Salvia divinorum, Herb of Mary, the Shepherdess Essay example -- Botan

Salvia divinorum, Herb of Mary, the Shepherdess Salvia divinorum Epling & J. Tiva-M. is a member of the mint family (or Lamiaceae) native to the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. It is used by the Mazatec Indians of the region, in a manner similar to psilocybian mushrooms and lysergic acid-containing morning glory seeds, as a ritual entheogen (hallucinogen) and divinatory aid. It is propagated vegetatively by the Mazatecs, and no wild specimens of the plant have been observed by researchers. The diterpene salvinorin A is the chemical responsible for the visionary effects of this species. The plant now enjoys limited use among "basement shamans" in the North as an entheogen similar to LSD and psilocybian mushrooms, and is sometimes cultivated for this reason. Description A collection of Salvia divinorum suitable for identification was originally made by Wasson and Hofmann in 1962 and described by Epling and J. Tiva-M. as a new species (Epling and J. Tiva-M. 1962). The description was later amended by Reisfield. The plant is a perennial herb with trailing stems that grow from 0.5 to 1.5 m tall and have a square shape characteristic of mints. The flowers are white, turning blue with age, and borne on racemes (Reisfield 1993). It was originally described by Schultes as having all blue flowers, due to the fact that the calyces are blue (Ott 1996). Nutlets are rare among greenhouse cultivated plants, and have never been observed in the wild (Reisfield 1993). The cloud forests and tropical evergreen forests of the Sierra Mazateca mountain range provide the ideal conditions for S. divinorum growth. It lives in dark, humid areas at an elevation of between 300 and 1800 m. Propagation is vegetative, through rooting at the nodes of the l... ...e to be concerned that S. divinorum and salvinorin A have the potential to become "drugs of abuse" (Valds 1994). Bibliography Epling, C. and J. Tiva-M., C. 1962. A new species of Salvia from Mexico. Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University 20: 75-76. Ott, J. 1996. Psychoactive Card IV: Salvia divinorum Epling et Jativa. Eleusis 4: 31-39. Ott, J. 1993. Pharmacotheon. Natural Products. Kenniwick, WA. Valds, L.J., III; DÂ ¡az, J.L. & Paul, A.G. 1983. Ethnopharmacology of Ska Maria Pastora (Salvia divinorum, Epling and J tiva-M.). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 7: 287-312. Valds, L.J., III. 1994. Salvia divinorum and the unique diterpene hallucinogen, salvinorin (divinorin) A. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 26(3): 277-283. Wasson, R.G. 1962. A new Mexican psychotropic drug from the mint family. Botanical Museum leaflets, Harvard University 20: 77-84. Salvia divinorum, Herb of Mary, the Shepherdess Essay example -- Botan Salvia divinorum, Herb of Mary, the Shepherdess Salvia divinorum Epling & J. Tiva-M. is a member of the mint family (or Lamiaceae) native to the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. It is used by the Mazatec Indians of the region, in a manner similar to psilocybian mushrooms and lysergic acid-containing morning glory seeds, as a ritual entheogen (hallucinogen) and divinatory aid. It is propagated vegetatively by the Mazatecs, and no wild specimens of the plant have been observed by researchers. The diterpene salvinorin A is the chemical responsible for the visionary effects of this species. The plant now enjoys limited use among "basement shamans" in the North as an entheogen similar to LSD and psilocybian mushrooms, and is sometimes cultivated for this reason. Description A collection of Salvia divinorum suitable for identification was originally made by Wasson and Hofmann in 1962 and described by Epling and J. Tiva-M. as a new species (Epling and J. Tiva-M. 1962). The description was later amended by Reisfield. The plant is a perennial herb with trailing stems that grow from 0.5 to 1.5 m tall and have a square shape characteristic of mints. The flowers are white, turning blue with age, and borne on racemes (Reisfield 1993). It was originally described by Schultes as having all blue flowers, due to the fact that the calyces are blue (Ott 1996). Nutlets are rare among greenhouse cultivated plants, and have never been observed in the wild (Reisfield 1993). The cloud forests and tropical evergreen forests of the Sierra Mazateca mountain range provide the ideal conditions for S. divinorum growth. It lives in dark, humid areas at an elevation of between 300 and 1800 m. Propagation is vegetative, through rooting at the nodes of the l... ...e to be concerned that S. divinorum and salvinorin A have the potential to become "drugs of abuse" (Valds 1994). Bibliography Epling, C. and J. Tiva-M., C. 1962. A new species of Salvia from Mexico. Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University 20: 75-76. Ott, J. 1996. Psychoactive Card IV: Salvia divinorum Epling et Jativa. Eleusis 4: 31-39. Ott, J. 1993. Pharmacotheon. Natural Products. Kenniwick, WA. Valds, L.J., III; DÂ ¡az, J.L. & Paul, A.G. 1983. Ethnopharmacology of Ska Maria Pastora (Salvia divinorum, Epling and J tiva-M.). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 7: 287-312. Valds, L.J., III. 1994. Salvia divinorum and the unique diterpene hallucinogen, salvinorin (divinorin) A. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 26(3): 277-283. Wasson, R.G. 1962. A new Mexican psychotropic drug from the mint family. Botanical Museum leaflets, Harvard University 20: 77-84.