The species name of this salvia divinorum plant from the mint family, divinorum, means ?of the diviners? ? diviner?s mint. It is native to only a few square miles in Mexico where it is used by the Mazatec Indians (the tribe that reintroduced psilocybin mushrooms to the world) in their shamanic curing rituals, I once attended a seminar where a Maxatecan curandera, or ?wise woman,? spoke at length about her use of salvia divinorum. I don?t know how much was lost in the translation (she spoke no English), but it was clear that she regarded the hojas de la Pastora (?leaves of the shepherdess?) with reverence and respect. What is interesting about Salvia divinorum, is that it is botanically regarded as a cultigen, that is, a plant which has evolved into its present form via human rather than natural selection. It supposedly no longer grows in the wild and its seeds are said to be sterile; Salvia divinorum, may only be propagated by cuttings. The mazatecan shamans grow their own plants by this method in remote and hidden locations. In keeping with the perennial aura of confusion surrounding almost all psychedelics, there is some evidence (inconclusive as yet, of course) that Salvia divinorum may be able to set viable seed, and not be a true cultigen after all. Whether this is true or not, outside of Mazatecan Mexico the plant is relatively exotic greenhouse botanical which is fortunately easy to start from cuttings.

In practicing their art, the mazatecan shamans rely on hierarchy of three hallucinogenic plants: Salvia divinorum, Rivea corymbosa (morning glory seeds), and Psilocybe cubensis (the sacred magic mushroom). Each apprentice curer is introduced to the hierarchy in progressive steps:

The process begins by taking successively increasing doses of Salvia Divinorum for a number of times to be acquainted with ?The way to heaven.? Next comes mastery of the morning glory (Rivea corymbosa)?seeds and finally one learns to use the sacred mushrooms? [Salvia divinorum] is pharmacologically the weakest of the three hallucinogenic plants. Following it?s ingestion the Virgin Mary is supposed to speak to the individual, but only in absolute quiet and darkness?Don Alejandro told the investigators that the Salvia =, the morning glory seeds and the mushrooms each told their own historia (story or history) and [S. divinorum] was the best teacher of the ways of curing, as one learned the most from it? Although reportedly only weakly psychotropic, the Salvia infusion will induce powerful visions under the appropriate conditions? Mastering Salvia divinorum and learning to use the morning glory seeds before employing the mushrooms probably makes an apprenticeship much less traumatic than it would be by use of the fungi alone, in addition to giving the future shaman wider insights into the varieties of hallucinogenic experiences.

The active principal in S. divinorum, present in the leaves of the plant, remains unidentified. To date no one has been able to isolate an explicit hallucinogen, though there is some evidence that it may be terpine rather than alkaloid. This extraction difficulty is apparently due to the extreme instability of the catalyst after the leaves have been harvested. Although these are said to be viable for a day or two, any infusion made from them loses it?s potency in a matter of hours. In my own experience, leaves which were frozen immediately after harvest, then later thawed and made into an infusion produced no discernable effect, so apparently freezing doesn?t preserve the active principle.

Dosage recommendations for S. divinorum leaves ranges from five pairs of leaves (i.e., ten leaves) to 120 pairs of leaves, 240 leaves. (Whether it is mushrooms or the leaves of S. divinorum, the Mazatecan curers ritually prescribe them in pairs.) Twenty-five pairs (50 leaves) is probably an average dose, though one would need one huge shrub or several smaller ones to be able to harvest that many leaves without stripping the mother plants. Since leaves vary in size, a more consistent measurement is by weight ---100 grams of material should be sufficient to provide a psychedelic experience if one is there to be provided. (My single experience with this plant was inconclusive.)

The trip is generally regarded as extremely subtle. After chewing the leaves or swallowing their infusion, one sits quietly in a darkened room. The visions will not manifest under less sensitive circumstances and are often described as analogous to the first stages of mushroom intoxication --- swirling colors, etc. Some experiences are more interesting than others; as in any psychedelic projection into mind-space, much depends on the consciousness of the subject:

As the shaman spoke, Valdes (who had only experienced a few brief visions which he hadn?t described) saw a black sky with brightly colored objects floating in it. He suddenly found himself speeding toward one and actually felt he was accelerating through space past the rest. The light turned out to be a Mazatec village similar to that of the curandero. Valdes saw it from above, as if he were on a hill. Shapes, like kaleidoscopic pillars of smoke, were at the sides of some of the houses. Then he was suddenly back in space, receding away from the vision?[Later] he found himself standing in a bizarre, colored landscape talking to a man who was either shaking or holding on to his hand. Next to them was something that resembled the skeleton of a giant stick-model airplane made from rainbow colored inner tubing. The ?reality? of what he was seeing amazed him.

Fresh, unrooted Salvia d. cuttings are available from specialty nurseries for about thirty five dollars each. They are relatively easy to get started if you exactly duplicate their rather unique growing conditions. Once you get a large plant going, you can take more cuttings and get dozens more started.

Transplant deeper than prior level. Very easy to grow lushly, but needs certain conditions. Do not let them freeze (they can regrow from base if not too severe), nor let them suffer to much sun or heat. Ideal range cool to warm and not too cool at that, like 50?s to high 60?s. Dry air is bad and you?ll know t immediately, as the leaves dry from the edges in and drop. Especially when air is warm (or hot) and dry. Full sun is not recommended either. 50 to 80% shade is good. Watering is the most important factor they must be getting regular, ample water. Pretend they are back home in the high mountains where, although it never frosts, it never is warm either, and it rains daily. The shaded streambed where the plant grows has rather cold water and the air is nearly 100% humidity and cool. The plants, and especially the leaves, really like to be misted or ?rained? on regularly, even continually if they could. So remember that. Indoors, they love being in a bright bathroom and can hardly wait for you to take your shower with them, or at least give them one, each day. And not too hot (warm is OK). Root space is the deciding factor on health and size. They love lots of root room, the more the better. They sometimes look diseased and weird inexplicably, but usually repotting is all they needed. Use black, composty, rich soil with a third builder?s (river) sand to mimic that streambed in the Mazatec Sierra?s forest under story. Feed them with fish emulsion or similar liquid fertilizer now and then. Ours have an entire area of the greenhouse with all the free space of raised beds to root around in and they love it. A fog nozzle comes on for a minute five times each day, so they stay moist enough. We still need to water the bed soil itself every week or so in the summer. They reach overhead and bed at the top of the greenhouse (10?) and we have a rope cordoning in the area so the branches don?t bend down too far. They flower in December. In the severest winter freeze here yet, we were shocked to see them frozen solid, their own juices frozen and bursting the stems open from top to base. They thawed to a black mush, but came back in spring like never before.

I have grown Salvia divinorum successfully in a gravel-filled hydroponic tank. Until the cat jumped up on it and snapped it off at the stem, I had the beginnings of a very large and healthy bush.