The hallucinogenic herb Salvia divinorum and its active ingredient salvinorin A reduce inflammation-induced hypermotility in mice.
Neurogastroenterology and motility February 1, 2008 R Capasso, F Borrelli, J Zjawiony et al. 39 citations
An extract from the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum and its active ingredient salvinorin A reduce gut motility in mice, but only during intestinal inflammation. In healthy mice, salvinorin A slowed motility only at high doses, and this effect did not involve kappa-opioid receptors (KOR). Inflammation made salvinorin A more potent at lower doses, and this effect was blocked by KOR antagonists, indicating a switch to KOR-mediated action. A standard KOR agonist did not share this enhanced potency, suggesting salvinorin A may act through additional targets in the inflamed gut.