I don't know if this could be called a "tek," since it isn't very complicated. It's more of a simple recipe to follow with some suggestions regarding the set and setting.

The Approach:
Approach with care, trepidation, and questions. You do not have to be in a good place mentally to do Salvia, but you must at least understand that you are contacting a very wise and powerful consciousness, a genuine plant teacher. Your brain may be full of unwanted thoughts, knotted, and you may not be able to think or even see straight, and that's all okay.
I recommend not having other psychoactives in your system at the time of ingestion (although Syrian Rue seems to have a synergistic effect with Salvia). Have an empty stomach, but do not be ravenous. Your physical needs (sleep, hydration, etc.) should be relatively well met beforehand.
This should be done at night, when you have no other obligations left in the day. Leave yourself about 3 hours to have the experience and its after-effects. The setting should be peaceful, and there should be little chance of you being disturbed. Darkness and relative silence is optimal.

The Preparation:
Neaten up your tripping location. Close open books, neaten piles, clear the floor of obstacles. Neutralize precarious objects, put away potentially dangerous ones. Make your room a neutral, but comfortable place to be. Make your bed.

~~~
Throw a half a cup or about a handful of dried Salvia leaves into a small pot with a mugful of water in it. I like to let the leaves rehydrate before turning the heat on. Bring the leaves and water to a gentle simmer and simmer for about 5-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. A little foam is good. When done, pour into your mug through a metal strainer (not a coffee filter). You can put a peppermint tea bag in the bottom of the cup.

[Mint is in the same taxonomical family as S. divinorum, so there is synergy in both taste and effects. Menthol, present in mint, also is a mild kappa-opioid agonist, like Salvinorin A. A Nexian also just posted that menthol may help with buccal absorption. Make Salvia with mint!]

Presentation is important. Use a saucer if you have one. And do not rush the tea-making process. It's a ceremony in and of itself.

In Mazatec ceremonies, it is traditional for Salvia to be prepared by children. For this reason, I have made it a habit to have the tea "blessed" by someone I see with a particularly young/innocent energy. Or, it helps to do it in their vicinity. In the Mazatec ceremonies they keep a very close watch over the people taking the medicine. They sit very close and make sure they stay somewhat rooted in reality.

Consumption:
Beforehand, it helps to brush your gums and cheeks with a toothbrush to get the blood flowing there and expose them to the good stuff in the tea.
Sit down and sip your medicinal brew. Use a spoon and let each spoonful linger in your mouth, seeping into the crevices of your cheeks and gums. Hold it in your mouth for 10-20 minutes, if you can. Afterward, you can swallow it or spit it out. Remember, the psychoactives are mainly absorbed through your mouth, not your digestive tract. I recommend swallowing, as the liquid will pass over the back of your throat, a sensitive membrane when it comes to absorbing psychoactives.

This is where it's perfectly fine to keep asking yourself "Am I feeling it yet?" Overwhelming your system with Salvia is not the goal. There is no risk of under-intoxication. You may not even finish the cup. The goal is to invite Salvia into your space, but remain present as well. You are meeting Salvia halfway for a sort of dialog. Your participation is important--it is your job to listen and look. Do not expect to be overcome with anything like with other psychedelics. Rather, gaze into the darkness and listen into the silence for the textures of your mind.

The Experience:
You are probably more under the influence than you think you are. Many times I have done Salvia with other people, they claim they don't feel anything when I can clearly see a clear change in mood, posture, tone of voice, etc. This is especially true with the tea, where the effects certainly sneak up on you. Each sip of the tea takes about 2-3 minutes to come on. After 10 minutes of sipping, you will probably feel the full effects by 20 minutes.
During the experience it is important to fulfill any seemingly insignificant desires, especially physical. If you feel compelled to assume a certain position, do it. If you feel antsy and want to pace around, do it. If you want to turn off all the lights, do it.
Interacting with other people is fine for brief periods, but always return to your own space.

The After-effects:
The main effects last for about an hour, but the tapering off is extremely gradual--Salvia may be with you until you fall asleep. In fact, oftentimes the afterglow can be more insightful and spiritually nourishing than the main experience, which itself can be quite mysterious, like a dream. The period afterwards is where you slowly wake up from the dream, piece together the symbols (if there were any), and let your conscious mind awaken to the new wisdom in your mind.

