We have discussed several drugs over the past few weeks. Prayerfully you have been able to learn a little about each of the drugs we have already talked about. In today’s blog we are going to discuss Salvia. Our final blog in this series will be next week and we will discuss MDMA (Ecstasy).
It is God’s desire that He completely sanctify every aspect of our lives – spirit, soul, and body – according to I Thessalonians 5:23. God desires to direct our thoughts, our words, and our actions – this is called being “filled with the Spirit” Ephesians 5:18.
As children of God, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 6:19). With this in mind we are to glorify God in our bodies because our bodies belong to Him (I Corinthians 6:20). A child of God dishonors God when they introduce into their body (which belongs to God) harmful substances. These substances are not only physically and soulically harmful, but they also diminish our sobriety which in turn decreases the Spirit’s ability to completely control our lives. When we partake of any of these substances, no matter how little it may be, we start the process of becoming filled with them and less filled with the Spirit.
I pray that all of us will attempt, by the grace of God, to live a Spirit filled life and that none of these substances will ever take away the power of God in our lives.
Salvia
Salvia (Salvia divinorum) is an herb in the mint family native to southern Mexico. It is used to produce hallucinogenic experiences.
How is Salvia Used?
Traditionally, S. divinorum has been ingested by chewing fresh leaves or by drinking their extracted juices. The dried leaves of S. divinorum can also be smoked in rolled cigarettes or pipes or vaporized and inhaled.
Because of the nature of the drug’s effects – brief hallucinogenic experiences that mimic psychosis – it is more likely to be used in individual experimentation than as a social or party drug.
How Does Salvia Affect the Brain?
The main active ingredient in salvia, salvinorin A, is a potent activator of nerve cell targets called kappa opioid receptors. (These receptors differ from the receptors activated by commonly known opioid drugs such as heroin and morphine.) Altogether salvia is generally considered a hallucinogen, it does not act at serotonin receptors that are activated by other hallucinogens like LSD or psilocybin, and its effect are reported by experienced users to be different from those drugs.
Subjective effects of salvia use have been described as intense but short-lived. They include psychedelic-like changes in visual perception, mood and body sensations, emotional swings, feelings of detachment, and a highly modified perception of external reality and the self, leading to a decreased ability to interact with one’s surroundings. This last effect has prompted concern about the dangers of driving under the influence of salvinorin.
What Are the Other Health Effects of Salvia?
The use of Salvia has deleterious effects on learning and memory.
All the drugs we have talked about have negative health consequences. These drugs hinder our walk with God. We should allow nothing in our lives that would take us away from our relationship with Jesus.
