Salvia Divinorum Info
 Salvia Divinorum is also known by these names: -Ska Pastora (Sheperdess' herb) -Hierba María (Mary's herb) -Hierba de la pastora (herb of the Sheperdess') -Ska María -The female -Salvia Azteca -Mint -and rarely Sadi (as in Salvia Divinorum) As you can see, most of the names are related to the Sheperdess (refering to the Virgin Mary) or allude to a feminine entity : if you ever tried Salvia you probably have an idea why. Mazatecs, being converted to catholicism by the spanish colonizers, had to transplant their gods and beliefs into a creed that fitted into the imposed religion. In my experiences, most of the times I use Salvia I feel an infinite presence, full of light, wisdom and love (although sometimes it can be overwhelming!), I always feel that presence as a SHE, and SHE is not an illusion or a hallucination; although I haven't been able to understand her or "see" her, once in the Salvia Realm her presence and "divinity" is undoubted. It is not surprising then that the Mazatecs believe that this is the Virgin Mary's Herb (just as they believe that sacred mushrooms grow where Jesus fell with his cross and/or where he spat), they are gifts from the heavens that Jesus and Mary gave them to communicate and maintain a holy communion with the Mazatecs and to provide a "divine" remedy for the people who can't afford doctors, medicine and hospitals. Note: To fully understand the use of entheogens as a means to communicate with the divine and its influence in the Mazatec culture (as well as any other culture) a great deal of study and analysis is needed, the information shown here is simplified and leaves out important background, as it is out of the scope of this site.
 Salvia Divinorum grows exclusively in Oaxaca, México and it's been used for divination an healing purposes by the Mazatec shamans for centuries. Its ritual use is very similar to the magic mushrooms ritual: they take place at night, the darkest the better, and in complete silence (you can see why in the "SD Effects" section). After the leaves are ingested (Mazatecs use only chewed Salvia, apparently they haven't experienced the greatly stronger effects that smoking the leaves or an extract can give), the patient and the "curandero" or healer lay down and stay completely quiet; if the intensity of the visions is enough, the shaman can identify the problem and give the patient the corresponding advice. Maria Sabina once said: "If I want to heal a sick person in times where there are no mushrooms, I must turn to the pastora leaves. When minced and ingested they work just like the sacred mushrooms. By the way, if you have never heard of Maria Sabina, she is the most famous curandera there is, if you are interested in reading a little bit about her wisdom click here. It is presumed that Salvia Divinorum is the sacred "Pipiltzintzintli" (the most noble child prince) that the Aztecs venerated and used in some of their rituals (Have you ever tried pronouncing Pipiltzintzintli? Try saying it really fast three times in a row... Huh? I thought so!) The Mazatecs usually ingest 26 leaves, making a sort of cigar and place the tip under their tongue, chewing or sucking the leaves' juices and keeping it in their mouths for about 30 minutes, although the effects can be reached chewing at least 8 to 10 leaves. When smoking Salvia, usually one or 2 leaves is enough.
 Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Genus: Salvia Species: S. divinorum Salvia Divinorum is a perennial herb in the mint family. Although the "ska pastora" is the only psychedelic plant known in the mint family, there are about 500 Salvia species around the world. The plant grows in large groupings to well over 3 feet in height and it has large green leaves, hollow square stems and beautiful purple/white flowers. ....
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