"Health & Medical News"

Salvia divinorum, a powerful hallucinogenic plant related to the common sage, is being used by some teens in the United States and the United Kingdom, who videotape their experiences and post them on YouTube, BBC News Magazine reported on Nov. 1.

The plant is legal, but some say it’s a potentially dangerous substance that must be regulated. The plant has been used by Mexican shamans for thousands of years, but now is being sold in both the U.S. and Europe, legally.? 

When smoked, the plant’s effects can last as little as 10 minutes, while chewing it creates a longer effect. It is banned in Australia, some European countries, and a handful of U.S.? states. Salvia divinorum users can experience uncontrolled laughter, a temporary inability to speak, dramatic visual and auditory hallucinations, uncoordinated movement, an out-of-body feeling, and other unsettling affects.

In the U.S., there were calls for a federal ban after the death of a teen who at some point had smoked the plant. While some studies have suggested that the substance has a depressive effect in rats, there has yet to be a major scientific study on its effects on humans.? 

A concern of Professor Fabrizio Schifano of the University of Hertfordshire is the theory that salvia divinorum interacts with receptors in the brain that may be linked with schizophrenia. Salvia divinorum’s role in brain chemistry needs more research, he says. ? 

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