Poppydog:

After doing some searching at Forest Farm; the excellent "PlantFinder" search/gardening tool at the Missouri Botanical Garden and, primarily, of course, several "Google" searches looking for references to cross link common to botanical names and a few other "Google" searches, I suspect that the "Salvia" being sought after by some of the young people in your neck of the woods is "Salvia divinorum" or "Diviner's Sage" which from my brief searches and even briefer readings was traditionally used by native Mexicans within a certain region of Mexico.

Whether or not this plant - an annual - in your neck of the woods - is available in northern Illinois garden centers remains to be seen.

I've noted the extensive "reference" regarding "Diviners Sage" in the link below. There's quite a bit of information should you be interested in exploring this subject/plant.

Now that you know the name of this particular plant, you'll find other information by doing a search on Google using the term "Salvia divinorum".

In addition, you can, if you so wish to delve more deeply, do a search at the National Library of Medicine, which is the largest medical library in the world. Their web address is http://www.nlm.nih.gov/

Once you arrive at their main web page, you can try and search their extensive database in several databases - beginning with "Medline".

It is somewhat interesting to note that the name Salvia comes from "the Latin 'salveo', which means to heal. Indeed this herb is highly regarded for its healing qualities. An ancient proverb states, 'Why should a man die who has sage in his garden?' The ancient Greeks used it to treat consumption, ulcers and snake bites.

The Romans considered sage to be a sacred herb and concocted a whole elaborate ceremony just to pick it. A sage gatherer would have to use a special knife (not made of iron as it reacts with the sage), have to have clean clothes and clean feet and a sacrific of food would have to be made before he could begin. Funny lot those Romans. The Romans would use it for toothpaste and they thought it was be good for the brain, senses and err oh memory.

The Chinese also were quite partial to this herb and 17th century Dutch merchants found that they would trade one chest of sage leaves for three of their tea. I wonder if this was because they were quite sick of tea by the 17th century." - from an internet source.

As for me, I think I'll stick with the longer term "culinary high" of the more common sage - Salvia officinalis - in the kitchen or a few colorful garden sages such as the "Black Sea Salvia", i.e. Salvia forskaohlei, which I found very interesting during my searches at Forest Farm. Here's the link to the Black Sea Salvia in case you're interested in adding this Salvia to your garden:

http://www.forestfarm.com/search/closeup.asp?PlantID=safo074

If I can find some "Black Sea Salvia" locally, I might add it to my garden in northwestern Michigan.

With regard to the matter of young people looking for a way out, I am reminded of a remark made by a very famous German philosopher, who stated something like the following,

Philosophers have interpreted the world in various ways, the point however is to change it.

How sad it is that young people are not using the "grey matter" between their ears to make the world more humane, equitable, democratic, etc. rather than wasting their precious time and energy on locating and/or using various means of "escape". Of course, we adults are equally guilty of this project of "escaping" as well.

Hope this bit of research is most useful and enlightening.

Best regards.

Bill

Here is a link that might be useful: Salvia divinorum

Richters (I think that's how its spelled) Herbs sells that particular variety of Sage. My brother told me about it a year or so aago and asked if I had ever seen it (he knows I am the gardener in the family). They sell plants for $13.00

It is not perennial in the great lakes region. The salvia we grow around here commonly won't (as far as I'm aware) give the kids anything but a cough and a headache (and the sagey smell of cat pee).

BAck in college, years ago, I had the job of a research assistant at the library. Graduate studnets and professors could make use of us "assistants" to do the research they didn't have time to do themselves. I was frequently used by one of the fraternities for research. Your kid can more easily get a buss smoking bananadine (from banana peels) or peanut skins (I kid you not, though I never tried any of the products of my research myself).

Yes, actually I saw this on CNN recently. Processed salvia is sold in what we used to be call "head shops" back inthe day and on the web. It is legal in most states. The couple on CNN blamed it for their son's suicide.

Check out "Brett's Law" near the bottom of the following link. I love it when people don't let facts get in the way of their opinions....

Here is a link that might be useful: all you ever need to know about Salvia divinorum

Another plant for drugs used in the midwest is datura. I think they use the seed, not sure if smoked or processed in some way.

Lee

There is no such thing as bananadine. It is a made-up psychoactive.

Salvia divinorum is actually quite harmless. The effects last less than 10 minutes, and it is very difficult to move while the effects are going on, making it unlikely for one to injure themselves or others.

The teenager, Brett, who is said to have died from taking Salvia had not consumed any Salvia divinorum for several days before taking his life. He was also on powerful prescription medication with a known side effect, SUICIDE.

It is really a shame that they are demonizing this plant.

Salvia Divinorum is one of the more intense hallucinogenic drugs out there. Many people liken it to a quicker and less spiritual version of DMT. It can be found in either the very potent "extract" form or in dried leaves. It is smoked and leads the user into a 3-7minute (on average) trip. In the lower grade trips you may see closed eye visuals and have some physical effects. Contrary to what was written above, I've never had much trouble moving around, or running, while on weaker trips.

