This is a guest article by Ben Jacobs of Calea Z Dreams.

One of my first experiences with Calea zacatechichi involved taking bong hit after bong hit from my couch at home, a spectacle that evidently warranted harassment from any onlookers. “What – do you think you’re going to get high or something?” The question was posed along with an incredulous look, like I was some kid who got bored sniffing glue and wanted to try something new.

The truth is, I do like to try new things. Like the time shortly thereafter that I took over the kitchen for half a day grinding out Calea leaves and put them into little gel caps in an attempt to make my own capsules – an entirely inefficient process I do not recommend. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Just what the heck is this strange sounding thing called Calea zacatechichi?

Oh, and by the way – no, it doesn’t get you high.

What is Calea zacatechichi?

A jade Chontal Figure from Guerrero, Mexico. 500-100 B.C. Today's Chontal consider themselves the descendants of the Olmec.

Calea zacatechichi is a plant native to Mexico known for its effects on dreams. Traditionally it’s used by the indigenous Chontal as a means of dream divination. A Chontal shaman would smoke a cigarette and drink a tea made from its leaves before going to sleep.

The dream would then give them the answers they were looking for – such as the reason why a person was sick.

Also called “the dream herb” or just “Dream Herb,” Calea zacatechichi has become well known outside of its traditional usage by the Chontal.

Much of the excitement surrounding this plant revolves around its reported ability for inducing lucid dreams.

Effects on Dreams

A 1986 study in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology showed several interesting results in regards to dreams and Calea zacatechichi. Of particular interest is that the “results show that zacatechichi administration appears to enhance the number and/or recollection of dreams during sleeping periods.”

Additionally, the authors state the data collected “suggests that Calea zacatechichi induces episodes of lively hypnagogic imagery.” In summary, the study suggested that Calea zacatechichi causes an increase in the following:

• number of overall dreams experienced
• ability to remember those dreams
• intensity of hypnagogic imagery experienced while falling asleep

Experiential reports suggest that its effects also include:

• spontaneous lucid dream experiences
• increased dream clarity and realism

By “experiential reports,” I mean the experiences of everyday people who try working with Calea zacatechichi and then report on those experiences online.

Working with Calea Zacatechichi

Calea zacatechichi is most commonly sold dried and bagged by the gram. This makes it perfect for its two most common preparations – either making it into a tea or smoking raw leaf in a tobacco pipe or as a cigarette.

Making Calea zacatechichi Tea. For those trying this for the first time, I recommend making a tea by pouring boiling water over 1-2 grams of Calea zacatechichi. Let steep for 10 minutes and then drink about an hour before going to bed. As you fall asleep, confidently hold the intention in your mind that you will have a lucid dream.

The first time I made the tea I used about 5 grams. I did not have a lucid dream but I had two very vivid dreams. There were other times I made the tea but I cannot find my notes on it.

Making the Tea Taste Better. Some people seem slightly offended at the suggestion of improving the taste of this rather bitter tea. Nevertheless, any discussion on Dream Herb tends to get into the taste, which then gets into what people have done to make it less bitter.

Years ago I wrote a blog post called How to Make Calea Z Tea Taste Bitter…I Mean Better! which has since collected some great tips from others. Some of these suggestions include adding honey, soy milk, mint leaves, lemon balm herb, or agave nectar to the tea. One person even suggests kool-aid.

Other tips include chewing gum or sucking on hard candy while sipping on the tea.

It's a bitter brew, so add some kool aid!

Smoking It. Of course, you can always smoke it instead of making a tea, too. Personally I’ve never had a problem with the smoke, but some describe it as harsh and try blending it with other herbs or using a water pipe may be useful.

In my experiments, the first couple nights I saw little to no effect on my dreams. Or worse yet, it seemed I had lower dream recall than normal. But there’s a curious little note about these first few sessions that flags the research between dream herb and hypnagogic imagery.

I saw a noticeable increase in the intensity and fluidness of visuals using my Sirius Mind Machine before going to bed. This makes sense, given the almost dream-like state I would be in using my mind machine to help me fall asleep and the ability of Calea Z to ramp up the hypnogagic imagery.

I continued smoking Calea zacatechichi the nights following this experience, and I’m happy to say I had a lucid dream. The realization that I was dreaming came on spontaneously and for a few minutes I roamed around in my dream being obnoxious before this awareness left me as quickly as it had come, and the dream returned to “normal.”

It’s also worth noting that the dream sequences that played out before lucidity were very long and full of strange details. By the way, I wasn’t taking exact measurements but I was smoking about a gram on each of these nights. I wanted to smoke more but it takes a lot of work on the lungs to do so.

Other Preparations. You can also find Dream Herb sold as a tincture, resin, or in a capsule. In these forms it is typically enhanced to be either 10x or 20x as strong as it would otherwise be for the same amount.

Calea Z is also known as Bitter Grass, Cheech, and Leaf of God

One time I took 10 grams of raw leaf and crushed it into pieces small enough to fit into 24 capsules. I took 12 capsules or about 5 grams that night and again the next night.

While I was still awake yet nearly asleep, I saw “some breed of throbbing visuals on my eyelids.”

However, my dreams were nothing special on either night – it was as if there was no effect at all.

