Where to Buy Live Calea Zacatechichi Plants

• Botanical Spirit - Currently has live plants in stock. Ships worldwide from the USA. Accepts Visa, Mastercard, Interact EMT Transfer (Canadian customers only), cash (!), and personal check for payment. No Paypal.

• I Am Shaman – Sells rooted cuttings. (Update May 2011: Currently out of sock.) They ship worldwide, including to the USA, Canada, Europe, Brazil, New Zealand, and Mexico, but not to Australia, Louisana, Estonia, Lebanon, Isreal, Nigeria.  They accept Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, and Discover, Money Orders and Interational Money Orders, cash (USD and Euros). No Western Union. Paypal from US verified accounts.

Don’t forgot to email pictures of your plant for the calea z photo gallery.

May 2011: This list is new and actively being worked on. If you know of a reputable vendor selling rooted cuttings or established calea zacatechichi plants, please leave a comment or email me. Thanks!

Calea Zacatechichi Plant | Photo by Terry

If you have purchased seeds from these vendors, please comment and leave a note on your experience with the vendor and any details on the seeds. I’d also love to have pictures if you felt inclined to email them to me!

Where To Buy Calea Zacatechichi Seed Packs

• Botanical Spirit – currently out of stock as of May 2011, will update as soon as they receive more seeds. Botanical Spirit is based in Canada. Product ships from Canada or USA. Ships to Canada, USA, and basically anywhere but not to Australia or Canada. Accepts Visa, Mastercard, Interact EMT Transfer (Canadian customers only), cash (!), and personal check for payment. No Paypal.

• Bouncing Bear – Does not sell actual seed packets per se but for $8 US, you can buy 28 grams of Calea Zacatechichi foliage, which will contain “well over one seed pack’s worth of seeds.” Bouncing Bear Botanicals is based in the USA. Accepts checks, money orders, E-Gold, and Western Union. No Paypal. Ships to USA and presumably worldwide but website does not clarify.

• KTBotanicals - Sells dream herb seed packets for $5.25. KTBotanicals is based in the USA. Ships worldwide. Accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express payments.

• Magic Garden Seeds – Sells calea zacatechichi seeds packs for 2.95€. (50 Seeds per pack). Magic Garden Seeds is based in Germany. Ships worldwide. Accepts Visa, Mastercard, and Paypal.

Attention Growers and Growers To Be
We would love to hear your story on growing Calea Zacatechichi once you get the seeds. Please email me for more details. Thanks.

Attention Calea Zacatechichi Seed Suppliers
There is no charge to list yourself here if you sell Calea Zacatechichi seeds so feel free to shoot an email over with the details. I especially want to list your business if you can offer a discount to visitor coming from this site. Thanks.

May 2011 Update:  This list is brand new and actively being worked on.

More Dreaming Herbs at I Am Shaman

Growing Calea Zacatechichi
by Rowan | October 2010

In the bag of foliage that was sent to me there were quite a few seeds, so as the bag was quickly depleted I thought I ‘d give growing the seeds a shot. With very little experience in this field I set out on some research.

I first planted the small pod which i thought was the seed, nothing happened for quite some time so when back to examine my remaining seeds. i discovered that if you break the pod  it actually contains hundreds of ‘hair-like’ fibers which are the actual seeds. I sowed a few of them in a small pot of potting compost, mixed with a little bit of soil from my garden, sprinkled a very fine layer of compost on top (some of the seeds not actually covered) sprinkled a little water, and covered in a plastic bag. I placed the pot in a south facing window where the climate has been 30degrees C for the past 2 months, so it has been exposed to lots of warmth and lots of sunshine. A month later i now have 2 sprouts, one was slightly damaged and is still 3 cm tall, but might survive. The other is about 7 cm tall with leaves of about 1cm long.

I would very much appreciate it if anyone would be able to confirm from the photos whether these are actual Calea Z plants growing and not some weeds I picked up when adding soil from my garden If they are actually Calea Z plants I can conclude that Calea Z is fairly easy to grow from seed as I am far from green fingered.

1 Month Old Calea Zacatechici Plant | Photo by Rowan

Calea Zacatechichi Close Up | Photo by Rowan

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.

Please leave a comment with your experience buying calea zacatechichi with a particular vendor listed here. Also, feel free to suggest any other good suppliers not listed here.