In more intense trips, the user can experience ego death, or a total loss of self, where the world is stripped away. This can be terrifying or amazingly freeing. Strong trips usually contain open eye visuals as well, although sometimes all reality can be lost track of.

Why it is still legal is beyond me, aside from the fact that it didn't get publicity until recently. Once it is illegal it will most likely die out as it is more expensive and less rewarding than conventional hallucinogens such as mushrooms or lsd.

In two days it will be illegal in Illinois. I believe Michigan has yet to pass legislation though.

For more information involving the chemistry, dosage, laws, and other info about salvia, see my link.

P.S. You can't get high off of smoking banana peels or peanut skins. There are no psychoactive chemicals in either of them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Erowid - Salvia

"Another plant for drugs used in the midwest is datura. I think they use the seed, not sure if smoked or processed in some way.

Lee"

Lee, Datura is another psychoactive herb, but unlike salvia, it is not at all popular. Most people report their trip on datura to be very unpleasant.

All parts of the plant contain the psychoactives, but usually either the seeds (10 or so) or leaves (1 or 2 used to make tea)are ingested orally or smoked. The main problem with a Datura trip seems to be the hallucinations. With most drugs you can tell what is real and what isn't. Datura hallucinations are very realistic and often you believe that they are real. This causes many problems and can make this drug very dangerous to be on physically.

While the trip lasts around 8 hours, effects can stay for days, such as blurred vision.

The only real perk of this drug is how easy and legal it is to obtain, other than that there is no real reason to do it.

It is certainly a shame that Salvia divinorum is being shown in a bad light and abused by teens. I have recently started a forum for anyone in Michigan who would like to lean more about Salvia divinorum and it's legal status in Michigan. I am trying to spread the word to get the proposed Michigan HB5700 bill amended. I think that this plant should be kept out of the hands of kids, but remain legal to responsible adults.

I have written my local Michigan legislators to inform them of Salvia divinorum so they can make an informed decision. I keep the forum at www.MichiganSalvia.com constantly updated with the legal status of the plant here in Michigan. Please come visit if you would like to learn more.

Here is a link that might be useful: www.MichiganSalvia.com

You need to ask your daughter how she knows so much about this plant, all the way down to the letters in the species's name. That's pretty unusual info for most kids to retain. The fact she seemed eager ought to raise some questions.

There is so much available, from datura,(loco weed) foxglove (digitalis), sweet clover (cumadin), castor bean (ricin) mouldy rye (ergot, i.e. LSD) 'shrooms, (anamita) cactus (mescaline) ..the list goes on.
There is a reason that deer and bunnies don't eat them. We have forgotten why we shouldn't.
Perhaps the Darwin theory is still in evidence. Survival of the fit. (If it tastes like crap..don't eat it..there's a reason!)
People (kids) who feel a need to get high will try anything.
This stuff (salvia) sounds pretty safe, compared to the other stuff I listed above.

I have personally never tried it, but I have done extensive research on the plant, and quite frankly it's a beautiful and spiritual herb, that should not be condemned. Teenagers will forever try to get high off whatever they can, I don't see why us adults should have to suffer because of a bunch of kids. No matter how many laws we try to pass, there will always be drugs out there for them to use, so instead of trying to ban the plant which is a silly idea as it is, but we should inform our children that it's unhealthy to smoke the plant as an extract (acetone and lighter fluid are often used to disolve the Salvorin A from the leaf to make it stronger. Though it's evaporated, the deadly chemicals that shouldn't be consumed in any way may still remain in the extract) I think it runs along the same lines that if cocain and heroin were made legal, anyone smart enough would know that it's still a horrible drug that shouldn't be touched. We can't blame the drug, we must blame ourselves for not educating our children of right and wrong, that way those who are responsible enough to use any drug can do so in peace legally.

Wow, what a great opportunity to for you and your daughter to spend some time in the garden together. This is a wonderful salvia species that should be safegarded from those who seek to exploit its powers of spiritual transmission. The Aztecs and Mayan used this plant to speak to those in the spiritual planes. That being said, I do not advise anyone to use it as a form of recreation... especially if one has had any history of mental illness or instability, taking any forms of prescription drugs, history or heart disease, and those who seeking a "high".

This is however a traditional sacrament and should be treated as such. Best to include it in your materia medica section of the garden quietly. I have heard of one women who was able to communicate with her deceased husband using this and an obsidian mirror as catalysts. A grounded faith and understanding of the intrapsychic conflicts that may arise is crucial as one's ego can be washed away.

Why is this so amazing? Alot of plants have actives in them such as... myristica fragrans the nuts that grow on this tree is known as nutmeg wich has the chem myristicin wich is a deliriant and theres.. wild lettuce contains a phen it acts as a painkiller and sedative theres coleus witch is salvias cousin theres morning glorys wich have lysergic acid amide (Lsa) theres Arundo donax wich has dmt and 5-meo-DMT i could go on but you get the point.. salvia is a plant all of our famous drugs come from plants such as Lsd Cocaine marijuana etc... its no shocker that salvia get you high. Do not try any of these drugs as they are dangerous alot of them are poison