# What the Heck is Salvia Divinorum?
Salvia divinorum is a psychoactive herb that is used in a variety of vision questions, meditations, and healing arts performed by the Mazatec shamens in Mexico. The herbs name translates as diviners sage, and is used traditionally in healing and divination.
What makes salvia divinorum popular is its concentration of Salvinorin A, a very potent molecule with hallucinogenic effects. This unusual molecule makes salvia divinorum a very powerful naturally-occurring hallucinogen, as opposed to synthetic hallucinogens such as LSD found in several street drugs.
It was discovered by the world when Jean Basset Johnson was studying the Mazatec shamens in 1939, where he published information on salvia as part of his research. However, the hallucinogenic effects were not fully explored by Daniel Siebert many years later.
Salvia induces a hallucinogenic state, causing you to see vivid imagery, but unlike synthetic hallucinogens, it affects all of your senses, not just vision. This can range anywhere from a complete psychedelic experience (such as travelling to other dimensions) to very mild experiences (such as feeling extremely relaxed and seeing your couch dance in front of you).
Other typical effects when smoking salvia include:
- Out-of-body experiences
- Giddyness and the desire to laugh excessively
- Spotting ghosts and other supernatural creatures
- Feelings of being one with the universe
- seeing events from the past and future
Depending on the user and the concentration of the salvia, the experience can range anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour. How you use salvia divinorum is also a major factor in determining the length of the experience (smoking salvia is the most common method however).
It might come as a complete shock, but yes salvia is legal. Salvia D is not classified as a drug or controlled substance. Some countries and states have raised concerns about salvia, however it has not yet been declared dangerous nor is it banned in any country in the world. You can be rest assured that you will not face any trouble with the law if you smoke salvia.