on salvia, the legal hallucinogenic.

[hmkpoker]

I've smoked a LOT of salvia.

Let me start off by saying that if you're looking for a fun party drug, salvia IS NOT IT. If you go to a club or a house party with salvia, you will probably not enjoy it. You will feel dissociated (there's an out-of-body feeling), but it isn't actually fun.

In my experience, salvia is best experienced by yourself, in your room, with dim or no lighting, gentle ambient music (or no music)...basically complete sensory deprivation. Smoke it, lie down, and close your eyes. You'll find out that when you're alone with no distractions, salvia stops being a drug, and becomes a gateway into the spirit world. You will meet ethereal beings. You will see without seeing and hear without hearing. It is an oracular drug used for meditative introspection and mystical insights. It is not a high, and no one uses it as an escape mechanism. It's very difficult to describe the experiences; you'll just have to go through them yourself [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

It is NOTHING like LSD. AT ALL. Not even comparable. A salvia trip is about as similar to an LSD trip as getting drunk is to an LSD trip. It's not like psilocybin, or DiPT or DMT which are related to LSD. Totally different neurotransmittors are involved. Can't compare it to anything. The idea that salvia is "as potent" as LSD is not very useful, because the potency of any drug depends on the dosage. Salvinorin A (the active ingredient) is strong at very low levels (like less than half a milligram), which in effect makes it comparably potent to LSD, but that's completely meaningless. (I've heard that THC is actually similarly potent, but I'm not sure). If you snort that amount of heroin, you won't feel a god damn thing. Does that mean that heroin is "weaker" than LSD? No, because you take much more of it for a recreational dose. It is NOT the new ecstacy, and it never will be. Most people don't even like it.

It also has NO addictive potential. NONE. Even though it hits fast, it won't make you feel like "damn, I need to do that again" the next day. There are drunks, junkies, coke fiends, stoners, and even acid freaks, but you'll never find a "salvia head."

Here's my recommendation. Go to salvia supply. If you're unsure about it, get the starter package. If you're feeling a little more spendy, get the extract mix (and buy an ounce of leaves on top). You're going to need a big bong filled with ice and a jet lighter (Salvinorin A vaporizes at a much higher temperature than THC, so you need to hit it with a blue-hot flame, and have it pass through cool water so it doesn't burn your lungs) You need to smoke it QUICKLY. Pack a bowl with some leaves and spike some extract on top, and wail it all in one go. (The reason is because after about one minute, you're going to be too [censored] up to even handle the bong again...it hits FAST)

Experiment with different extracts and such; back the bowl with leaves, then pour some extract on top. You'll eventually have a salvia freak-out (maybe the first time you smoke a bunch of 10x) where the world seems to skip like a disc and you run around your house like a deer in headlights. The trick is to LIE DOWN AND CLOSE YOUR EYES. (Besides, the salvia freak-out isn't much fun anyway) Some people like to smoke it after smoking weed, which isn't a bad idea, although it kind of dilutes the effects a little imho. If you smoke too much, you will have an amnesic dissolution of consciousness that feels very dissociative. It's like the K-hole; powerful, but not actually fun or interesting.

THe highest and best use that I've found for it is (and this will sound hokey, but anyone who's done it a lot will know what I'm talking about) is spiritual guidance. You will develop a relationship with Mother Salvia, and She will take you on vision quests to give you insights on spiritual matters. The visions are very creatively inspiring. Chanting mantras while under the influence is a REALLY good experience, imho [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Happy trails [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[hmkpoker]

[ QUOTE ]
has anyone tried to dissolve and drink it, rather than torch it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Do not do this.

Not only is there absolutely no effect whatsoever (the water temperature needed to vaporize the salvia would evaporate all the water or burn the hell out of your mouth), it's also DISGUSTING. Salvia is a funky, nasty, bitter herb. You do not want to drink it.

Go buy a bong. Or just make one.

[hmkpoker]

[ QUOTE ]
Anyone know if this stuff sets off any alarms on a drug test?

[/ QUOTE ]

None.

[iSTRONG]

Very good post hmk. I really disagree with the "do it alone" part tho and I think it's quite irresponsible for an experienced user like you to advocate that. I really really advise anyone who wants to try it to do it in company of a sober sitter they can trust. Someone who is experienced with Salvia is a bonus.

[hmkpoker]

[ QUOTE ]
Very good post hmk. I really disagree with the "do it alone" part tho and I think it's quite irresponsible for an experienced user like you to advocate that. I really really advise anyone who wants to try it to do it in company of a sober sitter they can trust. Someone who is experienced with Salvia is a bonus.

[/ QUOTE ]

Eh, I guess that's true when you're still getting used to salvia, but eventually the sitter becomes a distraction. Besides, in thirty seconds, that sitter isn't going to be there anymore.

The standard hallucinogen rule applies: it can't kill you, so just relax. If you're having a bad trip, just sit still and it will all go away.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
I've smoked a LOT of salvia.

Let me start off by saying that if you're looking for a fun party drug, salvia IS NOT IT. If you go to a club or a house party with salvia, you will probably not enjoy it. You will feel dissociated (there's an out-of-body feeling), but it isn't actually fun.