Update May 2011: New listings created specifically for vendors selling calea zacatechichi seeds and calea zacatechichi plants.

IAmShaman Shop

• Highly reputable vendor
• All products are Organic, including Dream Herb
• Percentage of sales donated to environmental and shamanic-related organizations
• Under Quick Links on the left, click on Dream Herb to see Calea Zacatechichi products such as natural leaves, enhanced 10x leaves, 20x resin, and other dream herbs.
• Clicking on the Capsules link on the left, you will find Calea Z capsules for sale.
• US-based company – ships worldwide.
• Click here to go directly to their Dream Herbs page.

Shamanic Extracts

• Based in the Netherlands, Ships Worldwide
• Accepts credit card payments in Euros, US Dollars, and British Pounds
• Under Quick Links on the left, click on Calea Zacatechichi to find whole leaf, 10x enhanced leaf , and 20x enhanced leaf

Bouncing Bear Botanicals

• Click this link to find natural whole leaf and seed packs
• $5 US seed pack contains hundreds of thousands of seeds – one of few vendors to offer seeds
• Bouncing Bear also sells very large volume amounts of natural leaf – up to 1000 grams at once
• US-based company, ships worldwide, accepts all major credit cards, money orders, cash, even Western Union payments.

You could also take a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico and just pick it wild from the earth.

There are a few safety considerations when working with Calea Zacatechichi:

• Having an allergic reaction
  Allergic reactions are rare, but very real to those who experience them. A good rule of safety is to try out a very small dose the very first time before taking a “real” dose, simply to see if the body suffers from any unique allergic reactions to Calea Z.
  Read about an allergic reaction to Calea Z.

• Damage to the lungs caused by smoking
  For those concerned with this, options include capsules, resins, and tea.

• Nausea
  Most people find the tea extremely bitter and quite unpleasant, sometimes causing an upset stomach or feeling bloated.

• Overdose?
  There are no documented cases of overdosing working with Calea Zacatechichi.

Dosage Guidelines

“…Crushed dried leaves are infused in water, and the resulting tea is imbibed slowly, after which the native lies down in a quiet place and smokes a cigarette of the dired leaves of the same plant. The Indian knows that he has taken a large enough dose when a sense of repose and drowsiness is experienced and when he hears his own heart and pulse beats. The Chontal medicine men, who assert that this plant is capable of “clarifying the senses”, call it thle-pelakano or “leaf of god”…”

- a lovely quote from “”The Botany and Chemistry of Hallucinogens”

Effective dosages vary wildly with different people. Dosage guidelines are best seen as a reference point for determining what works for individuals.

Experiences reports show dream herb effective at half a gram.
Most users tend to ingest between 2-3 grams as a starting point when working with dream herb, and then go from there.

For enhanced pills or resins, many vendors make suggested dosage guidelines.

For the benefit of everyone, please share your own personal dosage experiences – what works and what doesn’t.
(Anyone reading this can add this using the comment function below.)

“The human dose for divinatory purposes reported by the Chontal informant is “a handful” of the dried plant.”

This page documents the most popular ways of taking Calea Zacatechichi, also called Dream Herb, for the purposes of its effects on dreaming.

The following methods will be discussed:

• Smoking
• Tea
• Capsules / Pills
• Resin
• Chewing raw leaves
• Do-It-Your-Self Extraction
• Enhanced Leaf / Calea Z extracts

Smoking Calea Zacatechichi

There are 3 popular ways of smoking dream herb:

• Smoking Calea Z in A Bong

Using a bong is the easiest method to smoke generous amounts of the dream herb in the shortest amount of time. The water in the chamber will make the smoke less harsh. This is especially true if you use chilled water.

• Smoking Calea Z in a Joint

From the messages on forums and from the websites that sell Calea Z, smoking it in a joint is a highly touted method of using Calea Zacatechichi. Most places that sell this herb include a brief description pointing to its history with shamanic and tribal groups, who would “smoke a joint of it while drinking the tea before bed.” While the joint does have a certain aesthetic pleasure to it, the biggest drawback is preparing the Calea Z for rolling requires you to pick out all the many stems. Some people enjoy mixing the joint with tobacco, too.

• Smoking Calea Z in A Bowl

Using a bowl is a quick and easy method to smoke Calea Z. If you find it takes many grams to be beneficial for you, then you may prefer to use a bong, as you will be packing many bowls. This can also lead to sore lungs. Some users also note that a dozen or two bowl packs is enough to clog the bowl pretty badly.

