Alcohol and Drugs History Society

'Users may also journey to other worlds, communicate with strange beings or chat with the plant itself'

Additional unique physical effects include a strange twisting or pulling of the body, viewing tube- or snake-like patterns and, in some cases, encountering an 'alien geometry.'

Sometimes called “the drug the government forgot to ban,” salvia, a Mexican herb known to give users intense hallucinations, has recently crept into small-town America by way of the internet.

The Batesville Daily Guard reports.

RCMP release warning about legal pyschedelic herb

The CBC reports (21 July 2005) that teenagers across Canada are buying an herb that packs a powerful psychedelic punch. Health Canada and the RCMP say they're keeping a close eye on the legal sales. Salvia divinorum, a sage-like plant, can produce intense hallucinations when smoked or chewed. Find the full story here.

Drug Addicts Turning to Herbal Highs

For The Independent Online, Sophie Goodchild reports (13 February 2005) that the British government's plans to outlaw magic mushrooms have raised fears of a surge in the use of potentially harmful hallucinogenic herbs and plants.

Drugs experts are calling for these legal so-called herbal highs, now widely available on the internet and in high street shops, to carry clear warning labels because inexperienced users mistakenly believe they are safe.

These dried or powdered substances include salvia divinorum, a variety of sage which can be smoked. Salvia is not a controlled drug in Britain but has been banned in Italy, Denmark and Australia because it can leave users disoriented.  Find the full story here.