In my experience, salvia is best experienced by yourself, in your room, with dim or no lighting, gentle ambient music (or no music)...basically complete sensory deprivation. Smoke it, lie down, and close your eyes. You'll find out that when you're alone with no distractions, salvia stops being a drug, and becomes a gateway into the spirit world. You will meet ethereal beings. You will see without seeing and hear without hearing. It is an oracular drug used for meditative introspection and mystical insights. It is not a high, and no one uses it as an escape mechanism. It's very difficult to describe the experiences; you'll just have to go through them yourself [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

It is NOTHING like LSD. AT ALL. Not even comparable. A salvia trip is about as similar to an LSD trip as getting drunk is to an LSD trip. It's not like psilocybin, or DiPT or DMT which are related to LSD. Totally different neurotransmittors are involved. Can't compare it to anything. The idea that salvia is "as potent" as LSD is not very useful, because the potency of any drug depends on the dosage. Salvinorin A (the active ingredient) is strong at very low levels (like less than half a milligram), which in effect makes it comparably potent to LSD, but that's completely meaningless. (I've heard that THC is actually similarly potent, but I'm not sure). If you snort that amount of heroin, you won't feel a god damn thing. Does that mean that heroin is "weaker" than LSD? No, because you take much more of it for a recreational dose. It is NOT the new ecstacy, and it never will be. Most people don't even like it.

It also has NO addictive potential. NONE. Even though it hits fast, it won't make you feel like "damn, I need to do that again" the next day. There are drunks, junkies, coke fiends, stoners, and even acid freaks, but you'll never find a "salvia head."

Here's my recommendation. Go to salvia supply. If you're unsure about it, get the starter package. If you're feeling a little more spendy, get the extract mix (and buy an ounce of leaves on top). You're going to need a big bong filled with ice and a jet lighter (Salvinorin A vaporizes at a much higher temperature than THC, so you need to hit it with a blue-hot flame, and have it pass through cool water so it doesn't burn your lungs) You need to smoke it QUICKLY. Pack a bowl with some leaves and spike some extract on top, and wail it all in one go. (The reason is because after about one minute, you're going to be too [censored] up to even handle the bong again...it hits FAST)

Experiment with different extracts and such; back the bowl with leaves, then pour some extract on top. You'll eventually have a salvia freak-out (maybe the first time you smoke a bunch of 10x) where the world seems to skip like a disc and you run around your house like a deer in headlights. The trick is to LIE DOWN AND CLOSE YOUR EYES. (Besides, the salvia freak-out isn't much fun anyway) Some people like to smoke it after smoking weed, which isn't a bad idea, although it kind of dilutes the effects a little imho. If you smoke too much, you will have an amnesic dissolution of consciousness that feels very dissociative. It's like the K-hole; powerful, but not actually fun or interesting.

THe highest and best use that I've found for it is (and this will sound hokey, but anyone who's done it a lot will know what I'm talking about) is spiritual guidance. You will develop a relationship with Mother Salvia, and She will take you on vision quests to give you insights on spiritual matters. The visions are very creatively inspiring. Chanting mantras while under the influence is a REALLY good experience, imho [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Happy trails [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Awesome post. Makes me want to re-read Castaneda and find the spaces between leaves.

[Blarg]

How long have your trips lasted? Can they pass so fast you have to be a spiritual genius to get anything out of them?

[hmkpoker]

[ QUOTE ]
How long have your trips lasted? Can they pass so fast you have to be a spiritual genius to get anything out of them?

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, hokeyness: I really think salvia works a lot better on a meditative mind than a cluttered one. Those with a more ascetic spiritual background will get much more benefit out of it because you really need to be able to relax your mind and focus when you do salvia.

The trick is not to get worked up about OMG THE TRIPS GONNA BE OVER SOON and just let your mind relax into it [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[JaBlue]

Castaneda is awesome. Do you know about the authenticity of his writings/experiences? My grandfather told me that there was a lot of research done to show that a lot of his writings never happened, or something to that effect, but I never did my own research about it

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How long have your trips lasted? Can they pass so fast you have to be a spiritual genius to get anything out of them?

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, hokeyness: I really think salvia works a lot better on a meditative mind than a cluttered one. Those with a more ascetic spiritual background will get much more benefit out of it because you really need to be able to relax your mind and focus when you do salvia.

The trick is not to get worked up about OMG THE TRIPS GONNA BE OVER SOON and just let your mind relax into it [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

I found LSD merely recapitulated the experiences I had in meditation, and drugs in general were far less surprising than I had anticipated. They've always felt like an unfocussed shortcut to me, but substantially of the same stuff as paying attention. Sounds like I'd probably be a good candidate for salvia. I've been a good candidate for most everything so far, never being controlled by anything, always enjoying everything. Sometimes I think being straight is trippier than drugs.

Still, I'll probably never try it. I'm getting along just fine. I'd probably try it if the time were right, but meantime I'll just enjoy the discussion and won't go out of my way. I do enjoy the trip reports though.