonist. Salvia divinorum is generally understood to be of low toxicity (high LD50) and low addictive potential since it is a κ-opioid agonist.
Salvia divinorum remains legal in most countries and, within the United States, is legal in the majority of states. However, some have called for its prohibition. While not currently regulated by US federal drug laws, several states have passed laws criminalizing the substance. Some proposed state bills have failed to progress and have not been made into law (with motions having been voted down or otherwise dying in committee stages). There have not been many publicized prosecutions of individuals violating anti-salvia laws in the few countries and states in which it has been made illegal.” (Wikipedia.org)
The site www.thebestsalvia.com is much more entertaining than Wikipedia and presents the material on the subject quite well. I liked the fact that it was easy to navigate and even broke down the strengths and possible effects. The color scheme is appropriate too…green LOL. While I haven’t tried this product and at my age have no desire to, at least I found a place to give me some quality information.
I am hoping to spark (pun intended) some conversation not only about the site www.thebestsalvia.com, but about the product and the prevalence of these items within the music community. I sit and listen to my children of various ages over 18 as they converse about these things and damn do I feel left out! Does anyone else get that feeling of being on the outside looking in with this stuff?
Thanks for reading and please chime in…I need some company!!!
Related articles
- Salvia Divinorum, The Pastime Drug You Will Absolutely Delight in (salviadivinoruminformation.wordpress.com)
- The Numerous Benefits and Functions of Salvia Divinorum Plant Extracts (salviadivinoruminformation.wordpress.com)
- An Unforgettable Encounter (salviadivinoruminformation.wordpress.com)
- In the name of God … smoke this. (trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com)
CONTACT: Ellie Schlam, (212)726-5343, ellies@kidney.org