~~~

If the suggestions for set and setting are annoying or too specific, I can take them out and make a version that's just the physical recipe.

Great post RhythmSpring! Thank you for sharing this...

The way you write & the ritualistic technique you describe here reminds me of something I would think up & write about!

Thanks for writing this, and sharing the particular dedicated conduct.
A search on the tea gave also this: salvia water infusion tea?

I like to make my tea cold-pressed - my friend got it from a Mazatec recipe and shared it with me. Apparently heating it makes it more bitter, so cold-pressed has a better flavor, but I havent tried with hot tea to get a comparison....

Two methods: old school or quicker way.

Either way choose your regular dosage. For old school you grind the leaves by hand with a motor and pestle with a little water - eventually it becomes a goo. Add the goo and a cup of water to a french press. This method might let you put more energy and intention into your tea.

Faster method - just add the leaves and water to a blender and blend, then add to french press.

Either method: let sit in french press 10-15 minutes, then strain and pour.

It is ready for sipping at this point, or if you like, it can be nice to add mint, chamomile, nettle, or a little lemonade. Tastes pretty good alone as well, but chamomile and nettle seem to add a nice effect....

I sit back and sip this lowly - swishing and gurgling it in my mouth to help it absorb (seems to absorb best in the back of the throat). Its really nice having the tea because you can stop drinking when you get to a good level, or drink a little more if you want to go deeper. You can even make a big pitcher at once and have a few days worth if you like....

I only do the cold pressed method when I make Salvia tea now, it's far superior to steeping the leaves or even using a mortar and pestle. Those methods do work, but if you have some Salvia plants and lots of fresh leaf a wheatgrass juicer is perfect.

^ Whoa! That seems like it'd be super potent. If only I had fresh leaves

and a wheatgrass juicer

It's by far the best method for oral Salvia. Like travsha said, you just swish it around and try to hold the juice at the back of your throat. You're right, it's quite potent

The juice is especially good when the leaves are fresh picked from the plant, so I only usually juice when I'm harvesting whole plants.

salvia tea does not work in relevant doses..I have tried it many many times over the last decade growing the plant-it is a waste IMO...salvinorin A is said to not be water soluble..if it water soluble it is minor.. The Mazatecs do not make a salvia "tea"..they literally press the juices out of the leaves...so they are actually expelling the salvia juice from the leaf material..which will bring out a certain amount of salvinorin A..

Still, the best method hands down, IME is quidding the leaves..slowly chewing and holding the quid and juices at the back of the mouth, swallowing periodically the juice..and eventually swallowing the entire quid-this is important IME..swallow the leaves.. I suspect the active continue to absorb at the back of the throat etc. That method never fails to produce for me a visionary entheogenic experience that is deep and personally meaningful and intelligible in a way smoking is often not.

My entire relationship with the plant has changed from taking it this way..and recently deepened to an incredible degree, and provided some of the most sophisticated visions I have encountered.

I think that is what initially made me try putting some fresh Salvia leaf through my wheatgrass juicer, that I had read somewhere that the traditional Mazatec preparation involved pressing the leaves to expel the juice.

I have had mild effects from simply steeping large amounts of leaf, however. I would definitely call it more than placebo.

Gurgling and holding the juice at the back of the throat is very effective, as much as quidding has been for me. I also feel that a lot of people have a hard time with large quids. It can be exceptionally bitter and to attempt to swallow the quid that would be quite a feat for most people

Well, speak for yourself. I've had a couple life-changing experiences with Salvia tea.

a cup of dry leaf is a lot..from my experience that is not a relevant dose..with a proper quid you can use a fraction of that amount.

a cup of dry leaf is a lot..from my experience that is not a relevant dose..with a proper quid you can use a fraction of that amount..like 3-4 large leaves the size of a hand.

BTW...menthol is also an NMDA antagonist. Many people claim it synergizes with salvinorin.

I remember the first time I made Salvia tea.... I had been quidding for a while and my friend shared the recipe with me which she had gotten from a Mazatec shaman in Mexico (same recipe I shared above).

