Dream Inducers

Milfoil said:

Would anyone be up for some experimentation?

There are some things which are known to induce dreams/lucid dreams or make them easier to remember but do they actually work?

B vitamins (large doses) (could be that Vit B1, Thiamine is a vasodilator??)

So, is anyone up for testing some of these on a regular basis and see what results you get?

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I think it is B-6, Pyridoxine (and too much can have adverse side effects, that go away when you cut the dose)

Here is a exert from a study done at City College of New York, USA.

"The effect of pyridoxine (Vitamin B-6) on dreaming was investigated in a placebo, double-blind study to examine various claims that Vitamin B-6 increases dream vividness or the ability to recall dreams. 12 college students participated in all three treatment conditions, each of which involved ingesting either 100 mg B-6, 250 mg B-6, or a placebo prior to bedtime for a period of five consecutive days. The treatment conditions were completely counterbalanced and a two-day wash-out period occurred between the three five-day treatment blocks. Morning self-reports indicated a significant difference in dream-salience scores (this is a composite score containing measures on vividness, bizarreness, emotionality, and color) between the 250-mg condition and placebo over the first three days of each treatment. The data for dream salience suggests that Vitamin B-6 may act by increasing cortical arousal during periods of rapid eve movement (REM) sleep. An hypothesis is presented involving the role of B-6 in the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin. However, this first study needs to be replicated using the same procedures and also demonstrated in a sleep laboratory before the results can be considered certain."

I would be interested in seeing the results of this one. Interestingly these effects were not noted if the B-6 was taken up through diet, only through supplement before sleep.

Ginseng, ginkgo, and nutmeg might be worth adding to the list. I dream very vivid already and take Gingko, but it the AM, I would be willing to switch it to nights for a couple of weeks and see if there is a change.

Milfoil said:

Sounds great Fudugazi

For those interested, you can purchase the lesser known herbs online:

http://psychoactiveherbs.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=161

However, for safety sake, you may want to check with a Dr first, make sure you are fit and healthy enough. Neither I nor AT endorses the use of any kind of illegal substance. Please check in your country whether this is the case first.

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For South African herbs, roots and tinctures, this is a good source: http://www.thebotanicalsource.com/ - it's in South Africa itself and accepts paypal.

All these herbs and roots are legal and in common use in South Africa - but Millie is right, better check where you are to see if those you want are legal in your country/state.

The general recommendation for all these plants is that they are not to be taken by pregnant or nursing women. There are also certain health conditions that are counter-indications, so best check. I doubt a doctor would know unless s/he also happens to be a pharmacologist and/or herbalist - if you have a chronic health condition, best contact a specialist of ethnic medicine, there are a growing number of them - and/or contact the site above (in the case of SA herbs and roots).


Finally, these are sacred herbs and roots, and should be approached as such, with humility and respect. For example, the Undela Ziimhlophe (commonly called the African Dream Root) is used by the Xhosa sangomas for contact with the ancestors, and also prescribed by them to patients for lucid dreaming to solve certain situations. It's also said to cause prophetic dreams. There is a whole ceremony involved, so at the very least, I would suggest saying a prayer to the ancestors, and doing some grounding and centering. It's also supposed to be taken on an empty stomach (and eating after having taken it if you are hungry), but avoiding meat in the couple of days before to taking it and while taking it.

The botanical name for Undela Ziimhlophe is Silene capensis - seeds can be found and it can be planted and grown in climates similar to the Eastern Cape, its place of origin.


Millie - I was recommended the above site, and ordered something called the Ubulawu Dream Herbs package - there are 5 herbs in the package, which can be taken separately or together, and includes Undela Ziimhlophe. I'll let you know when I'm ready to start the experiment!

Calea zacatechichi is a south american dream herb - unfortunately it died before I could try it, and I have to re-order it, so it will be a while before I can report results

Salvia divinorum is said to be a great dream inducing herb, but I think it is illegal now (don't know why... it's not dangerous).

Oooh good idea Millie, I am on mint and lemon balm tea, so will take a full cup every night before bed and report back !

I am not doing fancy cheeses...I am sticking to mozzarella right now. More dream activity than usual for the past 3 days, I can remember bits and pieces, but nothing sticks. Nothing vivid so far.

I have to go shopping tomorrow for groceries; so I have apple juice on my list.
I wonder how much I should drink before bed?

*grins* I can handle the absinthe!

I've got a freshly brewed bottle just sitting here staring at me...

I'll report back later!

Possibly there is going to be a lot of experimentation going on as to quantities etc. Just go with what feels right for you.

I thought they'd taken out the psychotropic element in absinthe?

Dunno, it tastes like nectar and gives me really memorable dreams so I'm up for testing it for quite some time!

Thujone content from the Wormwood was once thought to be psychotropic but I think that studies have put that myth to bed.

Mind you, who would have thought that cheese or apple juice would help dream recall??