Salvia has had a fairly low profile for many years. Recently, with the sudden rush of disapproval from lawmakers and politicians, this low profile has been drastically elevated. More people now know about the drug and there has been a surge in purchases from stores both online and on the high street. This surge in interest is ironic simply for the fact that the increased media coverage came as a result of the attempts to ban the herb in some states in the US.

The first mention of Salvia on paper was in 1939. There were very few recorded notes of it after this until the 1960s, when scholars Richard Schultes and R Gordon Wasson were the first to point out — in the a report written in 1963 — that Salvia has played an important role in their spiritual explorations. This was a minor footnote, however, and Salvia had to wait until the late 1990s until it got its glory days.

Salvia remains entirely legal today – apart from in a few states where it its use and distribution is controlled. It can be bought both in plant form and in the form of a potentiated extract which is up to 60x stronger. Salvia’s popularity is only growing.