You need to clarify what “actually occured” means.
Princhester, say you smoke some good pot or other mind-altering substance, plop down on the couch and turn on the 70’s music channel on digital cable. You were a kid in the 70’s and a song comes on that takes you back to being five years old, to a specific place, specific time as a child. In your mind you can relive that specific event much more deeply and clearly than you could with just the music, sans drugs. Often the drugs and music can help you can remember specific things that you otherwise would have never thought of, like the shirt you were wearing or some minor event that brings you additional awareness through previous forogotten memories. This is different from the types of trips where you are imaging the carpet talking to you and the walls melting. Apples and oranges. I have not had the pleasure of a trip where I go back farther than four or five years old, but I believe others who say they have.
Has anyone here tried growing it?
I remember lots of things from when I was a fetus, but I don’t have to take drugs to do it. 
Seriously though, I don’t really ever put myself into the “This is X forum, and I have to talk in such-and-such a way” more so than necessary. Of course I’m not going to go into a GQ thread about scalp cysts and say “I wouldn’t be surprised if you could make the darn things go away by summoning the Portuguese Dread Lord Cisbegon while staring into a finely cut crystal”. But when you talk about psychedelics–which I’ve distinguished from smoked cannabis in this thread to make a distinction that turned out to be irrelevant and not particularly helpful, but in which category I actually include all but the stoniest cannabis–part of the answer to factual questions is biological/physiological, but another part is subjective. The fact is that WhyNot had that experience and it was a positive thing for her. Whether or not she actually waved her hand in a certain way in the womb is irrelevant in this thread, whose question is not “Can psychedelic drugs help me trace the roots of my compulsive tics?” but rather “What are the effects of salvia divinorum?”. If I felt I had been presented good reason to believe I did some particular action in the womb and it affected some nervous tic I had today, it would be a factual answer that one of the effects of the drugs was that I “learned” this about myself, and that it was nice and seemed pretty fun and stimulating. Them’s the facts. The “fact” of whether or not anyone has waved their hands in a certain pattern in the womb is irrelevant and really not important.
My experience and every experience I’ve been aware of with salvia divinorum tend towards each vision being intimately connected to some part of the taker’s life, and that the hallucinations tend to reveal meaningful things. Of course, whether or not that’s the case depends on your own interpretation of “meaning”/“meaningful”. YMMV, but those who smoke the stuff tend to have experiences that have important meaning to them. I’ve explored the depths of my consciousness quite thoroughly on it and found some fascinating stuff, not all of it particularly useful in the Real World ™ but all of it interesting and all of it very meaningful to me.
Great response, I concur to this as well.
I’ve done it once. Smoked through a water pipe. I saw my shadow in front of me getting longer and longer untill it turned into a skinny wedge. Then it tunred into a circle of colors that started spinning underneath me. I asked the people I was with (although they told me after that I didn’t talk at all) if they wanted to go see it “it’s just back here and down this hall” (there was no hall in reality; we were outside). It didn’t last long. I did feel really stoned for a good while afterwards and hope to try it again soon.
I totally agree with Gene Frenkle. There is a lot of stuff rattling around in your head that you may not ever put any conscious attention on, but which contributes significantly to who you are and how you behave.
For me, the years when I frequently took LSD were largely about introspection and sorting things out, and many many times I was surprised to discover things about myself that I hadn’t a clue about. The experience of profound anamnesis was something that occurred dozens and dozens of times.
For example, years ago I was very close with a couple, but for some reason I had a lot of anxiety surrounding my relationship with them. I liked them a lot, but for some reason I found myself getting very worked up and ill-at-ease around them, and there didn’t really seem to be a good reason for it.
One night we sat down and took LSD together, and at some point I looked over at where the woman was sitting and was surprised to see someone I hadn’t thought of for quite some time sitting there. I must have registered some shock, because she asked if everything was alright. I looked over at her husband, and was equally surprised to see the husband of the (non-present, hallucinated) woman sitting there. I looked back-and-forth at them until their right appearances returned, explained to them a little of what happened, and as I was explaining, the significance of it hit me with full force.
I had been in an exactly parallel situation (a casual triangular relationship) with the other couple years before. Further to that, in both cases, the wife’s name began with “A” and had three syllables, and the husband’s name began with “D” and had two syllables.
The former situation had turned into something quite horrible. The parallels were stunningly obvious (and it’s not like it’s a situation I had gotten into enough times to start forgetting incidents) but I hadn’t thought of those other people at all and had certainly never thought to compare the two situations – but there it was, literally right in front of me. This was where all the anxiety was coming from! :smack: How could I not have recognized the similarities?
The thing was , that although the situation was the same (and even the names were similar,) the people were different – and it was personality that made the previous situation so horrible. Everything would be fine with these folks. And it was.
All the anxiety and aggro that had been swirling around me instantly vapourized.
This is an instance where a drug-induced hallucination showed me something that I needed to know – something that was true. There were many, many more such instances. (And, of course, many silly and completely trivial moments.)
I regret nothing – although I believe it’s in large part a combination of LSD and MDMA throughout those years that turned me into someone so sensitive and emotional that I am frequently embarrassed by it – someone that the cynical twenty-year-old that I used to be would scarcely recognize and most likely hold in contempt.
That’s what I loved about psychedelic drugs, too. My stories aren’t as illuminating or memorable, but I had lots of moments like those, as well.
Hey, it’s on the list of drugs my students are researching tomorrow, so I’ll summarize their findings and get back to you. (BTW, it’s an Alcohol and Drug class. And no, there’s no lab.)