Conclusions From My Own Experiences

Based on my own experiences, dream herb seems to work best when smoked. Higher doses taken via other methods didn’t translate to an increase in the effects I had when smoking at lower doses. This is based on only a few experiments though and I wouldn’t draw any linear conclusions here.

But the question everyone really seems to have is this: Does Calea zacatechichi cause lucid dreams?

It’s a safe bet that experimenting with it over a number of nights you are going to see a variety of results, which will almost certainly include an increase in vivid dreams and probably will include having a lucid dream. And then there will be nights with nothing at all.

I honestly don’t know what to make of that, which is one reason why I’ve remained so intrigued with this plant after all these years.

About the Author

Ben Jacobs runs a site devoted exclusively to Calea zacatechichi. His intention is for it to be both a handy reference guide and a community oriented site where people share information on working with Calea Z and also growing it at home. He is always looking for contributions, photos, and personal stories.

My take is that a lucid dreaming pill is not going to be of much help for beginner lucid dreamers unless they are also engaging in mind-development practices as well.

In fact, these supplements can have some nasty side-effects for the unprepared, including lucid nightmares. There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned nightmare to take the fun out of your mind-hacking explorations.

So, in the spirit of education and cognitive liberty, here is my guide to lucid dreaming supplements, the first part of a longer series of developing lucid dreaming naturally.

And thanks to Boing-boing for the image.

The latest trend in lucid dreaming is the prescribed use of supplements to increase dream recall and trigger more dreams where you become aware you are dreaming. These supplements, which include herbs, enzymes and Flintstone vitamins, can greatly increase your chance to go lucid.

But they will not do the trick alone.

In a nutshell, these supplements are worthless if not taken with the right mindset, as well as more traditional forms of lucid dreaming induction. 

At best, a supplement taken without mental preparation will increase the chances for a beginner lucid dreamer to be jolted into lucidity – but the lucid dream scene that emerges may be difficult to handle due to the beginner’s own inexperience with juggling the rawness of lucidity.

However, taken with intention, respect, and as part of an ongoing mind-training program, these supplements may enhance the opportunities to work with self-awareness in the dream.

OK, that said, lucid dreaming supplements can make your mind go pow.

Here is a break-down of the most common lucid dreaming supplements, also known as oneirogens.

Calea zacatechichi: Known as “the dream herb,” Calea Z. is from Oaxaca, Mexico and has been used for centuries by Chontal shaman/dreamers as a cure-all and a “voyaging” aid. The scientific studies on Calea Zacatechichi suggests that it heightens the vividness of imagery in hypnagogia and the non-REM periods. Ingestion of the plant also decreases deep slow-wave sleep and REM periods.

Lucid dreams may be experienced in these non-REM states, but because the herb also increases micro-awakenings and disturbs sleep, there are more chances to promote lucid dreaming from sleep onset. The psychoactive compounds are still largely unknown so the dream-enhancing mechanism is also unknown. Some people have an allergic reaction, and others have reported leg-cramping.

Mugwort: This gentle herb in the sage family (Artemisia vulgaris) is used to help remember dreams. It has a gentle aromatic effect. It has a long European history of use also as a midwife’s herb due to its ability to stimulate blood circulation; in ancient Greece it was associated with the power of the moon. Traditionally mugwort is enjoyed as a tea and an incense.

Silene Capsensis: This root from South Africa has considerable anthropological evidence as a lucid dream aid, but its active compounds have not been discovered yet. Historically, Silene Capensis has been used by the Xhosa people during initiation rites. Women initiates take the root, and then report their dreams to diviners. In the West, it has had a mixed reputation, with many reporting no effects whatsoever.

Choline: This is an amino acid that also promotes acetylcholine, therefore enhancing the expression of REM sleep. It’s cheaply found as a Lecithin supplement, but is also present in some common foods such as bananas, onions, soybeans, potatoes and plantains. Choline is believed to elongate dreams, as well as help with remembering them. Many people have found that choline and galanthamine taken together are a solid cocktail for promoting lucid dreaming.

Galantamine: This has become known as the “lucid dreaming pill.” Galantamine is an alkaloid synthesized from a couple plants, including the red spider lily and common daffodil bulbs. The natural compound has been used for centuries in Europe; its memory-enhancing properties are hinted at in Homer’s Odyssey.

It appears to increase lucidity by promoting an important neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Galathamine is also being tested to treat symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Stephen LaBerge is also testing galanthamine on seasoned lucid dreamers, and his initial reports are very positive.

Other brain supplements: In general, many report increased lucid dreams by loading up on amino acids (like choline) and vitamins before bed. Some safe ones, as long as the dosage is controlled for, are arginine, ornithine, phenylalanine, and the B vitamins. All of these, as well as your average multi-vitamin, may also enhance dreams though the work of antioxidants and by providing the raw material for neurotransmitters associated with the waking/sleep cycle.

Supplements can help with going lucid, but honestly they are only a piece of the puzzle for awakening the embodied mind.

If you’re looking for truly effective catalysts for increasing your lucid dreams, you may be interested in my new digital kit the Lucid Immersion Blueprint.

The Lucid Immersion Blueprint is a powerful guide into advanced lucid dreaming, based on ancient dreaming technology and the latest lucid dreaming research.

Check out the short video and detailed specs about my lucid dreaming training.