Overview

• Salvia divinorum (commonly known simply as “salvia”) is an herb belonging to the sage family that is often ingested as a psychoactive drug. Salvia has been used in religious ceremonies by the Mazatec Native Americans for hundreds of years and has been known and available to the general public since at least the nineteenth century. Despite this, the drug is still legal in most states and countries—possibly because its use has never become widespread. Most evidence shows that there are some negative effects of Salvia divinorum use.
  
  

Dysphoria

• In large concentrations, salvia tends to cause dysphoria in users - which may explain why it isn't popular. Drug addiction is most commonly related to the euphoric effects a certain drug has on the user. And salvia often does the opposite, causing feelings of sadness and depression as part of the “high.”
  
  

Fear

• Another immediate negative psychological effect of salvia use is fear. While many people do not experience fear, the very nature of the drug and its hallucinogenic “high” mean that some users will inevitably have “bad trips.” Most of the time, when a user experiences intense fear, it is brought on by the tendency of salvia to cause a kind of displaced consciousness, or “out of body experience.” However, these effects usually only occur with large doses.
  
  

Negative Physical Effects

• Salvia produces a number of physical effects that may be considered negative effects. However, most users likely intend to experience a “body high” that may include feelings of dizziness, for example. Some other negative physical effects include nausea, loss of consciousness, chills, decreased heart rate, slurred speech, lack of coordination and possible lung damage if smoking the drug. Like the psychological effects of Salvia divinorum use, these physical effects disappear with the “high.”
  
  

Long-Term Negative Effects

• There are really no known long-term psychological or physical negative effects that are the direct result of Salvia divinorum use. The drug is known to be especially non-addictive. However, there are a number of possible secondary negative effects that could result from irresponsible salvia use. Since the drug has an almost cripplingly intense hallucinogenic effect, operation of sharp or dangerous objects, heavy machinery, a vehicle, etc., while high on salvia, will almost certainly have disastrous and long-term consequences, including death.