Salvinorin: The Psychedelic Essence of Salvia Divinorum
1996
I recently had my first opportunity to chew fresh Salvia divinorum leaves and obtain an experience through this method of use. I took 10 large freshly-picked leaves from a Wasson clone which I rolled into "cigars" of S leaves each. The experience was done indoors, in complete darkness, at 3.00 AM when there would be almost no traffic noise. As I began to chew the leaves I realized it would not he possible to chew and hold all 10 leaves in my mouth for 10 minutes. By the time I had chewed just one-third to one-half of a cigar, my mouth was So full of chewed leaf and saliva that I could not open it to take in any more. I ended up holding each mouthful for 4 minutes, before spitting it out and immediately chewing some more. The whole process of consuming the leaves took about 20 minutes. The taste of the leaves was quite bitter, and as they were chewed to a vibrant green froth I was also overwhelmed with intense green/chlorophyll energy. This is comparable to the energy I feel from drinking wheat-grass juice, only much stronger. It stains the tongue green. After 20 minutes of chewing I felt thoroughly permeated by the Salvia.
I entered into an experience of what is probably moderate intensity for chewing the leaves. As the sensations came on there was nothing that really surprised me, as the feelings were of the same essence as those from my smoked Salvia journeys. The first thing I noticed was the flowing, green, vine-like matrix that I often see in my journeys. In this case, however, the motion of the visual image, and feelings that accompanied it, were much slower, smoother, and softer than usual. This slower movement actually allowed me to see more of the intricacies and detail of the matrix. Green was the only color that appeared in my visuals this evening, and having just chewed the vibrantly green leaves I was more appreciative of this aspect of the Salvia entity's manifestation. There was a feeling that I was completely supported by and wrapped in the Salvia matrix, which was very relaxing and comfortable. As I watched and was engulfed in this matrix, there was a short time during which I lost awareness of myself as something separate from it, and I actually felt I'd become part of the matrix. When this occurred I received a very clear impression, along with the words, that "I was no longer under the influence of time." At one point there was also a sensation of being amphibious.
Compared with smoked Salvia, this experience was more pleasant and easy. Throughout the experience I felt an energy running through me that was very healing and seemed to be realigning things. This seemed to work primarily on a subtle energy level which also affected me physically and mentally. And I've continued to feel the benefits from this experience for several days now. Siebert has remarked that this healing quality is frequently present when the leaves are chewed but seems to be lacking when they're smoked.
During the experience I found I was easily distracted by noises, and would have to refocus to stay with the journey. I've been told that when one is tripping on chewed Salvia divinorum simply opening the eyes will take one out of the experience, and upon shutting the eyes one will resume the journey where they left off. As the effects were wearing off I also noticed that 1 would get distracted by thoughts, and would have to put them aside to continue with the journey. The entire experience lasted about one hour. I emerged from it feeling centered and refreshed on many levels, and there were no aftereffects of any kind.