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  • Trip Reports Moderator: Xorkoth

Salvia Tea - Experienced - Smooth, Subtle and Powerful

RhythmSpring

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
2,255
I simmered a handful of dried Salvia leaves (there was a bit of "shake" in it, too) in a mug-sized amount of water for about a minute. I poured it through a strainer into said mug with a peppermint teabag (same genus!) and let that steep for ~5 minutes.

I sipped it with a spoon over ~10 minutes, making sure to let the liquid linger in my mouth for a couple seconds before i swallowed. I sort of had to--it just made sense. The taste needed to be processed by the mouth, otherwise it would have been nauseating.

It took only 2-3 minutes for each sip to take effect. By 10 minutes, I was definitely altered. I wasn't going to any alternate realities, but I was definitely in the Salvia Space. I lay down in darkness and felt the presences of maids sweeping/cleaning me up in a cheerful way. My mind said something like "yeah, you get that done," in sort of a demeaning way. They got sort of offended and faded away. Next came in a row African American janitors to do the same job the maids were doing. These guys were a lot less likely to be offended, but their cleaning wasn't as lovely.

I experienced distinct auditory--not completely hallucinations per se, but ...imprints? Repetitive chanting, as well as a music composed of sounds of zippers and lo-fi dog barks.

There was a general magic in the air. I could feel the space around my body, where it previously felt compacted. The experience helped me understand my relationship to Salvia itself.

I do not like Salvia itself. I do not enjoy its effects. I appreciate what it has to teach me. That appreciation cannot be confused with attachment to the experience itself. Do not look at Salvia for answers. Look to the World with the help of Salvia for answers. If you become scared on Salvia, that is just your own resistance to what is ultimately harmless (I've known this before, but I needed reminding).

