Salvinorin A: Example of a Non-Alkaloidal Bioactive Opioid from a Plant Source

Salvinorin A is a major active secondary metabolite isolated from the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum. This neo-clerodane diterpenoid is the rst known non-alkaloidal natural opioid with high afnity to and selectivity for the kappa-opioid receptor (KOR). As such, it serves as another interesting example, as does mitragynine, of a bioactive opioid from a nonpoppy source.