Calea Zacatechichi Tea

Brewing a tea out of the leaves and steams of the plant is a very popular method of taking dream herb.

How to Prepare Calea Zacatechichi Tea

Making Calea T tea is pretty straightforward:

• boil the leaves for about 15 minutes (How much do I use? See Dosage Guidelines)
• drain the water
• let it cool down and then drink it.

Its effects are most beneficial if the tea is consumed shortly before going to sleep.

Ways to Make The Tea Taste Better

Making the tea is the easy part – it’s the drinking that most find hard. The leaves create an incredibly bitter taste and except for a few lucky souls, the great majority of users find this taste not just bitter but revoltingly bitter.

• Add honey or agave nectar
• Add milk or soy milk
• Boil it with packs of other strong-tasting tea such as mint tea
• Mix with Kool Aid

Suggestions are very much needed!

Please leave a comment with ways you’ve make Calea Z tea taste better.

Making Calea Z Capsules

While you can always purchase Calea Z pills/capsules, it’s also relatively easy to make them yourself.

What you’ll need:

• Calea Z
• Empty capsules

It’s also very helpful to have:

• a grinder
• a scale
• lots of time

Instructions:

Grind and then fill with capsules with Calea Z.

Notes:

• It’s possible to buy empty capsules at health food stores such as Whole Foods Market in the USA. As of 2007, 50 vegetarian capsules sold for around $5 US.
• Crushing the leaves is greatly improved if you have a grinder. (Grinders are available from IamShaman Shop from $12-18 dollars. Click on this link and in the search box type in grinders.)
• It is very nice knowing exactly what dosage you are working with – the easiest way to do this is to simply weigh your herb or filled-up capsules with a small scale.

What it comes down to is simply crushing the leaves and filling the capsules. Having a grinder will make crushing much easier and having a scale will let you know exactly how much you’re creating and then consuming.

Resin

Some vendors sell Calea Zacatechichi resin. If you have information on how this is made or how to make it yourself, please leave a comment and share.

Click here to see a list of Calea Z vendors who sell resin.

Chewing

Another method of ingesting Calea Zacatechichi is to chew on its raw leaves.

Note: If you have information or experience on this method, please submit an experience report or simply leave a comment on this post.

Do It Yourself Extraction Method

One user has documented how to make a Calea Zacatechich extraction.

Click here to view the report on Erowid.

Enhanced Leaf / Calea Zacatechichi Extract

Many vendors also sell higher-potency dream herb in the form of extracts or enhanced leaves, pills, or resins.

These products often use the notation of 10x Extract or 20x Enhanced Leaf. This is supposed to mean the product is 10 times or 20 times more potent than the unenhanced natural leaf.

To purchase 20x resin, 10x or 20x leaf, see the list of Calea Z vendors.

Calea Zacatechichi, Dream Herb
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 18 (1986) 229-243 Elsevier Scientific
Publishers Ireland Ltd
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGIC ANALYSIS OF AN ALLEGED
ONEIROGENIC PLANT: CALEA ZACATECHICHI

Lilian MAYAGOITIA. Jose-Luis DIAZ and Carlos M. CONTRERAS
Departamenta de Psicobiologia y Cunducto, Instituto Mexicano de
Psiquiatria, Antiguo

Camino a Xochimilco 101, San Lorenzo Huipulco Tlalpan 14370 y
Departamento de Fisiologia. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas, Universidad Nacional
Autonoma de Mexico, Apartado Postal 70228. Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacan 04510
(Mexico, D.F.)

(8 octobre 1986)

Psychopharmacologic Analysis of an alleged Oneirogenic Plant: Calea Zacatechichi

Summary

Calea zacatechichi is a plant used by the Chontal Indians of Mexico to obtain divinatory messages during dreaming. At human doses, organic extracts of the plant produce the EEG and behavioral signs of somnolence and induce light sleep in cats. Large doses elicit salivation, ataxia. retching and occasional vomiting. The effects of the plant upon cingulum discharge frequency were significantly different from hallucinogenic- dissociative drugs (ketamine. quipazine, phencyclidine and SKF-10017). In human healthy volunteers, low doses of the extracts administered in a double-blind design against placebo increased reaction time end time-lapse estimation. A controlled nap sleep study in the same volunteers showed that Calea extracts increased the superficial stages of sleep and the number of spontaneous awakenings. The subjective reports of dreams were significantly higher than both placebo and diazepam, indicating an increase in hypnagogic imagery occurring during superficial sleep stages.

