Recent research demonstrated that extracts from the dried roots of Salvia miltiorrhiza, a valued folk medicine in China, are effective in reducing voluntary alcohol intake in selectively bred Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) rats. These studies were conducted in alcohol-experienced sP rats, i.e. rats which had the opportunity to consume alcohol for several weeks before the test with Salvia miltiorrhiza extracts, reproducing the human "active drinking" phase. In contrast, the present study investigated the effect of IDN 5082, a standardized extract of S. miltiorrhiza, on the acquisition of alcohol drinking behavior in sP rats that had never experienced alcohol before the study. Consistently, the first administration of IDN 5082 (0, 25, 50 and 100mg/kg; i.g.) occurred immediately before alcohol presentation. Alcohol was offered under the two-bottle free-choice regimen with unlimited access for 24h per day. Treatment with IDN 5082 was repeated once daily for 10 consecutive days. IDN 5082 dose-dependently delayed acquisition of alcohol drinking behavior; IDN 5082-induced reduction in alcohol intake was compensated by an increase in water intake. These results add further support to the preclinical anti-alcohol profile of S. miltiorrhiza extracts.