Salvia Divinorum — the use of Ska María Pastora in Healing and
Divination
Many Salvia species are used medicinally throughout the world,
and the genus name itself comes from the Latin salvare, to save.
The Middle English name for sage was save or saue, from the Latin
Salvia via Old English Saluie) (Oxford English Dictionary, 1971),
and Chaucer mentions it as a cure for wounds and broken limbs in
"The Knightes Tale" (Chaucer, 1927). Common sage, S. officinalis,
and Clary sage, S. sclarea, have had a long history of use in
treatment of numerous maladies (Grieve, 1971). S. miltiorrhiza,
or tan-shen, is one of the five astral remedies in Chinese
medicine, as is jen-shen or ginseng (Panax spp.). This sage is
credited with many tonic properties in the Pen T’sao, published
in 1578 (Smith and Stuart, 1973), and is listed in "A Barefoot
(more…)