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Salvia divinorum
Drug Testing
by Erowid
SUMMARY #
U.S. DRUG TESTING SUMMARY
Salvia divinorum
Tested for in Standard Drug Tests?
NO
Tested for in Extended Drug Tests?
NO
Possible to Test for?
YES
Detection Period in Urine
Unknown


TEST TYPES #
Neither salvinorin A (the active compound in Salvia) nor its metabolites (the substances it is broken down into by the body) are tested for in the standard drug test. The basic drug test, currently used for nearly all testing programs (corporate, school, sports & judicial), checks for the "SAMHSA-5", and cannot currently detect salvinorin A.

Even the extended drug tests used by most companies do not test for the presence of salvinorin A or its metabolites.

Salvinorin A can be detected by more complicated lab tests:
  1. by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in blood and urine [see McDonough et al., 2008]
  2. by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in blood, urine, and saliva [see Pichini et al., 2005]
  3. by high performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in blood and urine [see Schmidt et al., 2005]
These tests are more expensive than field detection tests and are uncommon.

In September 2008, the New York Times reported that the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology conducts approximately 50 tests a month, a tiny fraction of the population of enlisted men and women (see Popularity of a Hallucinogen May Thwart Its Medical Uses).

Detection Period

The elimination half-life of salvinorin A is believed short (less than an hour in Rhesus monkeys according to Schmidt et al., 2005), meaning the detection window for salvinorin A is probably brief, i.e. less than twelve hours.

CAUTION & DISCLAIMER #
Erowid's drug testing information is a summary of data gathered from site visitors, journal articles, websites, and other resources. Detection periods depend on amount and frequency of use, metabolic rate, body mass, age, overall health, drug tolerance, and urine pH of each individual. Many substances that are not tested for in basic or extended urinalysis tests CAN be tested for by a laboratory willing to go to the trouble, although that is uncommon.