Salvinorin A content in legal high products of Salvia divinorum sold in Mexico.
Rafael Hernández-bello, Rosa Virginia García-rodríguez, Karlina García-sosa, Luis Manuel Peña-rodríguez, Maribel Vázquez-hernández, Fernando Rafael Ramos-Morales, Olivia Corcoran, Alberto Sánchez-medina
Forensic science international April 1, 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.01.038 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractSalvia divinorum products sold as legal highs in Mexico vary widely in their content of the hallucinogenic compound salvinorin A, and declared potencies often do not match measured amounts. Using an HPLC method, concentrations ranged from 8.32 to 56.52 mg/g dried leaf across brands. One brand showed no agreement between its declared and actual salvinorin A content. The emergence of high-strength products (100×), lack of regulation, and this variability could pose health risks to consumers, especially given the potential for psychosis.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Quantitative analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Commercial Salvia divinorum products sold in Mexico |
| Topics | Salvia divinorum |
| Keywords | Drug abuse Hplc method Legal highs |
| Citations | 19 |
| Key finding | Salvinorin A content varied widely among brands and did not always match declared potency, indicating a lack of regulation and potential health risk. |
Abstract
Salvia divinorum (Lamiaceae) is a herb native to Mexico where it is used by Mazatec shamans for spiritual and divination purposes. S. divinorum products are easily available to consumers and are used worldwide as legal highs because of the hallucinogenic effects caused mainly by salvinorin A. Highly popular videos and websites on the internet depicting the use of S. divinorum products have contributed to an increase in their consumption. Recent reports have highlighted the potential of these products to induce psychosis in consumers. In Mexico, dried leaf extracts of S. divinorum are sold in different strengths, claiming to correlate with increasing amounts of salvinorin A. In order to determine the variability of salvinorin A content between brands and to investigate possible correlation between brand strengths, this study sought to quantify salvinorin A in commercial products available in Mexico using an HPLC method. The HPLC analytical method showed a correlation coefficient R(2)>0.99, with LOD of 0.44 μg/mL and LOQ of 1.34 μg/mL. The retention time for salvinorin A was 23.09±0.95 min and the measured concentrations ranged between 8.32±0.65 and 56.52±3.77 mg/g dried leaf. The results for brand c did not show an agreement between the declared and the calculated amount of salvinorin A. Additionally, the emergence in Mexico of high strength salvia products (100×), the lack of regulation and the observed variability of salvinorin A content between brands of commercial legal highs products of S. divinorum could result in a health problem for consumers.