First Experience with Calea Zacatechichi
More Dreaming Herbs at I Am Shaman
Experience report by Rowan. October 2010.
Bought a pack from iamshaman.com which arrived in the post in a brown paper bag. Read up on doses and followed recommended dose. Cooked slightly over a mugs worth of water with about 3 heaped table spoons of the leaf (about a handful) and let it simmer for about 15 mins, water turned green and smelled quite pungent. Prepared a mug, got ready for bed, and made a couple of large rollups worth of leaf. Sat up and drank back the brew while smoking the first one. Drink wasn’t at all as bad as I was expecting, which worried me slightly as I questioned whether I got the real deal. Managed to drink back the whole mug, actually quite enjoying it, but that was probably more to do with the novelty of the whole situation. Apparently you’ve had the appropriate dose once your can hear your heart beat and pulse … so I smoked the second one after which I felt ready to lie back in bed.
I never got to hear my heartbeat so I’m not sure if I should have had more, but will leave that for future experiments. There was definitely an altered state of mind, and I felt I had shifted into that stage just before sleep (more noticeable in afternoon naps) though with full awareness. I don’t want to give the wrong idea it was quite subtle. I kept hearing strange clicking sounds and kept getting out of bed to see if there was a source to these sounds but couldn’t find it. I also had strange sensations on my face and body that urged me to wipe or scratch the area (the feeling was very much like walking into a small cobweb), though awkward they were not particularly negative sensations. My senses were definitely enhanced, visually everything seemed slightly more lucid than normal, and there were minor sound hallucinations. Was not at all tired for the first half hour but then managed to sleep. I think I woke up a few times with awareness of some strange clicking sounds. I remember dreaming and dreams going on for longer than usual.
I managed to have about 3 sessions from the bag, slightly increasing the dose the second time, and having a lower one the last. The intensity was relative to dosage, with the third time being very, very mild. Each time I found my dream state extended, and as a result I think it has quite a disruptive effect on your sleep. Each time I woke up very unrested and whereas 8 hours is normally sufficient, I found my self wanting to sleep in for another couple of hours. It had no effect on the lucidity of my dreaming, but I am still new to this and believe that It could be useful to achieve lucidity with enough experience with it.
I think that if you are an experienced lucid dreamer that the extended time window of REM gives you more of an opportunity to become lucid. Also if you can (or are close to being able to) maintain lucidity while entering sleep I think that the effects will help facilitate that transition.
June 22nd, 2011 at 4:13 am
I take a dropperful of the tincture with water at night, on occasions. I find that it has a cumulative effect and I don;t even expect any results for the first night or two. Calea z is a gentle teacher, much more subtle and less jarring than mugwort. For the solstice, I have been on a casual routine of calea z, sinuchichi (I haven;t spelled that correctly, I apologize) and I’ve added a cup of teas from some fresh mugwort leaves from the garden. I experienced excellence recall and even motivation to write about it over this past weekend, although no significant manifestations over this Monday and Tuesday. In waking, I have been remembering some moments from the past that take some new perspective. I’m performing fairly satisfactory at work, which entails analysis, is somewhat socially isolating, and professionally both challenging and disappointing — I think this subconscious type of herbal work is helpful.
Calea z allows one to maintain a healthy balance. Recommended for students and artists. It feels safe enough even for a part time professional, middle age mom to manage both the dream like quality of the mental stimulus that maintains through the waking day, with the normal social structures of regular living. In other words, you don’t need to be an ascetic to benefit, provided that one maintain other healthy balances in health and lifestyle.