Salvia Divinorum Trip: This You Need to Know

Author: Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

Salvia divinorum, the magical plant with hallucinogenic effects, is known among many a psychonaut. But have you learned about its history and properties? A Salvia trip is not comparable to an LSD trip or magic mushrooms. In this blog you will get to know the Salvia plant and read about the effects of this psychedelic drug. 

History of Salvia: magical medicine of the Mazatec shaman

Shamanism is intimately connected to humanity and can be found all over the world. Communicating with the magical world is done in various ways and psychedelics often play a key role in this. Just like psilocybe mushrooms can show the divine in us, Salvia divinorum is also a popular medicine within shamanism.

Originally, Salvia divinorum comes from Oaxaca in Mexico. Botanists have been unable to discover the exact origin of this plant. Was it a naturally wild plant? Or did indigenous peoples cultivate it and is the plant a cultigen of the Mazatecs or some other indigenous tribe? 

Fact is Salvia divinorum is very difficult to reproduce via seed and so usually has to be propagated via cuttings. This is done by humans and thus shows how sensitive Salvia is to extinction and how intimately connected it is to humanity. The various Salvia plants around the world probably come from a few plants from the Oaxaca area and have been propagated via cuttings and thus are all clones from each other. 

In 1939, American anthropologist Jean Bassett Johnson discovered the use of Salvia divinorum within the magical rituals of the Mazatecs. He was in Mexico at the time, studying shamanism. Also, he is the first Westerner to attend a ceremony with magic mushrooms. 
Subsequently, it took more than 50 years for the psychoactive mechanism of action of the salvia plant to be clarified. This study was led by Daniel Siebert in 1990. 

Tripping with Salvia: How do I prepare for a Salvia trip?

If you are going to do Salvia for the first time, it is good to inform yourself sufficiently about the possible effects of Salvia divinorum. It is also very important to approach a trip with Salvia with respect and caution. Sirius sells powerful Salvia divinorum extracts that can provide a very intense experience. Below are some basic tips that are important when preparing for a trip with Salvia divinorum:

Choose a tripsitter

If you are taking a psychedelic for the first time, it is important that you have someone around who will stay sober and watch over you. Suppose you need something or you are overwhelmed by the effect, there is someone around to help calm you down and assist you.

Trip in a safe environment

Especially with Salvia divinorum, but also with magic mushrooms and magic truffles, it is important you choose a safe and quiet place to trip. You can react unpredictably to a psychedelic drug. Choose a familiar environment such as a living room or your garden. With Salvia it is important that sharp objects are kept away and that you don't trip on the edge of a cliff. It is possible you lose your balance or suddenly make crazy movements and hurt yourself. 

In what ways can you trip with Salvia divinorum?

Chewing the fresh Salvia leaves

This is the traditional way of use and gives a very different effect than smoking a Salvia extract. Still, for many psychonauts it is impossible or very difficult to apply this way of using Salvia, simply because fresh Salvia leaves are not easy to get. If you get the chance to work with fresh Salvia leaves, traditionally it is important you always dose in pairs. A dose of fresh Salvia leaves varies between 4 - 64 pairs of fresh leaves.
As an alternative to this traditional way of use, it is also possible to soak dried Salvia leaves in water and then chew on them. The dried Salvia leaves are available in our smartshop. 

Dosage fresh Salvia leaves

• Low dosage: 10 g fresh leaves (2 g or dried leaves)
• Normal dosage: 30 g fresh leaves (6 g dried leaves)
• High dosage: 50 g or fresh leaves (10 g of dried leaves)

Smoking or vaping dried leaves

Sirius Smartshop sells Salvia extracts of different strengths as well as the pure Salvia leaf in its dried form. It is difficult to get a full-blown trip out of smoking Salvia leaves, but it is certainly possible. 

To get acquainted with Salvia divinorum for the first time I recommend to try the dried leaf first. Put the leaf in a pipe, or roll it in a joint, together with a tobacco substitute or other dried herb.

It is also possible to vaporize Salvia divinorum leaf with a vaporizer. For example, choose the Crafty from Storz & Bickel.

