HALLUCINOGENIC, HIP, LEGAL

Mexican Herb Raises Concerns

NEW YORK -- An obscure hallucinogenic herb from Mexico is gaining a toehold
in the world of recreational drugs, prompting law enforcement officials to
increase their scrutiny of the plant, which is legal, and moving health
experts to issue cautions about the drug, whose jarring effects are not
fully understood.

The herb, Salvia divinorum (pronounced SAL-vee-ah dee-vin-OR-em), is a type
of sage plant that can cause intense hallucinations, out-of-body
experiences and, when taken in higher doses, unconsciousness and short-term
memory loss. Users have also reported sensations of traveling through time
and space, assuming the identities of other people and even the feeling of
merging with inanimate objects.

Scientists are still unclear about precisely how it interacts with the
brain or how it may affect the rest of the body or if it may lead to
possible long-term side effects.

"People who are arbitrarily using it need to be cautious," said Dr. Ethan
Russo, a neurologist in Missoula, Mont., who studied Salvia divinorum and
other herbs while preparing his book, "Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs"
(Haworth Press).

"It's totally different from anything they may have tried before."

Salvia divinorum, which is native to Mexico, can be smoked or chewed like
tobacco. Its leaves can also be boiled to make an intoxicating tea. And
unlike most other hallucinogenic substances, Salvia divinorum is legal in
the United States, although drug enforcement officials say they are looking
closely at the herb.

Precise figures about the plant -- it is also known as ska Maria Pastora
and diviner's sage -- its use and proliferation are almost impossible to
gather. It is available almost exclusively through the Internet.

Authorities said they had no reports of health problems, hospitalizations
or emergency room visits that might be attributed to the plant. But
herbalists, users and sellers say its popularity is growing.

Users dismiss the concerns, saying that no evidence of an addictive quality
has been documented, and pointing out that the Mazatec Indians in the
Oaxaca region of Mexico have used it, with no apparent ill effects, for
centuries.