Salvia Divinorum - What Is It Made Of?

What Is It Made Of?

Salvia divinorum is an herb, a member of the family of sages and mints. When fully grown, it stands approximately 24- to 36-inches (61- to 91-centimeters) tall. Its leaves—which are the part of the plant that causes hallucinations and other changes in the user's mind—are about 6-inches (15-centimeters) long. Salvia divinorum grows naturally in Mexico, in the highland areas of the Sierra Mazatecas in the state of Oaxaca. Originally, the plant grew only in remote pockets of the mountainous regions of that area. But the Mazatec Indians transplanted it at lower elevations, closer to their villages. In modern times it continues to thrive at these lower elevations, both in the wild and in cultivated areas. The first plants brought to the United States were imported by researchers, who kept them mostly in university greenhouses. By 2005, however, Salvia divinorum had been identified as growing in the wild in California. It has also been cultivated in Mexico, Hawaii, and California.

In chemical terms, the pure active ingredientThe chemical or substance in a compound known or believed to have a therapeutic, or healing, effect. in the plant is known as salvinorin A. When salvinorin A is extracted from the plant and purified, it takes on a crystalline form.

Salvinorin A is a member of a group of nitrogen-containing compounds known as neoclerodane diterpenes (nee-oh-CLER-uh-dane dy-ter-peenz). These substances have psychotropic properties, or the ability to cause changes in the human mind. Other substances classified as neoclerodane diterpenes are the active ingredients in the wormwood, or artemisia plant, and in tetrahydrocannabinol (TETT-ruh-HY-droh-kah-NABB-ih-nol; THC), the active ingredient in marijuana. (An entry on marijuana is available in this encyclopedia.) Oil of wormwood is used in making absinthe, an alcoholic drink whose properties are so strong and potentially damaging that it has

A twenty-four-year-old student is shown surrounded by some of the Salvia divinorum plants that he grows in Mexico. AP/Wide World Photos.
A twenty-four-year-old student is shown surrounded by some of the Salvia divinorum plants that he grows in Mexico. AP/Wide World Photos.

been outlawed in many places. THC, salvinorin A, and the active ingredient in wormwood are all chemically very similar.

In the traditional means of using the Salvia divinorum plant, the leaves are taken in their natural state. As people outside the traditional Indian cultures have begun to experiment with it, other methods of preparing the substance have been developed. A purified form of salvinorin A can be extracted from the leaves of the plant, and then concentrated through repeated crystallization (the process of causing a substance to form a crystalline structure).