Dosage of dried Salvia leaf smoking or vaporizing

• Low dosage: 0.25 grams
• Normal dosage: 0.5 grams
• High dosage: 0.75 grams

Salvia Extract 5x to 25x

Sirius sells Salvia divinorum extracts of different strengths. Always start with Salvia extract 5x and see how you like this experience. With Salvia - and by the way also with other psychoactive substances - it is better to build up slowly and to see how sensitive you are. 

Dosage 5x Salvia extract

• Low dosage: 0.05 - 0.1 g
• Normal dosage: 0.08 - 0.15 g
• High dosage: 0.01 - 0.025

What are the effects of Salvia divinorum?

Salvia divinorum is a psychedelic plant and thus produces a mind-altering effect. Unlike traditional psychedelics such as magic mushrooms and LSD, Salvia divinorum gives a hallucinogenic experience that is not comparable to other psychedelic drugs. The effects of Salvia further depend greatly on how the plant is taken and, of course, the amount. 

Following are generalized effects you may have with Salvia divinorum.

• Strong change in mood and perception of the world.
• Physical changes such as getting hot, feeling pressure on certain points of the body.
• Feeling of merging with objects or transforming into an object
• Dissociative state, in which you seem to be detached from yourself.

Possible positive effects of Salvia divinorum

Salvia divinorum is considered a sacred plant and a divine medicine by the Mazatec people. According to them, Salvia can bring insight into life in many different ways. 

A trip with Salvia divinorum can grant insight into your life and problems that arise. Salvia can also show the beauty of life. Users further report a certain calmness thanks to Salvia.

Possible negative effects of Salvia divinorum

For users it can sometimes be difficult to place a Salvia trip. Many user experiences show that confusion can result from a Salvia trip. This is certainly the case when smoking a Salvia extract. For people with little experience with Salvia it is therefore recommended to first start with the dried leaves. 
Negative effects of Salvia divinorum further consist of: losing control during a Salvia trip, panic, anxiety, dizziness, paranoia. These negative effects occur faster when smoking the extract, than when taking leaves. 

Tripping with Salvia divinorum: how does Salvinorin A work?

The primary active ingredient in Salvia divinorum was discovered by ethnobotanist Daniel Siebert. Salvinorin A is a psychedelic substance with special properties and not comparable to substances like psilocybin and LSD. 

Salvinorin A works on a part of your brain that is also related to the kappa opioid receptors in our brain. This part is related to pain relief and mood. Currently, scientists are exploring whether Salvinorin A could possibly be an interesting new pharmacological agent for developing a new antidepressant or pain medication, among others. There are also promising suggestions that Salvinorin A could help treat Alzheimer's and treat certain strokes.

Frequently asked questions about Salvia divinorum

Can you overdose on Salvia leaves?

The chances of overdosing with Salvia divinorum leaves are almost non-existent. You would have to ingest an awful lot of leaves at one time.

However, it is important to realize that a Salvia extract is very potent and therefore can cause a very strong effect. So always be extra careful with extracts and always start with the last possible extract of Salvia extract 5 x. 

Can one become addicted to Salvia?

No, one cannot become addicted to Salvia divinorum. It has no physically addictive effect. As with other psychedelics there is a chance of mental dependency. However, with Salvia this will occur very rarely.

How long does a trip with Salvia last?

A trip with Salvia is of short duration. Smoking Salvia will cause the effect within seconds to minutes and this will not last longer than about 20 minutes. 

Chewing the (fresh) leaves gives a significantly longer effect; in total the trip lasts about 2 hours. 

Order Salvia divinorum in the Sirius Smartshop

At Sirius you can find high quality Salvia divinorum extracts of different strengths. You can also find dried Salvia divinorum leaves in the online smartshop.

In the Sirius Headshop you can buy everything you need to use Salvia yourself. Think of pipes, strainers and a torch lighter.

For personal advice, we advise you to contact our customer service, or visit one of our physical smartshops in Maastricht or Roermond.

Elena Experience expert (psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants), blogger, passion for healthy food

Elena studies Organic and Biodynamic agriculture because, besides psychedelics and psychoactive & medicinal plants, she also has a passion for healthy food. Learning about the endocannabinoid system, different cannabinoids and terpenes is super interesting.

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