Neither salvinorin A (the active compound in Salvia) nor its metabolites (the substances it is broken down into by the body) are tested for in the standard drug test. The basic drug test, currently used for nearly all testing programs (corporate, school, sports & judicial), checks for the "SAMHSA-5", and cannot currently detect salvinorin A.

Even the extended drug tests used by most companies do not test for the presence of salvinorin A or its metabolites.

Salvinorin A can be detected by more complicated lab tests:

1. by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in blood and urine [see McDonough et al., 2008]
2. by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in blood, urine, and saliva [see Pichini et al., 2005]
3. by high performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in blood and urine [see Schmidt et al., 2005]

These tests are more expensive than field detection tests and are uncommon.

In September 2008, the New York Times reported that the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology conducts approximately 50 tests a month, a tiny fraction of the population of enlisted men and women (see Popularity of a Hallucinogen May Thwart Its Medical Uses).

Detection Period

The elimination half-life of salvinorin A is believed short (less than an hour in Rhesus monkeys according to Schmidt et al., 2005), meaning the detection window for salvinorin A is probably brief, i.e. less than twelve hours.