Wojciech Wacławik, Marian Strzałka, Zbigniew Janeczko

Rośliny psychoaktywne z rodziny Lamiaceae
2005-05-16

Psychoactive plants from the Lamiaceae family. Psychoactive plants have been accompanying man for centuries. They have been used because of their "magical" properties for healing, for entering into contact with gods and foretelling the future. The knowledge of their properties and use was however confined to a narrow circle of shamans, spiritual guides. Today the world has become a "global village", in which information, including that concerning psychoactive plants, is freely disseminated across borders and cultures. New web sites that advertise so-called "shaman plants" have rapidly been emerging in response to the needs of psychedelic experimenters always hunting for new psychic experiences. Polish scientific literature lacks reliable, objective and topical data on this issue. Limited available information on psychoactive plants varies from enthusiastic opinions expressed by proponents of Naltered state of consciousnessi who praise their qualities to laconic press reports which in the aura of scandal overestimate the toxic properties of these plants. This paper presents both the history and present day state of the art with respect to some species of the Lamiaceae which are considered to be psychoactive. Special attention is paid to a Mexican plant Salvia divinorum, surrounded by its own cult practiced by entheogen fanatics who praise the intensity of the experiences that users of this plant undergo.