Analytical investigation of legal high products containing Salvia divinorum traded in smartshops and internet.
Fernando Xavier Moreira, Félix Carvalho, Maria De Lourdes Bastos, Paula Guedes de Pinho
Forensic science international September 1, 2014 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.07.009 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractProducts containing the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum, sold legally in smartshops and online, often mislead consumers about their potency and composition. Analysis of 10 such products, labeled with potencies from 5x to 60x, found that salvinorin A was the primary hallucinogen, along with three related compounds. Labeled concentrations of salvinorin A frequently did not match the actual amounts, and the true concentrations far exceeded the level needed to produce hallucinogenic effects. Safety information was often omitted, encouraging recreational use without adequate warnings.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Quantitative analysis of commercial products Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Commercial Salvia divinorum products sold in smartshops and online |
| Topics | Salvia divinorum |
| Keywords | Legal drugs Smartshops Identifying |
| Citations | 13 |
| Key finding | Salvinorin A concentrations in the tested products far exceeded the amount needed to produce hallucinogenic effects, and labeled concentrations frequently did not correspond to the true amounts. |
Abstract
Lately, the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum has been considered a popular recreational product among adolescents, being legally sold in several countries in "smartshops" and in internet websites. Sellers frequently omit the safety information about the plant, encouraging its use for recreational purposes, without providing adequate qualitative and quantitative details. The principal hallucinogenic compound of the plant, salvinorin A, alongside with three other isomeric compounds, salvinorin B, C and D were evaluated in 10 products containing S. divinorum. These products were obtained in smartshops and from internet websites, and contained concentrated extracts of salvinorin A, with potencies labeled between "5x" and "60x". For that purpose a simple and rapid extraction protocol and a GC-MS methodology were developed and applied to the purchased samples. The analysis of S. divinorum samples allowed the identification of four salvinorins, salvinorin A being the most prevalent hallucinogen. In the tested samples, there were several unreliable data provided to consumers. Frequently, there was no information on salvinorin A concentration, but when it existed, it generally did not correspond to the true amount present in products. On the other hand, the concentration of salvinorin A in each product far exceeded the amount needed to produce hallucinogenic effects.