I put in what I thought was about 2-3 quidds worth. I was making it for my wife and I and wanted to make sure it was strong enough.

That tea lasted 3 nights in a row of ceremonies for the two of us! Probably my deepest experiences with Salvia as well! What I would have used for 2-3 quids basically made 4-6 doses of tea and just happened to take me deeper then quidding had before.

Could be because I was drinking it consecutive nights, or because I was drinking before bed which seemed to have a potentiating effect.... Who knows?

Certainly worked well for me though.

If we're speaking in terms of efficacy of certain dosages I'd have to add that juicing the fresh leaf takes a lot more than other oral methods. I once juiced almost half the leaf from an entire plant to get just a few decent sized doses. Quidding is definitely better in that respect.

I tried Salvia tea for the first time last night and can attest without a shadow of a doubt that it works beyond a placebo effect. I brewed up around 1.5 grams of dried Salvia and about equal amount of caapi leaves (I've always enjoyed the effects of Salvia more with harmalas in my system as well as enjoy the flavour of caapi leaf tea) to a small pot of water with a dash of lemon juice and let simmer for 10 minutes.

I put on some didgeridoo music that I've been meditating to lately and to set a tranquil, serious setting and turned off all lights so I could focus inward on the experience. I followed RhythmSprings advice and made sure to hold the tea in my mouth for a good length of time with occasionally swishing around. After about 3-4 mouthfuls later I could feel what I call the "Salvia fingers" in my extremities, a pleasant subtle buzzing and body load. The tea was fairly pungent and overpowered the flavour of the caapi leaf but I found chewing on a bit of crystalised ginger between mouthful helped greatly with the flavour.

On around the 4th or 5th mouthful after about 3 or 4 minutes of swilling I was surprised to feel a sudden wave of Salvia energy sweep me up and my visual space behind my closed eyelids deepened considerably, with what felt like hidden structures starting to coalesce in the void of salvia space. This held on for maybe a minute or so and then I swallowed that mouthful.

A similar experience on the next mouthful with a stretching and twisting of my mental and physical space on top of that also, unmistakable as Salvia and not placebo compared to my normal meditation practices.

The music changed to more complex rhythmic material after that which kind of burst the Salvia bubble somewhat, the experience seems to either need slow ambient music or none at all to maintain the space, at least at a lower dose threshold. For the next hour i felt a pleasant buzz and afterglow as I got ready for bed with a slight amount of unco-ordination in physical movements.

The tea needs to be a total inward experience to notice effects, with eyes open mostly it is just a subtle body buzz, at least at the dosage I took.... But with intent, meditation and darkness the unmistakable effects of the Sage Goddess become apparent, not super visual (again, at least not at this dosage) but the mental spaces and feelings opened up are beautiful for insight and meditation.

I'm sure with repeated exposure to this method in combination with meditation that you could train the mind and venture considerably deeper into the Salviac seas, practice makes perfect!

Good work on the tek RhythmSpring!

Totally agree. I've given Salvia tea to a few people who did it with all the lights on and not really putting any intention into it... expecting the effects to "hit" them like a molly or something. Nope. Gotta close your eyes, go inward. But that doesn't mean it's placebo! Once you go inward with intention, there is much space to explore... much space...


Danks!

Yes, I saw plenty of potential with the session I had last night. I only had half a cup, I stored the remainder in the fridge and will give it another shot either tonight or tomorrow evening.

I like how you can moderate how far you go by holding in sips plus focussed intention and meditation. I found when I'd finally swallow a mouthful the effects would diminish until I took in a new sip and swished it around for 3 or 4 minutes and it'd come back on.

Definitely another path to take with the diviners sage even if it tends to use more material than other methods.

A bit of a bump and necro post...

Would the cold press method work using dried leaves rehydrated in a bit of water and then put in a french press?

The hot tea works for me but is pretty gnarly tasting and bitter and reading here again that the cold press method is less bitter has me interested but I only have dried leaf to work with.

I would imagine that the bitterness correlates to the amount of active ingredient (salvinorin a) in it. So a less bitter brew might mean a less potent brew. But it couldn't hurt to try it out!

If you had fresh leaves it might make more sense to press those... perhaps a la wheatgrass juice. I believe that's how some of the Mazatecs do it.