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The Salvia Center Newsletter Issue 1. Jan. 2004

Contents:
The Pre-Wasson History of Salvia Divinorum Use.
Question and Answer: Salvia Smoking and You.
Supplier Review: IAmShaman.com
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All information is provided for educational purposes only.
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------------New Salvia Center Exclusive Article-----------------------
The Pre-Wasson History of Salvia Divinorum Use.
By the Salvia Center
The Mazatec shamans of Mexico use three hallucinogenic plants in their healing rituals. Pharmacologically Salvia Divinorum is the weakest. The method of usage traditionally used by the shamans is a rather inefficient method and implies their under-estimation of salvia’s true potency and power.
In low doses it is used as a medicinal herb by the medicine-men, they call it a tonic and believe that it can cure a list of ailments, some physical and some magical. It is generally prescribed as an infusion made from 4 or 5 pairs of leaves.
At higher doses it was used to induce visions through which divinatory messages could be heard. The shamanistic tradition dictates that the voice of the Virgin Mary is channeled through the person using Salvia, but only in total silence and darkness. Only fresh leaves are used for this, whereas dry leaves may be used for the medicinal compound.
According to Gordon Wasson in his 1962 paper on shamanic plants in Mexico, salvia is the Aztec “Pipilitzintzintli”, an as then unidentified hallucinogen referenced in ancient texts. This plant was described as “hierba”, or herb, and was cultivated in both male and female varieties. Unlike the Mazatec’s usage of only the leaves of the salvia plant, records of speak of a rudimentary extraction made from roots, stems and flowers. This plant also was regarded as a divinatory plant, but Wasson also notes examples of it being used as a healing agent.
Mazatec shamans reportedly told Wasson that the plant was not native to their region and that they did not know where it came from. It has never been discovered in the wild, since salvia seeds rather infrequently and those seeds are rarely viable. This means the plant was purposely bred and cultivated, and is most likely a hybrid species. This information, along with the Christian themes apparent in its history, a common theory asserts that salvia is not the Azetec herb, but a post-conquest introduction.

---------Question & Answer-----------------------------
Salvia Smoking and You.:
There is no evidence that salvia is addictive or toxic, but smoking anything too much can be hazardous to your health, so please, always exercise caution when smoking.
What’s the best way to smoke salvia?
The best way to smoke salvia is to place a desired amount of the dried leaves in a regular pipe. Generally, water pipes, bongs and gravity bongs do not give as strong of an effect when smoking salvia. Try to smoke all of the leaves in one large hit for the best results. It is unlikely you’ll be able or even want to take another hit until your done tripping. The effects when smoking salvia occur almost instantly
How much salvia should I smoke?
There is no designated dosage of salvia. An average dose is around 1 or 2 grams however when smoking salvia the dose is only as much as you inhale. The more you are able to smoke either in one hit or several, the more intense your trip will be and the longer it will last.
What’s the difference between smoking regular leaves and infused salvia extract?
Infused salvia extract is a stronger form of the dried salvia leaves. The chemicals Salvinorin A and Salvinorin B have been extracted from other leaves and infused into other dried salvia leaves for a stronger effect and larger dose.
How long will it last when I smoke salvia?
Depending on how much salvia you smoke a trip can last anywhere between ten minutes and ninety minutes with disorientation lasting for no more than an hour afterward. It’s not a thing to do at work or school but it won’t affect your abilities to function after the effects have worn off.
Which salvia tastes the best to smoke?
There is a variety of salvia that was discovered by Pat Blosser in 1991, he reported that this strain was more “palatable” or less bitter than the Wasson strain. Most of the bitterness in salvia comes from the amount of the chemical tannin in the leaves, but this can vary in a plant depending on season. Some evidence shows that harvesting the leaves in the spring during the plants prime growing period will result in less bitter leaves.

-----------Supplier Review----------------------------
Review of IAmShaman.com
Prices
The salvia prices here are surprisingly low. $13.99 for an ounce of Sierra Mazateca premium salvia foliage compared to Sagewisdom’s price of $125. The other prices are also exceptionally low, including the Hawaiian and Oaxacan varieties. If you want low prices, IAmShaman is the place to go. Their infused salvia extract prices are also quite low, at $9.99 per gram of 10x leaves.
Selection
IAmShaman’s selection of unfortified salvia leaves includes the three major varieties, which is at least as many, if not more than most other suppliers. You can also buy salvia extract in the standardized and non standardized varieties, something you can not do on most other vendor websites.
Website
IAmShaman.com is a very informative and in depth website with hundreds of herbs and botanicals and nearly any organic material known for it medicinal values categorized and detailed. I had no trouble finding or using anything on Iamshaman.com however when I first tried to use it with Mozilla the center column was offset to the right however opening the page with Internet explorer solved the problem. Overall I’d say it’s a very good website and I personally learned a lot about new and different plants and their healing properties from the site.
Overall IAmShaman.com presents very competitive prices, a solid selection along with a huge amount of great information. The site has a few coding issues, but nothing that prevents the viewing of the site.