Q. What is the salvia afterglow?
A. There are two kinds of afterglow effects: immediate and persisting. The immediate afterglow probably is due to the residual pharmacological effects of salvinorin A (some of which is presumably still present in the body for about an hour or longer after the primary effects have subsided). This immediate afterglow is often described as a vague sense of peaceful euphoria lasting an hour (or a bit longer) after the obvious intoxication has worn off.

What is more interesting is that a surprisingly large proportion of salvia users report a second type of afterglow, the persisting type. It typically involves mood elevation, an overall sense of well being, and often a fresh outlook on life which can linger for several days (or longer) after the experience. This phenomenon seems to be quite common. For example, in a small online poll every one of the eleven poll respondents reported experiencing an afterglow. Three people reported it lasted one day or less (this probably represented the immediate type of afterglow discussed above). But six reported mood elevation lasting between one and three days. And two respondents reported mood elevation lasting beyond three days.

Q. Does salvia cause a hangover? Are there any after-effects?
A. Most people do not feel unpleasantly hungover after using Salvia. A few people do report a mild headache, bronchial irritation, insomnia or irritability. These symptoms seem to be reported more often by smokers than by quid chewers, and perhaps might be due to some combustion products, such as carbon monoxide rather than to salvinorin.