Recently I learned about a whole class of herbs used for lucid dreaming, or to cause more vivid dreams. They are smoked, taken as tinctures, or brewed in tea. One of them is called calea zacatechichi, aka dream herb. Extremely bitter, but also available elsewhere in a non-bitter version, this herb is supposed to be great for lucid dreaming.
I experimented with tea, being unwilling to smoke it. The effects weren't noticeable until I started using about 5 grams at a time, steeping it in hot water for 20 minutes. The effects were as follows:
I did not dream until the fourth night of taking the tea in increasingly large doses. One night had memorable dreams about alligators, chasing them and people being eaten by them. Not frightening, more of a friendly "How doth the little Crocodile" alligator or perhaps the alligator in Chukovsky's "Barmaley".
Other sources have noted that if the tea or an extract/tincture is taken after 4-6 hours of sleep, the effects can be increased, which I have noticed. On nights when I have taken calea tea or tincture, if I wake up early in the morning to quiet the alarm clock and go back to sleep, it is much more likely that a dream will occur. It will last longer (despite the sleep duration being less than 2 hours) and will be more memorable.
A few nights ago, I let myself sleep a little longer in the morning, after taking 30 drops (larger dose) of a Calea tincture in water.
The dream I experienced was roughly as follows: I was in a large hall, like an airport terminal. The lighting was dim, and I understood that this was the waiting terminal after death. I was dead, all the multitudes of people around me were dead, and we were all hurrying to some sort of departure gates, where planes were waiting to take us somewhere. I had lost something, perhaps a backpack, and wandered the upper levels looking for it. Then later, I went down to the lower level. It had been teeming earlier, but now was empty save for a man mopping the floor. I went all the way to the end, looking for my bag, but could not find it.
No lucid dreaming yet, but I must not be in the proper mindset.
I experimented with tea, being unwilling to smoke it. The effects weren't noticeable until I started using about 5 grams at a time, steeping it in hot water for 20 minutes. The effects were as follows:
I did not dream until the fourth night of taking the tea in increasingly large doses. One night had memorable dreams about alligators, chasing them and people being eaten by them. Not frightening, more of a friendly "How doth the little Crocodile" alligator or perhaps the alligator in Chukovsky's "Barmaley".
Other sources have noted that if the tea or an extract/tincture is taken after 4-6 hours of sleep, the effects can be increased, which I have noticed. On nights when I have taken calea tea or tincture, if I wake up early in the morning to quiet the alarm clock and go back to sleep, it is much more likely that a dream will occur. It will last longer (despite the sleep duration being less than 2 hours) and will be more memorable.
A few nights ago, I let myself sleep a little longer in the morning, after taking 30 drops (larger dose) of a Calea tincture in water.
The dream I experienced was roughly as follows: I was in a large hall, like an airport terminal. The lighting was dim, and I understood that this was the waiting terminal after death. I was dead, all the multitudes of people around me were dead, and we were all hurrying to some sort of departure gates, where planes were waiting to take us somewhere. I had lost something, perhaps a backpack, and wandered the upper levels looking for it. Then later, I went down to the lower level. It had been teeming earlier, but now was empty save for a man mopping the floor. I went all the way to the end, looking for my bag, but could not find it.
No lucid dreaming yet, but I must not be in the proper mindset.
