I was invited by MAPS to attend the 3rd World Conference on Salvia divinorum at Breitenbush Hot Springs in Oregon, Dec. 7-10, 2000. I was delighted to go and report on the conference, especially since Breitenbush is one of my favorite holiday spots for healing and relaxation. The hot spring resort specializes in organically grown vegetarian meals, yoga, and healing mineral pools. Breitenbush has been the center of environmental activism to preserve the Opal Creek watershed from logging. It is remotely located and there is no communication with the outside world beyond the radio channels available through the office for emergency use. Their usual "no drugs" policy at Breitenbush was waived in light of the fact that participants at the conference were to be given fresh Salvia divinorum leaves to chew if they felt so inclined.
Salvia Divinorum (SD) is a member of the Sage family whose name means "Sage of the Diviner". The herb contains a very powerful visionary component called salvinorin-A. This diterpine substance attracted a lot of attention in the field of pharmacology in the mid-nineties because it was not an alkaloid. Alkaloids are a chemical family which has been regarded for a century or so as the only one likely to possess psychoactive members. During the past two years I have been carrying out research (funded by MAPS) to see whether or not Salvia divinorum could enhance meditation when used in very low doses. (Editor's Note: See the MAPS Psychedelic Project List for details: /research/salvia/sdmeditation.html. See also Ian's article in the MAPS Bulletin, Vol. IX, #1, Spring 1999, page 36: /news-letters/v09n1/09136sou.html.)
We have found that one gram of dried leaves can be washed with hot water to remove the bitter components, pressed to remove most of the water and held under the tongue for twenty minutes or so, after which the remaining plant is spit out. The herb was found to greatly enhance people's ability to meditate. Our study is just starting up again after a period of inactivity. We are hoping to prove this meditation-enhancing effect in a scientific experiment. We are using a questionnaire designed by Dr. Rick Strassman, modified from a set of questions he used to evaluate DMT in another study.
Professionally, I am an electronic product inventor, specializing in the creation of medical, industrial and acoustical tools as well as toys. My newest work involves a rescue device for the Canadian Coast Guard to listen for people calling for help at sea. This interesting project can be seen at
http://www.rescueears.com. As a psychedelic researcher I am an amateur...motivated by the love of the herb and the desire to find a valuable use for Salvia divinorum. Amateur scientists are extremely important in astronomy as well as many other fields. Perhaps their importance in psychedelic research will grow if restrictive drug laws continue to hamper professional investigators.
