Botanical description.

The Salvia divinorum (also known as "hierba de la pastora", "hierba de la virgen", "pipiltzintzintli", "adivination leaf", "herb of the gods" and "aztec sage"), the name of the genus Salvia come from latin salvare "heal" or "save", is native from the Sierra Mazateca, a mountainous area within the  Sierra Madre Occidental in the state of Oaxaca, in Mexico.

It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Family of Lamiaceae (mints) that can reach up to one and a half meters high, with oval leaves, with jagged margins that can measure up to 30 cm. They are not pubescent and have very little petiole. They are arranged in a loose way.

In Mazatec it is called Ŝka Pastora and Ŝka María Pastora.


* Ŝka = Leaf

Its stems are distinctively square and hollow, and these tend to break and take root very easily, this being the main propagation mechanism, since its production of viable seeds is low.

When it blooms, its flowers (clustered inflorescence) are spirally arranged; They are white, zygomorphic, pentameric, with five welded petals and a bluish-purplish chalice, covered in hair, persistent bilabiate, with five partially welded sepals.

It blooms from September to May.

When it produces seeds, they are dark brown and small, about 2 mm.

**We don't own any image**


Consulted sites:

Barba-Ahuatzin, B. (2015). Las Plantas sagradas mexicanas. Ciencia, 66(3), 48-59.
(https://www.revistaciencia.amc.edu.mx/images/revista/66_3/PDF/Sagradas.pdf)

Diaz, J. L. (2014). Salvia divinorum: enigma psicofarmacológico y resquicio mente-cuerpo. Salud Mental, 37(3), 183-193.

(http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0185-33252014000300002)

Hernández-Agero, T. O., Carretero-Accame, M. E., y Vallar-Del fresno, A.M. (2002). Salvia. Fitoquímica, farmacología y terapéutica. Farmacia profesional 16(7), 59-64.
(https://www.elsevier.es/es-revista-farmacia-profesional-3-articulo-salvia-fitoquimica-farmacologia-terapeutica-13034818)

Heaven, R., (2013) Shamanic Quest for the Spirit of Salvia, Canada, Park street press.

https://www.ecured.cu/Salvia_divinorum