Salvia divinorum (Diviners Sage) is used by the Mazatec Indians, who live in the remote regions of Oaxaca in South America. Little is known regarding the plant's use before this period, although there is some indication that it may have been used by the Aztecs in earlier times. (There is evidence that connects Salvia divinorum with the ancient Aztec sacrament Pipiltzintzintli.) The first description of this plant in Western literature was made by Swedish anthropologist Jean Basset Johnson in 1931. Johnson who was investigating psilosybe mushroom use amongst the Mazatecs, also noted their use of Salvia divinorum in healing ceremonies.

Salvia divinorum is a very rare plant, being found in only a few ravine locations in the Sierra Mazateca mountains. The plants like humidity and moisture, moderate but indirect sunlight and warm temperatures. Even though very little is known about it, Salvia divinorum has never been found in the wild. The patches which have been found in the Sierra Mazateca are thought to have been planted deliberately; local shaman tradition suggests that the plant is foreign to the region, there is no knowledge of its origin.

Among the Mazatecs, Salvia divinorum is known under such names as Hierba Maria and Maria Pastoria, which translates as "the herb of Mary" or "leaves of Mary the Shepherdess". Salvia divinorum is also known as Magic Mint(TM), because it is a close but mysterious relative of sage and mint. It is also known as Saliva Delirium, Salvia Divinorium and Astroturf.