Introduction

Dreams are important in mesoamerican cultures. They are believed to occur in a realm of suprasensory reality and, therefore, are capable of conveying messages (Lopez-Auatin. 1980). The use of plant preparations in order to produce or to enhance dreams of a divinatory nature constitutes an ethnopharmacological category that can be called “oneiromancy” and which justifies rigorous neuropharmacological research.

There are several plants used in Indian communities of Mexico to obtain divinatory messages from dreams. Several puffball mushrooms (Lycoperdon spp.), wrongly reported as hallucinogens (Ott et al., 1975), are eaten fresh by Mazatec Indians before going to bed in order to dream (Diaz, 1975. 1979). Nahuatl Indians from the Sierra de Puebla use an as yet unidentified species of Salvia, known by the name of Xiwit, for the same purpose (Tim Knab, pers. commun.). The plant known as Bakana to the Tarahumara Indians, which has been reported to be an analgesic, antipsychotic and divinatory agent(Bye. 1979), was later found to be employed for dreaming during night sleep (William Merrill, pers. commun.). Finally, Calea zacatechichi Schl. (Compositae) is used in the same context by the Chontal Indians of Oaxaca.

C. zacatechichi is a plant of extensive popular medicinal use in Mexico (Diaz. 1976). An infusion of the plant (roots. leaves and stem) is employed against gastrointestinal disorders, as an appetizer. cholagogue, cathartic. antidysentry remedy, and has also been reported to be an effective febrifuge. With other aromatic Compositae, dry C. zacatechichi is used as insecticide (Diet, 1975). There is also some information concerning psychotropic properties of this plant that require further clarification (Schultes and Hofmann, 1973).

The pioneer study on the appetizer properties of zacatechichi, conducted at the Institute Medico Nacional of Mexico, mentioned some psychoactive effects (Sandoval, 1882). MacDougall (1968) reported that a Chontal informant knew that the leaves of the plant were to be either smoked or drunk as an infusion to obtain divinatory messages. Subsequent interviews with MacDougall’s informant and active participation in ceremonial ingestion revealed that the plant is used for divination during dreaming (Diaz, 1975). Whenever it is desired to know the cause of an illness or the location of a distant or lost person, dry leaves of the plant are smoked, drunk and put under the pillow before going to sleep. Reportedly, the answer to the question comes in a dream. A collection of interviews and written reports concerning the psychotropic effects of these; preparations on 12 volunteers has been published (Diaz. 1975, 1979). Free, reports and direct questioning disclosed a discrete enhancement of all sensorial perceptions, an increase in imagery, mild thought discontinuity, rapid flux of ideas. and difficulties in retrieval. These effects were followed by somnolence and a short sleep during which lively dreams were reported by the majority of the volunteers. These preliminary observations suggested that the psychotropic effects of the plant were similar to those interesting from ethnobotanical. psychological and neuropharmacological of the “cognodysleptic” drugs, whose prototype is marihuana (Cannabis saliva)(Diaz, 1979). The possible effects upon dreaming are the most perspectives.

C. zacatechichi is a shrub measuring 1-1.5 m in height. The plant has many branches with oviform and opposite leaves (3-5 cm long and 2-4 cm wide). The leaves show serrated borders, acute endings and a short petiole. They are rugose and pubescent. The inflorescence is small and dense (comprising around 12 flowers each) with the pedicels shorter than the heads (Martinet, 1939). The plant grows from Mexico to Costs Rice in dry savannas and canyons (Schultes and Hoffmann, 1973). The name of the species comes from Nahuatl “zacatechichi” which means “bitter grass’ and is the common name of the plant all over Mexico. It is also known with the Spanish names of “zacate de perro” (dog’s grass), “hoja madre” (mother’s leaf) “hoja de dies” (Cod’s leaf), and thle-pela-kano in Chontal Diaz, 1975).

