Most people are aware of the effects that certain plants can have on fluffies, the most well known being parsley causing pregnant mares to miscarry, but a plant that is only now starting to gain attention is Salvia officinalis, more commonly known as Sage. Yes, the very same sage that you can find in your spice rack. Sage has recently been found to have similar effects on fluffies that Nepeta cataria (common catnip) has on cats or Cannabis has on humans.
When dried and consumed, sage leaves have been shown to cause the following effects in adult fluffies; euphoria, muscle relaxation, heightened sensory perception, laughter, altered perception of time, and increased appetite. The larger the amount consumed the more pronounced the effects; it is recommend to only give your fluffy 1/2 tsp per hour to get your fluffy into a calm and euphoric state. Increased amounts have been shown to cause excessive lethargy (which might not be desired) and total relaxation of the rectum and sphincter (which is very much not desired).
It is recommended to not give Sage (Fluffnip) to foals under 3 weeks of age or to expectant mares. In foals under 3 weeks they will always experience the same symptoms as adults only it will always be severe no matter the dose and has been shown to cause severe heart palpitations which has a very high probability of being fatal. In pregnant mares, consumption of fluffnip can cause the gestating foals to be underdeveloped and sickly, leading to greater chances of stillbirth and birth-defects in the young once they are born. It should be noted that the aforementioned affects on the fetuses is mostly seen in prolonged use of fluffnip or when massive doses have been consumed.
All of the above information is true of fluffies eating dried or cooked sage, the effects of consuming raw or still growing sage is significantly more extreme. When consuming raw sage, in addition to the usual symptoms of euphoria, muscle relaxation, heightened sensory perception, laughter, altered perception of time, and increased appetite; fluffies will also experience hallucinations, heightened paranoia and increased heart rate. This can lead to confusion, aggression, increased chance of self-injury and death due to cardiac arrest. It is because of these negative effects that some people have started planting sage bushes on their property in areas of high fluffy herd activity. Even if consumption of the plant doesn’t lead to death, the altered stated of the fluffies makes them easier to catch/kill; plus, watch a whole herd of technicolor ponies trip balls and freak out is some funny shit.
Painting from Koehler’s Medicinal Plants (1887)
