Depressant Effects of Salvia divinorum Involve Disruption of Physiological Sleep.
María Eva González-Trujano, Fernando Brindis, Edith López-ruiz, Ignacio Ramírez-salado, Adrián Martínez, Francisco Pellicer
Phytotherapy research : PTR July 1, 2016 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.5617 via PubMed
Summary
Extracts of the herb Salvia divinorum produce sedative-like effects in mice and rats, altering normal sleep patterns. In mice, non-polar, medium polar, and polar extracts all reduced activity, with the medium polar extract showing the strongest effects. In rats, the medium polar extract, which contains salvinorins, fragmented sleep by decreasing rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and increasing quiet wakefulness at doses of 10 and 100 mg/kg. These findings indicate that S. divinorum has depressant properties that disrupt physiological sleep architecture, supporting its traditional use as a tranquilizer but raising questions about its safety for sleep.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice and rats |
| Keywords | Rem-sleep Salvia divinorum Central nervous system Polysomnography Salvinorins |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key finding | Salvia divinorum extracts produce sedative-like effects, and the medium polar extract containing salvinorins fragments sleep architecture by reducing REM sleep and increasing quiet wakefulness in rats. |
Abstract
Although Salvia divinorum is traditionally known as a 'mind-altering' or psychoactive herb used, among others things, as a tranquilizer, this property has not been validated with regard to its efficacy and safety. The objective of this study is to provide evidence for the sedative effects of S. divinorum and discriminate the nature of the responsible constituents by examining different experimental models. A battery of tests, including the open-field, hole-board, exploration cylinder, plus-maze and sodium pentobarbital-induced hypnosis potentiation, were used in mice after administration of non-polar, medium polar and/or polar extracts of the plant (10, 30 and 100 mg/kg). Polysomnographic analysis in rats receiving an active medium polar extract (10 and 100 mg/kg) containing salvinorins was also assessed to study the effects of this plant on sleep architecture. All tested extracts produced significant sedative-like responses, although those of the medium polar extract were more pronounced in mice. The sedative effect of this latter extract, which contains a mixture of salvinorins, caused fragmented sleep architecture in rats by diminishing rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and increased the quiet awake stage at 10 and 100 mg/kg. Our results provide evidence that S. divinorum exhibits sedative-like depressant properties that alter physiological sleep architecture. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.