...And much more Salvia wisdom that cannot be put into words.

~~~
I believe that this is a very powerful thing, actually. Note that this is from *half* the cup. I felt very altered. My heart was pounding. The typical Salvia body "high" was there, but it felt more harmonious, less off-putting. Overall, this was a very smooth experience. I think the mint helped with that, too. It helped with the taste, at least.

If I had done the whole cup, I think I would have had an immersive, even more powerful experience. I stopped at half a cup because I didn't feel ready for that intensity yet. In addition to the intensity, the duration makes the experience mean business. You're in it, and you're in it for at least an hour. It creeps up on you. I can imagine it would be easy to overestimate your sobriety on this. If you do Salvia tea, I recommend doing it with a sitter or responsible, observant friends.


EDIT: In all honesty, this should be treated like Ayahuasca--in terms of length of experience, seriousness of experience, the need for a sitter, and sheer power. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was still under the influence when I wrote this report, about 2 hours after the experience. About 3 hours after the experience, going to bed, I turned out the lights in my room, and immediately I realized that I was definitely feeling some after-effects. The darkness in my room was rich--pregnant with childhood magic and mystery. I had a strong desire to commune with nature, strongest I've had in quite a long time. The light that seeped into my room around my windowshade brought in with it a potent air that felt pixelated in a natural way--as if it were part of the veil that separated this reality from some vast, unknown one.

This morning I awake with a profound, subtle peace. Last night I examined, under the influence of Salvia, the "violence in my body," which I consider to be related to self-judgment, judgment of other people, judgment of my experience, and self-induced physical discomfort--which, if chronic and localized, can lead to dysfunction, in my opinion. This morning, I notice much of this inner turmoil has settled. Perhaps it will unsettle later, but for now, I'm at peace.

The aftereffects of Salvia tea remind me a lot of those of Iboga, actually. The story-magic, the empty mind, the settled thoughts, and the feeling that reality is, indeed, quite real.

A word of warning and advice: Salvia Tea is stronger than you think. Because there is no overwhelming introduction of content, you'll think that you're not tripping or feeling it. My warning is this: Assume you're inebriated just to be safe, please. And my recommendation is this: Allow the subtlety and calm of the experience to help you foster a dialog with the plant. If smoked Salvia is rape, Salvia tea is tantric sex--a slow, gentle, subtle two-way street. It will respond to your intentions and input. Your set and setting DOES matter a great deal, as opposed to smoked Salvia, where your consciousness is brought to another realm regardless of what's going on around you.

Props to Toucan for inspiring me to try this.

Second EDIT: I am afterglowing SO hard today. Reality is so real!!!

Third Edit: This has dramatically, and I mean DRAMATICALLY changed my life. I'm still processing the experience, but I can say that it has been intensely positive, and at times scary.
 
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Excellent stuff! Just a note, salvinorin A is inactive orally. The effects from chewing salvia divinorum or drinking tea depends on how much S.A. is absorbed in the oral mucosa. They say the 'frothier' the brew, the better the S.A. is absorbed.

Anyone know how long Salvia divinorum stays good? I have a couple ounces of excellent leaf, but it must be 15 years old now....anyone think it still works? My last go with divinorum was pretty scary (smoked) so I never went back, but I have always wanted to try it the 'authentic' way...i.e. chewed or in tea.
 
If you consider the back of the throat to be part of the oral mucosa, then I would agree. I mean, the experience was FAR FAR more powerful than any of my chewed experiences. And much longer lasting. I think maybe *something's* happening internally...

That's interesting you mention froth--I noticed my brew get frothy and wondered what that was about.

Salvia stays potent for a loooooong time as long as it's dry. Although, 15 years... you might want to just get some fresh, just to be fresh about it.
 
The thing is, Daniel Seibert (who discovered the psycho-activity of salvinorin A) has tried the pure compound orally (up to many mg) without any effect. And since there are no other actives in S. divinorum....I think it is safe to say nothing happens in the stomach.

The tea is certainly active (as you demonstrate) but the activity comes from S.A. absorbing through gums, mucous membranes..not the stomach. Seems like the 'froth' is the goal.
 
I used to chew dried salvia leaves and didn't get much effect. I always brushed my gums w/ a toothbrush and used mouthwash beforehand to (supposedly) improve absorption. Smoking the dried leaf didn't do too much either except make everything look dark and "bent". Tea sounds like an interesting ROA.
 
Amazing report Rhythm! chimes in very much with my own experience. Duration also - main effects over roughly two hours.
Yes it is probable that the salvinorin A is simply being absorbed through the oral mucosa. It by far not the most economical method, but tea has the potential for a much more powerful experience than a quid simply because you can make it as strong as you like.
It's still quite rough physically but the strong effects are so much easier to deal with when they manifest over the course of half an hour instead of 30 seconds.
Really glad that my experience inspired you to try this - it was life-changing for me too :)

I can see why the mazatecs do it this way...

edit: I had very strong (positive) aftereffects from my experience also
 
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Anyone know how long Salvia divinorum stays good? I have a couple ounces of excellent leaf, but it must be 15 years old now

Probably forever. Some Oaxacan purchased in 1998 was tried a month ago. Wow. Full strength. Did she ever come out and visit on a minimal amount. My guess it is very stable.

Excellent report RS. I appreciate it. I do like Salvia and I notice you, like me need to captitalize that S. :) I feel it's respectful. I guess some experimenting really came through for you. Very cool.
 
Thanks for reporting back. Mine is 'poisonous non consumable' Oaxacan of 98 vintage too. Bet from the same place. Really good to know it is still active since this report really perked my interest.
 
Yep, there may have been 3 places back then in 1998. I have that variety too. ;) And also from one other place where the shaman was of the herbal type.
 
So 3 days after this experience, I tripped on 2g of mushrooms. It was by far the most powerful, positive mushroom trip I've ever had (I've done them about 6 times). And it felt very different. Vivid, clear, lucid and cohesive. Every piece of sensory input had meaning. The energy of the Salvia seemed to mix with the mushroom energy, in a wholesome, complete way. The light of the mushroom trip was balanced and nourished by the darkness of the Salvia.

It seems like Salvia sets the stage perfectly for the more classical psychedelics. It cleared my mind, grounded me. It was as if Salvia was the roots, and the mushroom was the branches and leaves (and I was the trunk?). I really think that if you want to have a positive tryptamine or phenethylamine experience, have a solid kappa-opioid agonist experience shortly beforehand.

That mushroom trip is a whole 'nother story. Shit.
 
I have chewed twice - once fresh with oral hash and once dried in a Swedish forest plagued by knats - both quite mild - I am interested by the idea of doing a, say X2 or x3 ipa extraction/ re-saturation on dried leaf and chewing this to achieve something betwixt the low dose chews and the high dosed smoking "muggings" since keeping this stuff in your mouth and imbibing the laced saliva for 15 minutes is harder than it sounds

RhythmSpring - my Salvia trips often seem to infuse my other trips and create material that arises during the secondary compounds trip
 
Update:

Just did a second Salvia tea session. The lessons I learned this time were more about how to use the plant properly, than about my own personal life.

a) You CAN do too much. There is a happy medium dose. Do just enough to invoke the presence of Salvia, but not too much that your own consciousness is eclipsed by the Salvia energy. You need to be awake/coherent so that you can work with Salvia in dialog.
b) Feel it out, take small sips from a spoon. Do not take big gulps. Check yourself while you are sipping and stop when you feel that it is enough. Moderation IS key.
c) Don't try to have conversations with other people while in it. Nothing bad will happen, but it will distract you from the internal work you have to do.
d) Salvia breaks down your ego, a lot. As with Iboga, if you are happy with your ego, do very little or don't do it at all.

I was on a spiritual *roll* after my first Salvia experience and mushroom trip, and I was carefully constructing a beautifully functioning, heart-centered ego. My second Salvia trip broke it down, once again. I should have done just a little bit to remind me of the lessons learned in my last session, rather than do another whole immersion experience, which seemed to devalue the work I had done previous.

I will stress, this is NOT something to fuck around with. I even feel uneasy about posting this thread at all, as it might encourage some people to do it who are not so careful.
 
If absorption through the mouth is the key, have you thought about some sort of tincture?
I'm thinking concentrated in alcohol that you could dropper under your tongue. Basically so the volume is low enough that you don't have to swallow, yet you could dose up slowly.

Lovely report, thank you. I have very fond memories of my one oral salvia experience
 
I've tried tinctures- they barely work for me. I just get a stung tongue. The tea is like 10x stronger, at least, from my experience.
 
This post was incredibly helpful to me. I wasn't happy with the one experience I had smoking it, I knew there had to be another way. I tried a tea yesterday, a little different from your method and using a 20X extract, and the experience was positive and rewarding. I actually did it twice, once at 10 AM then at 10 PM. The first time my heart pounded a bit too and I was a bit hyper, but the second time I was very chill thru the whole thing. I'm going to post my own details at some point. Thanks again.
 
What dosage would you recommend? I have a 5x extract but your report didn't specify an amount of raw leaf.
 
Yeah, I know I just said, "a handful." Volume-wise, I'd say that's about 1/3-1/2 cup. I've never weighed it. Imagine the amount of leaves you would need to chew in order to get the desired effect. About that much, I'd say.

Fractalality-- So glad it worked out for you! Yeah, Salvia is better at nighttime, when you're getting ready to settle down, not at the beginning of the day, when you're getting ready to do stuff in consensus reality.
 
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