Several sesquiterpene lactones had been isolated from the plant. Calaxin and ciliarin were identified by Ortega et al. (1970), and the germacranolides, 1B-acetoxy zacatechinolide and l-oxo zacatechinolide, by Bohlmann and Zdero (1977). Quijano at al. (1977. 1978) identified caleocromenes A and B and caleins A and B. while Ramos (1979) found caleicins I and II. Herz and Kumar (1980) isolated acacetin, o-methyl acacetin, zexbrevin and an analogue, as well as several analogues of budlein A and neurolenin B, including calein A. C. zacatechichi samples show differences in chemical composition, which has led Bohlmann et al. (1981) to suggest that chemical taxonomy may help to reclassify the genus. Further taxonomic work is required since our Chontal informant distinguishes between “good” and “bad” varieties according to their psychotropic properties.

In the present paper we report some properties of zacatechichi extracts upon cat behavior and EEG, human reaction time, nap EEG, and subjective experiences.

Materials and methods

Plant collection and extract preparations

“Good” samples of C. zacatechichi were collected under the guidance of the Chontal informant near Tehuantepec, Oaxaca during November, 1978. Specimens of this collection were identified by Dr. Miguel Angel Martinet Alfaro at the National Herbarium of Mexico as C. zacatechichi despite the Fact that there were minor morphological differences relative to previously collected material. The samples were identical with collections made in the area of the isthmus of Tehuantepec.

One kilogram of the dried plant (stem and leaves) was mashed and extracted with hexane until exhaustion in a Soxhlet apparatus. This fraction was dried and 308 of an solvent-free hexane extract were obtained. The remaining material was thoroughly extracted with methanol and the organic fraction evaporated. This procedure resulted in 86 g of a solvent-free gummy residue called the methanol extract. Both extracts were separated in fractions and packed in gelatin capsules for pharmacological experiments. The dose was estimated in the following manner: the human dose for divinatory purposes reported by the Chontal informant is “a handful” of the dried plant. Since the mean weight of many handfuls taken by several people was 60 g. we decided that the average human dose (HD-1) is around 1 g/kg of dried-mashed material. Therefore, the HD-1 for the hexane extract was 30 mg/kg, and 86 mg/kg for the methanol extract. In the experiments with cats. doses of HD-2. -4. -6 and -10 of both extracts were used. The EEG; effects of C. zacatechichi extracts were compared with those elicited by phencyclidine (Bio-ceutic Laboratories), quipazine (Miles Research Products). ketamine (Parke Davis) and SKF-10047 (Smith Kline B French), and industrial solvent toluene. which can produce the appearance of 6 cps spike and wave activity in the cingulum of cats. During the appearance of this electrographic activity. animals show “hallucinatory” behavior (Conteras et al.. 1979, 1984).

Behavioral toxicology in cats

This first experiment was performed in order to assess the possible toxic behavioral effects of C. zacatechichi extracts. For this purpose three male cats (3 kg each) were used. Observations were done from 1300 to 1500 h in a sound-attenuated recording chamber (109 x 76 x 74 cm) with a triple-glass wall. Each animal was placed in the cage and its behavior was recorded for 1 h prior to oral administration of a gelatin capsule (25 x 8 mm) containing a zacatechichi extract and 2 h thereafter. Each capsule was placed inside the mouth and swallowing was forced by giving 2-3 ml of saline solution. The extracts (methanol or hexane) and doses (HD-1, HD-2. HD-4. HD-10) were randomly assigned and tested only once. Two cats were observed three times and the third animal twice. Between tests each animal was allowed to rest for 6 days. Sampling ad libitum (Altmann. 1974) was used to evaluate the cats’ response. Attention was given to abnormal behaviors such as ataxia, bizarre postures and movements directed to non-existing objects (Fischer. 1969).

EEG activity in cats

Several common EEG effects to a series of hallucinogenic compounds have been reported by Winters et al. (1972). A dissociative action in multi-unitary activity between the reticular formation and basolateral amygdala and a hypersynchronic rhythm (2-3 cpa) in cortical recording are the two most characteristic features. Tracheal administration of neurotoxic industrial solvents produce limbic discharges while cats display “hallucinatory behavior” (Contreras et al., 1979). The following experiment was designed to ascertain whether C. zacatechichi extracts share these neurophysiological actions.

