Observable effects of Salvia divinorum

Salvia divinorum (Salvia) is an intense short-acting hallucinogenic plant and its use is gaining popularity among young people in the United States. Salvia is currently legal in most states but that is expected to change. Little is known about the effects of Salvia on humans, however. There have been no human-trial studies published documenting salvia's effects. However, recently the popular video-sharing website YouTube has received literally thousands of video-posts of people using salvia. We conducted a study to examine the observable effects of Salvia use as documented on these YouTube videos. A random sample of videos (n=50) was obtained using the search term “salvia.” These 50 videos were screened and only videos that captured the entire drug “trip” were included in the analyses described here (n=17). Three trained research assistants independently watched the videos and rated their observations on 44 possible hallucinogen effects in 30-second intervals. The observers also rated the severity of the effects exhibited and an exploratory analysis of differences in severity and symptoms by dose, demographics, and social variables was conducted. Since salvia's effects on humans are largely undocumented, this study provides the first look at users in a natural environment (i.e. self taped videos) exhibiting impairments and behaviors consistent with this powerful hallucinogen. Also, this study demonstrates the feasibility and shortcomings of using YouTube videos to assess emerging drugs and drug effects.