Salvia divinorum, a sage traditionally used by Mazatec Indians for divination and spiritual healing, has gained popularity as a recreational drug among adolescents and young adults, often as an alternative to marijuana and LSD. Its major active ingredient, salvinorin A, is the most potent known hallucinogen of natural origin. The plant induces intense but short-lived psychedelic changes in mood and perception, with hallucinations and disorientation. Despite some websites misinterpreting limited research as evidence of safety, accumulated data indicate potential health risks, especially for teenagers, users of other substances, and those with underlying psychotic disturbances. Further basic and clinical studies are needed to develop prevention and treatment strategies.
Repeated exposure to the synthetic cathinone MDPV during infancy in mice impairs spatial working memory and object recognition memory in young adulthood, but does not affect hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory as measured by the Morris water maze. Hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptogenesis remain intact, and the memory deficits are not linked to disrupted hippocampal development. The effects are the same in both male and female mice.