Pharmacokinetics of the potent hallucinogen, salvinorin A in primates parallels the rapid onset and short duration of effects in humans.
NeuroImage July 1, 2008 Jacob M Hooker, Youwen Xu, Wynne Schiffer et al. 106 citations
Salvinorin A, the psychoactive component of the mint plant Salvia divinorum, is a uniquely potent agonist at kappa-opioid receptors. Positron emission tomography (PET) studies in 6 adult female baboons showed extremely rapid brain uptake, reaching a peak of 3.3% of the total administered dose within 40 seconds and clearing with a half-life of 8 minutes. The compound distributed throughout the brain, with highest concentration in the cerebellum and notable concentration in the visual cortex, which may account for visual hallucinations when smoked. Naloxone did not reduce overall concentration or alter regional distribution. The rapid brain kinetics match the brief time-course of visual hallucinations, and effects may occur at less than 10 micrograms in the human brain, emphasizing its remarkable potency.