Okay, here’s the up-to-the-minute search, performed by two of my graduate students. Citations are at the bottom. DEA, NIDA, DoJ, and other government drug information sites generally allow reproduction of their contents. The Siebert site asks not to be reproduced, so I refer you to the URL for further information.
Salvia divinorum
- What are the common and scientific names of the substance and its source?
“Salvinorin A, also called Divinorin A, is believed to be the ingredient responsible for the psychoactive effects of Salvia divinorum. Chemically it is a neoclerodane diterpene found in the leaves, and to a lesser extent in the stems. Other substances have been isolated from the plant, but with the possible exception of Salvinorin C, none have been shown to be psychoactive.” (DEA, 2006)
- In what region(s) is it found?
“Salvia divinorum is a perennial herb in the mint family native to certain areas of the Sierra Mazateca region of Oaxaca, Mexico. The plant grows in large groupings to over three feet in height. Characteristics of the plant include large green leaves, hollow square stems and white flowers with purple calyces. Salvia divinorum is one of several plants that have been employed by the Mazatec Indians for ritual divination and healing.” (DEA, 2006)
“Salvia divinorum is grown domestically and imported from Mexico and Central and South America. The Internet is an important venue for the promotion and distribution of Salvia divinorum.” (DEA, 2006)
- What is the source of the substance like? Which portions are used as a psychoactive drug? How is it prepared?
“It is sold as seeds, fresh or dried leaves, plant cuttings, whole plants, and extracts purported to contain Salvinorin A.” (DEA, 2006)
- What is/are the route/s of ingestion?
“In the United States, plant material is either chewed or smoked. When chewed, leaf mass and juice are maintained within the cheek area with absorption occurring across the lining of the oral mucosa (buccal). Effects first appear within 5 to 10 minutes. Dried leaves, as well as extracts purported to be enriched with Salvinorin A, are smoked. Smoking pure Salvinorin A, at a dose of 200-500 micrograms, results in effects within 30 seconds and lasts about 30 minutes.” (DEA, 2006)
- In what context is it usually used? In what context is it traditionally used (if different)?
“Information on the user population is limited. It appears to be mostly younger adults and adolescents influenced by promotions of the drug on Internet sites.” (DEA, 2006)
Siebert: Search URL for the statement beginning: “Salvia divinorum is used as a sacred medicine by indigenous shamanic healers living in the mountainous Sierra Madre Oriental in the northeastern corner of the Mexican State of Oaxaca."
Siebert: Search URL for the statement beginning: “Most reports describe the use of this plant by Mazatec shamans…"
- What chemical processes/neurotransmitters seem to be involved in the drug’s effects?
“Recent studies using tissue testing (in vitro) assays and functional assays show that Salvinorin A acts as a potent agonist on the Kappa opioid receptor. This may explain the psychoactive effects of Salvia divinorum and Salvinorin A since other drugs acting at Kappa opioid receptors have been found to cause dysphoria, illusions, and hallucinations.” (DEA, 2006)
- What are the objective effects (include main and side effects)?
Main effects:
“Other effects include dysphoria, uncontrolled laughter, a sense of loss of body, overlapping realities and hallucinations (seeing objects that are not present). Adverse physical effects may include incoordination, dizziness and slurred speech.” (DEA, 2006)
Side effects:
Siebert: Search URL for the statement beginning: “There are no known health problems…"
- What are the subjective effects (include main and side effects)?
Main effects:
“Psychic effects include perceptions of bright lights, vivid colors and shapes, as well as body movements and body or object distortions.” (DEA, 2006)
Siebert: Search URL for the statement beginning: S-A-L-V-I-A Effect.
Siebert: Search URL for the statement beginning: “There are two kinds of afterglow effects: immediate and persisting."
Side effects:
“A few people do report a mild headache, bronchial irritation, insomnia or irritability.” (DEA, 2006)
- How long do the effects typically last?
“Smoking pure Salvinorin A, at a dose of 200-500 micrograms, results in effects within 30 seconds and lasts about 30 minutes.” (DEA, 2006)
- Is it illegal in the country where it is most used? In the U.S.? Is it perceived to be a societal problem?
Siebert: Search URL for the statement beginning: “Salvia divinorum is a legal plant in most countries. Missouri, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Delaware are the only states in the USA that prohibit its use."
Sources:
DEA, 2006 http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugs_concern/salvia_d/salvia_d.htm
Siebert, 2006
http://sagewisdom.org/faq.html
Well, you guys convinced me to give it a try. I ordered some tonight. I got this sinking feeling that it might be something I’d enjoy and it’s probably only a matter of time before our busybody lawmakers decide to ban it. it’s already banned in a few states, and they made an unsuccessful attempt (this time) to ban it recently in my state.
I’ll give you all an update when I’ve tried it.
Back on topic, against my better judgement, here’s a trip report I submitted several years ago: lycaeum article here
Ok here’s my experience. The salvia made my feel disoriented and I felt the need to lie down and closed my eyes. At that point I got some very mild closed eye visuals that basically took the form of infinite triangles within triangles going off into infinity. At the same time I felt there was some sort of female presence embracing me from three sides which went along with the triangle theme.
It’s definitely not a party drug. I just makes you lay around and contemplate and daydream for about 20 minutes.
Overall, a pleasant experience. Nothing mind blowing. I might try it again in a couple weeks.
God only knows why states are starting to ban this. I’d urge any legislator to try it for themselves before they force their judgement on other people.