Salvinorin A: general

Salvinorin A is the main active diterpene responsible for the hallucinogenic effects of Salvia divinorum.[1][2][3] Salvia divinorum is a rare Mexican plant from the mint family.[4] It's structurally a terpenoid, not an alkaloid, which sets it apart from most other hallucinogens.[4] Chemically it's a neoclerodane diterpene.[3]

The most important thing to know: it doesn't work like other classic hallucinogens. Unlike other classic hallucinogens, salvinorin A does not activate the serotonin 2A receptor.[1] Instead it's a selective agonist at the kappa opioid receptor.[1] Salvinorin A is the only selective kappa-opioid receptor ligand widely available outside research or medical settings.[2] The result is a hallucinogenic state that also produces dysphoria — an unpleasant, unsettled mood, not just visual or perceptual change.[1]

The second thing to know: it's short-acting. Smoked doses that produce effects fall in the 200- to 1,000-microgram range, and the experience typically runs from several minutes up to an hour.[5]

It's reported to be the most potent hallucinogen found in nature.[4] At least 12 similar compounds have been discovered or synthesized, but none are appreciably psychoactive.[4] It's also known as divinorin A.[6]

References

1. SALVIA DIVINORUM and SALVINORIN A — U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Diversion Control Division
2. Salvinorin A, a kappa-opioid receptor agonist hallucinogen: pharmacology and potential template for novel pharmacotherapeutic agents in neuropsychiatric disorders — Frontiers in Pharmacology
3. Salvinorin A | C23H28O8 | CID 128563 — PubChem (National Institutes of Health)
4. Salvinorin A — American Chemical Society (ACS)
5. SALVINORIN A — National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
6. salvinorin A | Ligand page | IUPHAR/BPS Guide to PHARMACOLOGY — IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology