Salvia

History

Salvia divinorum is believed to have a long history of use in traditional Central American rituals, particularly for divination and healing. However, unlike many plants known to indigenous peoples, salvia was not recognised by early European explorers, and was only ethnobotanically described in 1938 by the American anthropologist Jean B. Johnson.

Despite several decades of investigation, the precise mechanisms of action of the active ingredients of the plant (divinorin A and B) remained unknown until 2002. Salvia began to be available commercially in the late-1990s, often marketed as an ‘exotic’ legal alternative to cannabis, although smoking has never been noted as a traditional form of consumption. Extracts of the plant in various forms and strengths have become widespread on the internet and in head shops in recent years.