Pubdate: Mon, 03 Sep 2001
Source: Associated Press (Wire)
Section: Domestic News
Copyright: 2001 Associated Press
Author: Andrew Bridges, AP Science Writer

MEXICAN HERB SPARKS INTEREST AS LEGAL - FOR NOW - HALLUCINOGEN

MALIBU, Calif.   A Mexican plant that contains the most powerful natural 
hallucinogen known is being sold legally over the Internet and is drawing 
the interest of medical researchers and law enforcement.

Anecdotal accounts of use of the herb, called Salvia divinorum, describe 
hallucinogenic trips that make the user feel like an inanimate object or 
worse. You've heard of watching paint dry, how about feeling like paint drying?

"I don't know anyone who has ever taken it and said, 'Gee, that was fun,"' 
said Dr. Ethan Russo, a Missoula, Mont., clinical neurologist and expert on 
psychotropic herbs.

The plant's effects can vary from mild to extreme, making even regular 
users wary.

Experts said interest in the plant, a member of the sage family, springs 
from its use as a ritual herb by an Indian tribe near Oaxaca, Mexico. Other 
hallucinogens, like the South American brew ayahuasca, have similar followings.

"People get captivated with the idea of using hallucinogens as a way of 
connecting with the spiritual world as used in indigenous cultures," said 
Jim Miller, curator and head of the applied research department at the 
Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.

For now, the hallucinogenic plant is legal and is commercially grown in its 
native Mexico, as well as in Hawaii and California. However, the Drug 
Enforcement Administration is reviewing it.

"We are gathering information on it to see if it needs to be controlled," 
said Rogene Waite, a DEA spokeswoman in Washington.

Some, like Russo, find it an intriguing resource for exploring the brain's 
chemistry.

How Salvia divinorum produces its hallucinogenic effects is unknown, since 
its active component, Salvinorin A, does not work on any neurotransmitter 
sites affected by other hallucinogens, including THC, the active component 
of marijuana. Nor does it contain nitrogen, which makes Salvinorin A 
unusual as a psychoactive molecule.

"We don't know much about its toxicity - we just don't know much about it, 
other than the experiences that many report, which don't sound very 
pleasant," said Dr. Alan Trachtenberg, who works for the substance abuse 
office within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

No federal laws govern the plants, even though, by weight, the active 
component of Salvia divinorum is more powerful than that found in peyote, 
psilocybin mushrooms or any other natural hallucinogen, Russo said.

Although related to the sage used in cooking, Salvia divinorum is an 
entirely different plant.

There is no evidence that use of the hallucinogen is increasing, according 
to the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment in Rockville, Md. Nor 
do drug treatment experts report problems with people abusing the 
little-studied plant.

"We don't know much about treating it because we don't have people showing 
up with an addiction to it," said Trachtenberg.

Indeed, most of those who do try it apparently never repeat the experience, 
doctors said.

"It's not pleasant in anyone's conception that I have ever spoken with," 
Russo said.

The drug's effects last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour and more. 
During that time, users can lose all perception of reality. Salvia users 
and foes alike emphasize it should never be taken while alone.

"It seems to be something that completely alters - and not in a completely 
happy direction - people's consciousness," Trachtenberg said.

Traditionally, the leaves of the plant are chewed by Mexico's Mazatec 
Indians during ritual ceremonies to produce mild hallucinations.

In contemporary usage, however, users exploit the plant's potency by 
smoking its dried leaves or ingesting extracts in tincture form, which 
boost its effect by allowing it to be more readily absorbed by the body.

When taken in that way, Salvia divinorum can produce extremely intense 
hallucinations.

Daniel Siebert, an amateur botanist in Malibu who grows, sells and uses the 
plant, collects subjective "trip" reports on a Web site. He said users can 
feel as if they have merged with inanimate objects. One person reported 
feeling like fresh paint as it was spread on a wall.

"It's definitely not something people can do very often, because the 
effects are very profound," said Siebert, 40, who uses the plant every two 
months on average.

Russo, the clinical neurologist, said he hoped the drug was not outlawed.

"That would be crazy on numerous levels - first, we don't even know how 
this stuff works," Russo said. "It's possible Salvia and Salvinorin A can 
lead us to a better understanding of our own neural chemistry."

On the Net: http://www.sagewisdom.org/
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