Grape-Scented Sage (Salvia melissodora) Psychoactive?
Answered by: Richters Staff
Question from: André Côté
Posted on: July 30, 2006

In the Grape scented sage description, what does "Thought to contain the same psychotropic compound found in diviners sage (S. divinorum)" mean? Not tested and not known, or less concentrated?

Richard Dufresne, a collector of Salvia species, writes in his self-published "Salvia Placard Handbook" (1997): "Reputed to be medicinal by Tarahumara Indians. May contain Divinorin A, a psychotropic agent found in S. divinorum." On what he based this statement Dufresne does not give any further detail. Divinorin A is better known as salvinorin A, the hallucinogenic active compound found in Salvia divinorum, the well-known divinatory herb used by the Mazatec Indians of Oaxaca State in Mexico.

Betsy Clebsch in her, "A Book of Salvias" (available from Richters), doesn’t mention any psychotropic effect. But about Tarahumara Indian medicinal use she says that the leaves and seeds have been used for "several hundred years".

There is some anecdotal evidence that other species of Salvia have mild euphoric effects. Several recent postings in the Usenet newsgroup alt.drugs.salvia report effects of smoking dried Salvia coccinea leaves. Salvia splendens, the common salvia grown as an annual bedding plant, has also long be thought to possess psychoactive properties.

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