Six adult male cats were stereotaxically implanted with stainless steel concentric bipolar electrodes in the basolateral amygdala. the septum and cingulum according to the atlas of Snider and Niemer (1961). Epidural electrodes were placed on the cortex at the marginal circumvolution. After surgery the animals were allowed a & 1 week recovery period. Each cat was used as its own control and the effects of oral administration of zacatechichi extracts (HD-6) were compared to those of phencyclidine (400 ug/kg i.m.), quipazine (10 mg/kg i.p.), ketamine (6 mg/kg i.m.) and SKF-10047 (3 mg/kg i.m.). These drugs are dissociative psychodysleptics and produce 6 cps wave-and-spike activity in cingulum recording in addition to the characteristic hypersynchronic rhythm (Contreras at al., 1984). In each experiment, control recordings were taken in addition to t 60 min and + 120 min after drug aministration.

Reaction Time and Time-lapse estimation in humans

Measurement of reaction time to a light flash and the ability to calculate fixed lapse times in humans allows the identification of hypnotic compounds (Fernandez-Guardiola et al., 1972). Objective evaluations of time perception modification by marihuana have been achieved with the same technique (Fernandez-Cuardiola et al., 1974). From the experiments performed in cats it appeared that zacatechichi had hypnotic properties. Therefore, we chose this experimental paradigm to evaluate human effects. The study was performed in 5 healthy volunteers (3 women and 2 men. ages 23-34) according to the procedure described by Fernandez-Guardiola et al. (1972, 1974). The subjects were informed about the experiment and the known effects of the plant and a written consent was obtained. Capsules containing either a Calea extract (HD-1) or placebo were administered 1 H before the task in a double-blind randomized design, where neither the volunteers nor the evaluator knew which substance had been ingested. The first session did not involve the administration of any substance in order to habituate the subjects to the experimental manipulations. Physiological responses recorded included EEG, electromyogram, electrocardiogram, and galvanic akin response. All sessions were done at the same time period (1700-1820 h). A complete session consisted of alternated 10-min periods for reaction-time evaluation and 10-min periods for time-lapse estimation. In the reaction-time periods. the subjects were instructed to press a button with their dominant hand as soon as possible after a light wee dashed. Intervals between consecutive Bashes were of 10-s duration. In the following 10 min, alternating with the reaction-time periods, the subjects were asked to estimate the dash intervals by pressing the button each time they thought the light should have been dashed. The entire test lasted 80 min. Analysis of variance was used to assess results between and within individuals, the protected “t” and Least Significant Difference tests were used in paired comparisons.

Sleep recordings in humans

The conventional procedure for EEG recording of sleep (Rechtschaffen and hales. 1968) was used in a similar double-blind randomized design which. in this case, included a low dose of an active hypnotic drug (diazepam, 2·5 mg orally). In order to standardize the nap session, all volunteers were asked to reduce their normal sleep time by 2 h the night before testing. The extract, diazepam or placebo capsule was ingested 1 H prior to the recording session (1700-1900 h). The physiological variables recorded included respiratory and heart rates, number of nap episodes. total time spent in wakefulness (W). in slow wave sleep stages (SWS stages I to IV) and in rapid-eye-movement sleep (REM) (Rechtschaffen and Kales, 1968). The respiratory rate was recorded by means of a thermistor located in the nostril and connected to a polygraph amplifier measuring the air temperature in each inhalation-exhalation cycle. This is an indirect method which provides the frequency and amplitude of respiratory rate. Data analyses were done by means of factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA). For paired comparisons, the Student Newman-Keuls test was used.

Dream reports

The psychological effects of Calea extracts were evaluated by the application of directed questionnaires and analysis of free reports of the subjective sensations and dreams in all human volunteers after the reaction-time, nap sessions and the following night. Neither the subjects. the interviewer nor the evaluator knew whether the individual had taken a plant extract, diazepam, or placebo. The results were compared by the binomial test.

Results and discussion

Behavioral toxicology in cats

Some minor behavioral changes were observed with low doses of both extracts (HD-1 and HD-2). The cats stared for long periods of time and 30 min after the administration of the zacatechichi extracts somnolence and sleep were frequently observed. The HD-4 and HD-1O doses of the hexane extract produced ataxia, bilateral contractions of nasal and maxillar muscles, and stereotyped pendulum head movements. The HD-10 dose also induced salivation with vomiting occurring about 90 min after administration. The methanol extract produced ataxia (HD-4) and compulsive grooming (HD-2). A common toxic effect of both extracts (doses HD4 and HD-10) was retching and thick salivation. It was not clear if these effects were elicited by direct central nervous system stimulation or in response to local gastric irritation caused by some bitter principle of the plant. This activity was noted by Giral and Ladabaum (1959) and may be responsible for the appetizer properties of C. zacatechichi. Stare and pendular head movements can be elicited by several psychoactive drugs such as toluene (Alcaraz et al., 1977; Contreras et al., 1977), quipazine (Sales et al.. 1966, 1968) and dopamine agonists (Ernst. 1967). These effects are. therefore, not specific for any one of the several classes of psychoactive compounds. Moreover, staring and pendular head movements may merely be indications of somnolence. In order to analyze more precisely the neural effects, electrophysiological recordings were taken in free-moving cats.

