When the word cult is used, it’s typically used to describe a fanatical sect, but the Salvia cult isn’t a typical cult. The answer to what the saliva cult is depends on the person responding. If it’s someone opting to try salvia as a recreational drug, chances are you’ll get a very negative response about the mind altering plant. Few people abusing the plant’s hallucinogenic properties have pleasant experiences. So why is it growing in popularity among party-goers?

Mostly, because it’s a fast and short trip that doesn’t have any lasting side-effects. At least, none that are presently known. People are curious and want to experience salvia firsthand, but many are only one-time users, because their trips are not euphoric and often frightening.









Where Did the Use of Salvia Come From?

Salvia is just one of the many hallucinogen herbs and mushrooms that have been used for thousands of years in shamanistic rituals by Mexico’s Mazatec culture. Located in the northern mountain region of Oaxaca, Mexico, the Mazatecs have long held the use of salvia in secret just as they have many of their shaman practices. To the Mazatecs, using psychedelic and hallucinogens are part of their shamanic healing rites.

In fact, few outsiders are privy to these ceremonies since they are considered sacred and the shaman knowledge is strictly an oral tradition passed down from one generation to the next. While the herb has been discovered by teenagers and adults alike, until recently, it was a guarded secret among those striving for spiritual enlightenment and development.

Salvia Divinorum Herb of Mazatec Shamans

Salvia divinorum is a plant that grows naturally in the wild throughout the Mazatec region. Part of the mint family, its cousins basil and oregano are commonly used in cooking and homeopathy. It’s claimed to be as potent as LSD without all the side effects of the synthetic hallucinogen.

Technology has allowed salvinorin A to be identified as the substance that gives the plant its unique hallucinogen property. Salvinorin A

Salvia extracts are being sold on the Internet as tinctures and elixirs. While the secret properties of the herb were first sought by those practicing spiritual techniques for higher conscious development as a meditation aid, it eventually was discovered by those using recreational drugs.

However, Wisdom Sage website warns that anyone taking salvia for recreational use may find it “difficult to handle” and goes on to explain. “Because it produces profoundly introspective states of awareness, it is intrinsically unsuitable for recreational use (i.e., it is not a ‘party drug’).”

The website recommends oversight of its sale, such as not selling in bulk but in pre-measured doses and prohibiting sales to minors. Some countries have made salvia divinorum illegal and a few have very stiff penalties for possession.

Salvia is legal in Mexico and in the US. Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Virginia and Texas have taken it upon themselves to pass laws to regulate salvia since it isn’t regulated under the Controlled Substance Act.