The Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center - Shroomery

Daniel Siebert Speaks…
very much like to determine the identity of a plant called
"Yerba de la Virgen," which according to a 1952 paper by
Weitlaner was used by the Otomí people in the somewhat
distant region of Tulancingo, Hidalgo in the same manner as
Salvia divinorum. It would be fascinating if this turned out to
in fact be Salvia divinorum; but even if it is not, it would be
quite interesting to discover its identity.
I am also planning to look into the genetic diversity of Salvia
divinorum. This plant very rarely produces seed, and even on
the infrequent occasions when seed has been obtained, their
viability has been quite low. Because of this, the plant is
virtually always propagated asexually from cuttings. Truly
wild, genetically diverse, seed-producing populations of
Salvia divinorum have never been observed by botanists. At
first glance, many populations of Salvia divinorum appear
wild, but one must realize that the Mazatecs deliberately
choose to plant it in out-of-the-way locations. They believe
that it should not be grown where it will be seen by passersby,
lest it lose its power. In a humid environment, such as the
wooded ravines in the Mazatec Sierras, stem sections quickly
root when they make contact with moist soil. Once planted in
such a location, the plant spreads asexually on its own within
the immediate environment, propagating itself from branches
that break off or fall over. After many years the plants
becomes completely naturalized in that location, appearing
quite wild. It is certainly possible that truly wild populations
of Salvia divinorum exist somewhere. However, as I said,
such populations have never been observed by botanists, and
the Mazatecs I spoke with assured me that it does not grow
wild, but is always introduced to a location through human
effort. Therefore, it appears that this plant is a cultigen with
very limited genetic diversity. It may be that there are
relatively few genetically different clones of Salvia divinorum
growing in the entire region, and it is entirely possible that
this species is predominately monoclonal. I would like to
collect more live specimens from a wide variety of locations
throughout the region so that we can see if they appear to be
genetically identical or not. This could be done using isozyme
analysis or DNA fingerprinting techniques.
Will: You recently conducted an experiment to test the
putative psychoactivity of another Salvia-Salvia splendens.
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