EEG activity in cats

Both plant extracts produced similar EEG changes which were very different from the other drugs used(Fig. 1). The hexane extract induced 3 cps large voltage rhythms in the cortex, cingulum and septum while the methanol extract provoked 8 slowing of the EEG rhythm more predominant in subcortical structures. Somnolence was observed during the appearance of these changes. A quantitative analysis of frequency of discharge in the cingulum was performed for all drugs tested (Fig. 2). The hexane extract produced only minor changes while the methanol extract clearly decreased the frequency. This response is in contrast to the known psychodysleptic compounds which produce decreases of 6-7 cps (Contreras:- et al.. 1984).

The results of these experiments show that zacatechichi does not share the neurophysiological effects of the dissociative psychodysleptics and only induces the behavioral and EEG signs of somnolence and sleep. The apparent low toxicity of the plant in these experiments and its history of ethnobotanical use allowed us to ascertain the hypnotic potency, dream- inducing effects and other psychotropic properties in human beings.

Reaction time and time-lapse estimation in humans

No differences among the three treatments were found for human rate, galvanic skin response and EEG recordings. With the methanol extract, short periods of sleep (stage I) usually appeared between flash intervals, and the subjects were awakened by the light. Both extracts produced a statistically significant slowness of reaction-time (Fig. 3): 250 ms with placebo, 280 ms with hexane extract and 290 ms with methanol extract (P < 0.01). Similarly, the IO-s lapse was overestimated with the zacatechichi extracts (Fig. 4). The methanol extract increased estimation by 3 s on average (P < 0.001). Both extracts increased respiratory rate, but this change was not significantly different from controls.

The characteristic EEG slowness and the increased reaction times of subjects treated with both extracts suggested that zacatechichi may contain hypnotic compounds. Moreover, a larger effect was elicited by the methanol extract suggesting that the active compounds might be found in the polar fractions. An increase in time-lapse estimation and a weak respiratory analeptic effects have been reported after marihuana administration (Fernandez-Guardiola et al., 1974).

Sleep recordings in humans

Since the experiment just discussed did not allow an analysis of sleep stages, the possibility of sleep and dream modifications by zacatechichi was tested in a nap study conducted in the same human volunteers. Heart rate, total time and frequency of each stage of sleep did not change with any treatment in comparison to placebo (Fig. 5). However. it was found that the frequency of W and SWS-IV stages were significantly modified by treatments (W F(3,32)= 5.28, P < 0.01; SWS-IV F(3,32) = 3.35.
P<0.05). Post-hoc paired comparisons showed that, upon onset of sleep, the methanol extract and diazepam increased significantly the frequency of W stages (P < 0.05) when compared to placebo. In contrast, methanol extract and diazepam decreased significantly (P < 0.05) the number of SWS-IV stages. The other stages of sleep were not significantly modified by treatments. SWS-I and SWS-II showed a alight increase in comparison to placebo and, in contrast, SWS-III and REM stages decreased slightly. Respiratory rate was significantly modified by treatments (F(3,400)= 79.92, P < 0.005). Paired comparisons showed that the methanol extract increased (P < 0.05) when compared to all other treatments (Fig. 6). Although this small increase may lack physiological relevance, it does suggest a pharmacological effect upon respiratory rate. These results support the idea that zacatechichi extracts, particularly the methanol fraction, contain compounds with activity equivalent to sub- hypnotic diazepam doses. Ingestion of the plant produces a light hypnotic state with a decrease of both deep slow-wave sleep and REM periods. The question of the ethnobotanical use and open trial reports of dream enhancement was studied in the following section by the evaluation of subjective reports during the sleep study.

