# Anyone tried tripping on the herb salvia divinorum? What was it like? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369 "2008-06-18T17:49:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/1 "2008-06-18T17:49:14Z")
Note to mods re [salvia divinorum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_divinorum) this is a legal substance in Maryland, so questions about it’s use are not advocating illegal drug use. [This article](http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/06/18/salvia/) makes it sound fascinating. I don’t consume drugs other than alcohol & caffeine, but this makes it sound like a “must have” experience. And it’s still legal in my state! > [@](#): > > Almost immediately, I had visions. Great, thick green vines, ancient beyond measure, stretched out into infinite space. A being that looked like an Aztec God flew above, spewing fire. I saw my head splitting open. Red goo poured out and melded into what appeared to be the cosmos. I had another vision, of me dancing with my son, which was a bit more pleasant. A large hole opened in the universe. I flew toward it. A beautiful woman in a white robe took my hand and guided me through. This, I later learned, was the “salvia spirit,” who appears in most salvia-inspired visions, or at least the ones that get chronicled on Erowid. She’s also repeatedly depicted in online “salvia art”. I opened my eyes, and the trip was over. Ten minutes had passed. From wiki > [@](#): > > Salvia divinorum, also known as Diviner’s Sage,[2] ska María Pastora,[3] Sage of the Seers, or simply by the genus name, Salvia, is a powerful psychoactive herb. It is a member of the sage genus and the Lamiaceae (mint) family.[4] The Latin name Salvia divinorum literally translates to “sage of the seers”.[5] The genus name Salvia is derived from the Latin salvare, meaning “to heal” or “to save”.[6] ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/2 "2008-06-18T18:06:10Z")
Haven’t tried it (it’s legal here, too), but have read online that it’s not a fun high. More like “being a wire clothes hanger” or “being paint drying on the wall” if I may paraphrase some of those accounts. Note that in its sacred context, there is someone there to guide the experience. Since it’s described as so depersonalizing, I’d want to hsve someone with me if I were to try it. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/3 "2008-06-18T18:21:05Z")
The content, character, and intensity varies among individuals and even among different occasions. I don’t have anything remotely like visions. I would qualify the acute experience as “mind-blowing”. I get aftereffects like a sensation of being uncomfortably warm, or more often a mild depression for a few hours. It’s an interesting place to go just to say that you’ve been there, but I’ve got a bag of potent extract that I haven’t touched in a year. And I probably won’t again… I just didn’t get enough positive out of it to justify the negative load. For me, consciousness sort of drops out of the equation, and I’m dealing with more of a somatic load. It starts with a sensation that my skin has become an electrically charged membrane. Soon I drop out of what you’d call ordinary consciousness, and I’m aware only of the sensation of the membrane. Then the membrane starts to change shapes, and I’m strongly aware of the pressure, stretching, flattening, etc. Once I had an odd physical sensation that could be likened to being a comet whose outer layers were being blown backward into the distance by solar winds. I just sat there for 5 minutes going “whoa”. Totally blown away. Once I’d fully returned to myself, I felt uncomfortably warm to the point where I had to remove my clothes and turn on a fan, and I got this series of very despondent thoughts about my life and circumstances for several hours. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/4 "2008-06-18T18:28:39Z")
[QUOTE=Cosmic Relief] and I got this series of very despondent thoughts about my life and circumstances for several hours. [/QUOTE] Hmmm… maybe not such a good idea after all, I get that for free. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/5 "2008-06-18T18:31:17Z")
I tried it years back. Some spatial distortion and wierd perception of time, slight visual hallucination, face and body felt “rubbery.” No interesting mental effect as uncle Albert. None of this could distract from the horrible repulsive taste. It ain’t no DMT. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/6 "2008-06-18T18:36:51Z")
[QUOTE=susan] Haven’t tried it (it’s legal here, too), but have read online that it’s not a fun high. More like “being a wire clothes hanger” or “being paint drying on the wall” if I may paraphrase some of those accounts. [/QUOTE] Not ever having gotten that high…may I ask…what does that even mean? ---
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/7 "2008-06-18T18:53:07Z")
A pothead friend of mine tried it once, and only once. She described it by saying if marijuana was sex, salvia was being molested by a balding uncle in a sweatsuit. ---
**Author:** ![NajaSong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@NajaSong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaSong)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/8 "2008-06-18T19:45:06Z")
Three of us tried Purple Sticky Salvia (not sure if it’s the same, and Google isn’t my friend at the moment). We smoked it. I felt immediately heavy, like gravity had increased (to put it in stoner terms). That was coupled with tunnel vision and dizziness. Then I started laughing uncontrollably for a couple of minutes. Then the “high” was done. It lasted 5-10 minutes. My friend also had the giggles, and according to him had the same physical feelings. My husband, however, had a completely different reaction. He went from a relatively happy mood to being incredibly paranoid and despondent. He started mumbling and had to be talked through it a bit. My husband is incredibly physically strong and tends to have bad “trips” from certain kinds of alcohol, so I was concerned he was going to start freaking out and I would have to restrain him. He’s never had any kind of hallucinogen before this, and after this experience he never will (if I have anything to say about it). Despite the giggling, this wasn’t an overly pleasant experience and I wouldn’t do it again. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/9 "2008-06-18T19:55:00Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd] I tried it years back. Some spatial distortion and wierd perception of time, slight visual hallucination, face and body felt “rubbery.” No interesting mental effect as uncle Albert. None of this could distract from the horrible repulsive taste. It ain’t no DMT. [/QUOTE] Pretty much my experience, although I didn’t experience any real changes. Nasty harsh taste, a bit of a headache, followed by a very slight and almost unnoticable effect as I lay on the bed and closed my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![trustno\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@trustno\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trustno_1)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/10 "2008-06-18T20:00:35Z")
