Salvia divinorum: is it useful? People ask me this question a lot, in interviews, at conferences, in psychotherapy sessions. How can we adapt Salvia divinorum or salvinorin A to a Western medical context to treat DSM mental health disorders? I don’t know! In 2017 I spoke at MAPS’ Psychedelic Science conference about what scientific evidence to date suggests about potential clinical applications of Salvia divinorum. Most of the research is with rodents or non-human primates and is therefore limited, but suggests salvinorin A and related compounds could be useful for treating depression, substance use, and some types of chronic pain.
Watch this video to learn about the animal behavioral pharmacology of salvinorin A, and how that research might translate to human use to relieve suffering in a Western medical paradigm.
