Pubdate: Mon, 09 Jul 2001
Source: Herald, The (WA)
Copyright: 2001 The Daily Herald Co.
Contact:  http://www.heraldnet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/190
Author: The New York Times

HALLUCINOGENIC, HIP, LEGAL

Mexican Herb Raises Concerns

NEW YORK -- An obscure hallucinogenic herb from Mexico is gaining a toehold 
in the world of recreational drugs, prompting law enforcement officials to 
increase their scrutiny of the plant, which is legal, and moving health 
experts to issue cautions about the drug, whose jarring effects are not 
fully understood.

The herb, Salvia divinorum (pronounced SAL-vee-ah dee-vin-OR-em), is a type 
of sage plant that can cause intense hallucinations, out-of-body 
experiences and, when taken in higher doses, unconsciousness and short-term 
memory loss. Users have also reported sensations of traveling through time 
and space, assuming the identities of other people and even the feeling of 
merging with inanimate objects.

Scientists are still unclear about precisely how it interacts with the 
brain or how it may affect the rest of the body or if it may lead to 
possible long-term side effects.

"People who are arbitrarily using it need to be cautious," said Dr. Ethan 
Russo, a neurologist in Missoula, Mont., who studied Salvia divinorum and 
other herbs while preparing his book, "Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs" 
(Haworth Press).

"It's totally different from anything they may have tried before."

Salvia divinorum, which is native to Mexico, can be smoked or chewed like 
tobacco. Its leaves can also be boiled to make an intoxicating tea. And 
unlike most other hallucinogenic substances, Salvia divinorum is legal in 
the United States, although drug enforcement officials say they are looking 
closely at the herb.

Precise figures about the plant -- it is also known as ska Maria Pastora 
and diviner's sage -- its use and proliferation are almost impossible to 
gather. It is available almost exclusively through the Internet.

Authorities said they had no reports of health problems, hospitalizations 
or emergency room visits that might be attributed to the plant. But 
herbalists, users and sellers say its popularity is growing.

Users dismiss the concerns, saying that no evidence of an addictive quality 
has been documented, and pointing out that the Mazatec Indians in the 
Oaxaca region of Mexico have used it, with no apparent ill effects, for 
centuries.
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