It did nothing whatsoever for me or my mates. I think I’d get a better kick out of sniffing my roomates socks! ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/11 "2008-06-18T20:31:58Z")
Tried it 10 years ago or so - it was described to me as “herbal DMT”. Similar type high to nitrous in that it takes you totally out of reality for a brief period of time, but very psychedelic compared to nitrous (aka hippy crack). Enjoyed it immensely for an afternoon, and never did it again. Also, drugs are bad and illegal and you shouldn’t do 'em, m’kay? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/12 "2008-06-18T20:46:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Not ever having gotten that high…may I ask…what does that even mean? Depersonalization/derealization. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/13 "2008-06-18T21:15:47Z")
I’m fascinated by the “Yeah I tried it, it did some semi-intense stuff, but…eh… I don’t care for it, and didn’t do it again”. I was all ready for the writhing vines, stone Mayans and the opened heads etc. described in the article, but this sounds more akin to getting my hairy man chest waxed or trying Marmite for the first time, ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/14 "2008-06-18T22:00:07Z")
[QUOTE=astro] I was all ready for the writhing vines, stone Mayans and the opened heads etc. described in the article, but this sounds more akin to getting my hairy man chest waxed or trying Marmite for the first time, [/QUOTE] Basically, it’s only worth doing if you want to see what psychedelics are like but you can’t obtain any good ones. Or if you’re one of the lucky few Salvia users who regularly seem to get deeply positive and interesting experiences from it.\* Apart from that, I just don’t think it’s worth it. For something so powerful, it’s just too damned unpredictable to suit me. \*And I think half the people on Erowid are big fat liars who like to tell these amazing stories just for their own kicks, for drug advocacy, or other self-serving reasons. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/15 "2008-06-18T22:04:37Z")
[QUOTE=Soul] A pothead friend of mine tried it once, and only once. She described it by saying if marijuana was sex, salvia was being molested by a balding uncle in a sweatsuit. [/QUOTE] Your friend has a gift for analogy. ---
**Author:** ![whisven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bc79bd/32.png) [@whisven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whisven)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/16 "2008-06-18T22:20:19Z")
It was intense, confusing, unpleasant and not particularly easy to describe. Some of the physical sensations were downright alarming – I felt a bit as if I had been impaled through the head with a giant corkscrew, after which my body became twisted around the shaft like a piece of rubber. I am not tempted to repeat it! ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/17 "2008-06-18T22:26:49Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd] It ain’t no DMT. [/QUOTE] You’ve tried DMT? What was it like? ---
**Author:** ![jormundgondir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@jormundgondir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jormundgondir)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/18 "2008-06-18T22:57:07Z")
I guess I’m one of the lucky ones, since I’ve only had very strong and interesting experiences with it (years ago, granted)… but I only did it a small handful of times, since it sort of told me to come back later, and that I wasn’t ready to see it’s deepest secrets and oh by the way maybe you should water those plants on the back porch… Basically it said I needed to spend some time cultivating it, etc, before I would be “worthy”… I couldn’t handle the pressure and eventually broke off the relationship after distributing enough cuttings to rationalize it 😉 Anyway, it looks like a trip report I filed years ago is still up; it’s too long to re-post here, but it’s here [http://leda.lycaeum.org/?ID=5586](http://leda.lycaeum.org/?ID=5586). Short story is i met forest spirits and inhaled myself. Agreed on the similarities to DMT, but not quite so abruptly dissociative, and more wood nymph than machine leprauchan. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2008, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/19 "2008-06-18T23:24:53Z")
I’ve never done it but nearly everyone I know has. I haven’t heard a single good thing about it from any of them. It sounds to me like a really horrible experience, which might be why it’s not regulated by the law - the demand for it doesn’t seem to be there. I think that drugs like this are traditionally used by fuckin’ mystic holy men, guys who have gone through years of spiritual preparation for the experience. I can’t imagine that the average person - especially one without extensive psychedelic experience - will have a good time or gain any kind of insight with it. ---
**Author:** ![bufftabby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bufftabby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bufftabby)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369/20 "2008-06-19T01:01:24Z")
A lot depends on the strength of the stuff. The first time, every object zipped together with triangle Snoods (objects from a pc game, not the headcovering), and I was feeling pretty good. My bf kept asking me where I was, while I was sitting right next to him. It was kind of fun, like a short voyage to an LSD trip. The next time we tried it, all it did was make me stupid in the head, akin to the marijuana:salvia as sex:bald uncle molestation analogy. It’s okay when it works, but not especially spectacular. This was all when salvia was legal in my state, btw. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-tried-tripping-on-the-herb-salvia-divinorum-what-was-it-like/453369.md?page=2)