Does Salvia cause brain damage?
A. Not so far as is known. However salvinorin has some phenomenological similarities to dissociatives such as PCP and ketamine, and these dissociatives can cause brain damage (Olney’s Lesions) if taken in very high dose. Therefore the possibility that salvinorin might cause brain damage if taken in excessive dosage cannot be completely discounted. However, there have been no reports of any brain damage from salvinorin in man or animals. For those chewing quids of Salvia leaves there would seem to be no danger of brain damage at all. Chewing leaves is the very safe traditional mode of use. For those vaporizing pure salvinorin in high dosage who knows? Vaporizing pure salvinorin makes possible dosages far in excess of that any traditional user has encountered, so the safety of traditional usage patterns cannot guarantee the safety of using pure salvinorin.
