Salvia divinorum, when ingested through chewing, drinking or smoking, induces a state of sensory deprivation in its users. What this actually means is not really all that important for those who enjoy using the Salvia recreationally, but it may be of some interest to those slightly more curious reads. It may be critical information to those of us who are interested in what we are doing to our bodies. Just a quick note: Salvia is, according to all the evidence we have, perfectly safe.

Sensory deprivation is the process by which our brain does not receive a full complement of senses with which to analyse any particular situation. Sensory deprivation is intrinsically linked to the state of dissociation which means your brain just can’t work out what is going on. Is that a door over there? Or is it some kind of large brown faery? Under normal circumstances your brain would instantly figure out the answer to that question, but under a state of dissociation it simply doesn’t have access to the necessary database of information (in this case that is what a door actually looks like).

This lack of confusion and lack of ‘normal’ perception (whatever that means) is what makes Salvia appear to move us to another plane of existence.