Soon i will begin working with SD for the purpose of introspection and possibly helping with some depression and ocd symptoms i have had going on in my mind for the past few years.

That is the reason i ever got into learning about psychedelics, but i won't lie, the "machine elves from hyperspace" that love us was the icing on the cake. I have been on a path to self recovery by natural means from heavy drug intoxiction (alcohol, pharma pills, nicotine, cocaine, cannabis abuse) that i've subjected my brain to. I put cannabis in there because it had become habitual and has caused me severe amounts of anxiety that carried over into my sober life after quitting some time ago.

And go figure i have recently conqered that anxiety by taking pure cbd from a strain of cannabis, which i legally obtained online a few months ago. But the depression and ocd lingers... I'm still functional thankfully but somtimes it can get overwhelming to say the least. I'm not sure but somtimes i think bipolar symtoms manifest, as in light but controllable and conscious mania. I refuse to take pharma meds and be labeled as mentally ill, i'm not.

Anyhow, have any of you SD explorers noticed any benefit from using this herb? Have any of you tried it specifically for this purpose or something comparable? I have read a few studies that indicate that it could be helpful in this area.

I thank the Universe for Daniel Seibert's work that is keeping SD legally available in a few states. When i saw it was legal in my state still i immediately bought two plants to preserve this awesome herb. It such an inconspicuos plant thats easily grows in a bright window, cant ask for much more.

Low dose seretonergics have been helpfull for depressive states of awareness, alongside a few hits of Sally D you should be sweet

I didn't find it made me happier, just change the way I could concieve my state of experiencing the world. Trully, positive moods are with seretonergics like DMT, psilo... although you might get mongo eyed giggles on salvia it won't last very long and you might not even remember it. Although you could have breakthrough realizations that could help you in other aspects of your life which could cure your depression but if its a chemical thing or an awareness thing, then look towards low dose seretonergics.

Also K-opiod receptor antagonism can causes some small irritability according to wiki and I agree I feel like I just woke up after a few trips of salvia.

What route of administration have you used for SD? I plan on working with plain leaf and chewing the leaves, nothing too extreme.

That's good to know, i have had some experience with mescaline but the long duration is undesirable for a working schedule. It did shift my perspective for the better and surfaced some material that needed work. I would like to try dmt one day, but it intimidates me. How would you compare the intensity of dmt vs salvia?

I love the fact that dmt's effects are short lived, i'd rather have a super intense experience that only lasts a few minutes, than a mildly intense experience that lasts for hours. Thats partly due to not having someone to be a sitter for me.

I've worked with harmalas a few times im small doses which were effective but i discontinued using them because i enjoy caffiene too much. Psilocybin interests me though the duration is a bit long for my liking. Which substance do you find has helped you the most in this department?

I believe Salvinorin A is an agonist of the KOR.

I have never tried chewing/smoking leaves, I've always used extract (10x) that I purchased from a headshop, on top of a bed of cannabis in a bong with ice cubes/snow (the smoke sucks).

It doesn't sound like an extract would be a good option for you however. Extract usually gives you an extremely intese 10-20 minute experience that feels like nothing else really. In my opinion, it's more intense than DMT, especially when you start dosing high (100mg+). If you'd like some reading, here's a report of my most powerful Salvia Divinorum experience to date:

https://www.dmt-nexus.me...aspx?g=posts&t=61551

I can say that, despite the intensity of the experience, it was extremely beneficial to me - my perception on a lot of stressful situations I was dealing with changed. I cannot speak about the efficacy of quidding/smoking leaves to alleviate symptoms of depression/OCD (I always have "diagnosed" OCD and I know how much it sucks), but smoking extract definitely helped the situation. However, it only pushes you in the right direction - you have to make the conscious effort to continue going on the path that is laid before you.

Also, if you do plan on smoking extract, start VERY LOW, use a scale, and have a sitter.

Salvia is indeed a potent agonist of the kappa opioid receptor.. which is responsible for the possible reverse tolerance and anti-compulsive effects. I find salvia exceptionally grounding in its ability to clear up any mental, emotional or spiritual debris that we all pick up during this life. With that said, I've noticed salvia has a definite anti-depressant effect.. alongside increased and improved awareness, focus, attention and even sexual energy. The main afterglow of salvia only lasts for about an hour and can linger for most of the day ime.

Salvia can have a lot of benefit.. however, those new to her ways must acknowledge the possibility of negative experiences, too. Such as overwhelming visions or bodily energy, acute changes in your perception of experience, salvia language and even falling over on your butt! Salvia is not to be taken for granted. We know nothing of her or 'it', so do be patient and respectful in the presence of utilization and one shall discover vast insights and places.

While I did have also some relieve from smoking extracts and plain leaves, when I was feeling a bit lost and maybe having some sort of substance abuse problem ( with ketamine ). I soon started to contemplate the apparent superiority of buccal / sublingual administration of it.
It is a very good move from you to start by adopting two babies SD. If you take care of her, you will feel how much she can take care of you and gardening also is a nice mood stabilizer.
You can always chew on some fresh leaves, and keep the falling ones for drying, smoking plain in bong to see if you like, or saved to extract ( crude extracts from cold acetone is fast easy first step to use then for either smokable concentrate or making tinctures, other forms of sublingual extract ).
It has surely a way of it's own to refresh your synapses and you may feel like you'e an updated version of yourself.

Welcome around and keep us updated. There are a number of ways to go about it.
Read as much as you can about it's traditional and modern usages, cultivation etc...

I think with SD, one can go very far. But it's a very special one, that is not seen as the most easy one to get on well with.
Go slow and take care of your set and settings !
If you can, it syngergizes well with a number of plants or alcaloids such as harmalas ( and in your case harmalas would probably help and are a lot easier ).

That is an interesting experience report, i actually read that the other day while i was on a researching binge, very cool. Yeah i don't thinks extracts would be for me. I hope i can reach those states with regular leaf once the reverse tolerance starts working. I'm glad to hear it has helped you, that's good news. I think i'm at a place in my life where i'm ready to continue on the path thats laid before me.

That's awesome. Just what i'm looking for in a psychedelic. The possibility of a negative or overwhelming experience is why i won't ever try an extract, the bad experiences i've read about and seen on youtube are enough to keep me away from that. Definitely will take my time and be respectful. Thanks.

If you're looking for a good, psychedelic OCD treatment, I highly suggest psilocybin mushrooms.
They've worked wonders for me (pure-o sufferer). You can look up Moreno et al, 2006 for a scientific study backing up the efficacy of psilocybin as a possible treatment.

Blessings
~ND

I second this 110%.

It's also good to note that, despite what Terence McKenna would have you think, you don't need to ingest a quarter ounce and have a full-blown religious experience to appreciate what the mushrooms can do. I've found low doses (even threshold doses) to have a very revitalizing, "cleansing" feeling.