Neuropathic and inflammatory antinociceptive effects and electrocortical changes produced by Salvia divinorum in rats.
Journal of ethnopharmacology July 12, 2017 Karina Simón-arceo, Ma Eva González-trujano, Ulises Coffeen et al. 26 citations
An extract of Salvia divinorum reduced pain responses in rats with both neuropathic and inflammatory pain. The extract's analgesic effects were blocked by a kappa-opioid receptor antagonist, indicating a kappa-opioid mechanism. The extract also altered brain activity, increasing power spectral density in the anterior cortex and decreasing it in the posterior region, changes that may correlate with the hallucinogenic state seen in humans. The findings suggest Salvia divinorum could be a therapeutic alternative for chronic pain, acting through kappa-opioid receptors.