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They had me at “Divine Inebriation”
It seems only fitting that during Canada Blooms Torontoist should take a walk down the botony road and explore the wonders of an innnocent super-plant recently brought to our attention. Meet Salvia. Salvia Divinorum that is; she’s a multi-purpose plant with powers beyond just smelling and looking pretty.
Torontoist first heard of this mysterious “legal drug”/plant by the RnRn. Curiosity piqued…it must be tried. A quick trip to Roach-o-Rama and $40 later, it was straight to the computer for a little info session before wandering into the abyss.
Sounds innocent enough; Salvia is one of about 1000 sage species in the world but the only one known to induce visions. It appeals as a beautiful houseplant, and awe, it’s even considered part of the mint family! Used by the Mazatec indians in religious and healing ceremonies .. . hm. But aha, there’s the clincher, “under the right conditions and taken correctly, Salvia can produce a unique state of devine inebriation.” Sold!
They warn: this is NOT a party drug. Salvia is a powerful psychoactive that may induce a “PROFOUND phsychological experience” and can alter perception and behaviour. They say people in this state will move around as if sleepwalking. They even suggest a sober sitter to watch over the whole experience.
Sounds a bit scary. Well, the good side is it’s not habit forming. It’s legal. You can’t overdose, and its effects are brief in duration. They also say it seldom produces adverse side-effects or hangover (that one Torontoist’s not so sure about).
In retrospect, the best advice was hearing the way you feel and think before the experience is essential for the character of the experience. So true, cause it’s a pretty tough ride to control. *
*[here’s where a public service announcement would say “don’t try this at home kids”, but since Salvia’s legal, go nuts…but read on to know what you’re getting into]
You smoke it. With a butane lighter, in a pipe (this is the most common method). It’s most effective when smoked deeply into the lungs and held for as long as possible . . . apparently the level of intensity depends on the amount inhaled and absorbed within the first two minutes. From there you can smoke more to increase duration, but it probably won’t affect how intense your high is.
Now it’s all you. The effects can range from a full on psychedelic experience with time distortion, encounters with beings, vived imagery — Torontoist would argue the effect is like a temporary state of insanity. For one, dimensions changed and the world slowly tipped, all the while in a cartoon-like landscape, but it was hilarious and exciting; for another it could be a lucid dreamlike state or an acid-like trip, or it could make you quiet and contemplative, but calm.
Depending on how much and how long you smoke for, the effects will gradually diminish over the next 20-40 minutes, and fade into a high like a different organic plant some may know. The entire experience can last from one to three hours.
There’s the catch. Torontoist is sure it all depends on how much you do, how you do it, what you’re doing, etc, but it is very possible to crash and burn. And burn. And burn . . . and burn some more . . . they say Salvia is used as a tool in meditation? Torontoist says it also has potential for use as a tranquilizer.
Yes, it’s legal, but also a tad lethal. User discretion is advised.