Dream reports

The quantitative results concerning hypnagogic imagery and dreams are summarized in Table 1. Data from the reaction-time and the nap sessions end the following night were pooled. Significantly more dreams (P < 001, in comparison to placebo) were reported after the methanol extract. Similarly, the number of dreams reported during naps was significantly higher following the administration of the plant extracts than with diazepam (P < 0.01). It can be appreciated that, although not significant, the number of dreams reported was greater after the ingestion of Calea extracts than placebo. A more detailed analysis of dream content is shown in Table 2. The number of subjects that did not remember dreaming was always greater after placebo and diazepam administration and. conversely, the individuals that reported more than one dream per session were always the ones treated with zacatechichi extracts. The dreams reported by subjects ingesting Calea extracts, were of a shorter content (measured by the number of lines written in the report). Spontaneous reports of emotions and nightmares were not different among the four treatments. Nevertheless, with the methanol extract more colors during dreaming were mentioned .

These results show that zacatechichi administration appears to enhance the number and/or recollection of dreams during sleeping periods. The data are in agreement with the oneirogenic reputation of the plant among the Chontal Indians but stand in apparent contradiction to the EEG sleep- study results. It is well known that dreaming activity is correlated to the REM or paradoxical phase of sleep (Aserinsky and Kleitman, 1953) and it could be expected that a compound that increases dream would also increase REM stage frequency or duration, as it has been shown to occur with physostigmine (Sitaram et al., 1978). In contrast, zacatechichi increases the stages of slow wave sleep and apparently decreases REM sleep. This also occurs with low doses 12-10 mg) of diazepam (Harvey, 1982). Despite this similarity in EEG effects, diazepam decreases dreaming reports (Firth, 1974) while zacatechichi extracts enhances them. Such discrepancy may be explained by the fact that dreaming and imagery are not restricted to the REM episodes but also occur during slow wave sleep (SWS I and II) as lively hypnagogic images (Roffwarg et al., 1962). Such images are reported as brief dreams and are known to be enhanced by marihuana (Hollister, 1971). All this suggests that Calea zacatechichi induces episodes of lively hypnagogic imagery during SWS stage I of sleep, a psychophysiological effect that would be the basis of the ethnobotanical use of the plant as an oneirogenic and oneiromantic agent.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their gratitude to Dr. Alfredo Ortega for advice in the preparation of the plant extracts.

This document Copyright Journal of Ethnopharmacology 18.

In 1986, a now famous study documenting the effects of Calea Zacatechichi on dreams was published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

This study was titled “Psychopharmacologic Analysis of an alleged Oneirogenic Plant: Calea Zacatechichi.“

Click here to read the full text of the research report.

Below are the most interesting excerpts of this study, which documents the effects of Calea Zacatechichi on dreams and sleep, using cats and humans as test subjects.

“In human healthy volunteers, low doses of the extracts administered in a double-blind design against placebo increased reaction time end time-lapse estimation. A controlled nap sleep study in the same volunteers showed that Calea extracts increased the superficial stages of sleep and the number of spontaneous awakenings. The subjective reports of dreams were significantly higher than both placebo and diazepam, indicating an increase in hypnagogic imagery occurring during superficial sleep stages.”

“The results of these experiments show that zacatechichi does not share the neurophysiological effects of the dissociative psychodysleptics and only induces the behavioral and EEG signs of somnolence and sleep. The apparent low toxicity of the plant in these experiments and its history of ethnobotanical use allowed us to ascertain the hypnotic potency, dream- inducing effects and other psychotropic properties in human beings.”

“The characteristic EEG slowness and the increased reaction times of subjects treated with both extracts suggested that zacatechichi may contain hypnotic compounds.”

“These results support the idea that zacatechichi extracts, particularly the methanol fraction, contain compounds with activity equivalent to sub- hypnotic diazepam doses. Ingestion of the plant produces a light hypnotic state with a decrease of both deep slow-wave sleep and REM periods.”

“Significantly more dreams (P < 001, in comparison to placebo) were reported after the methanol extract. Similarly, the number of dreams reported during naps was significantly higher following the administration of the plant extracts than with diazepam (P < 0.01). It can be appreciated that, although not significant, the number of dreams reported was greater after the ingestion of Calea extracts than placebo. A more detailed analysis of dream content is shown in Table 2. The number of subjects that did not remember dreaming was always greater after placebo and diazepam administration and. conversely, the individuals that reported more than one dream per session were always the ones treated with zacatechichi extracts. The dreams reported by subjects ingesting Calea extracts, were of a shorter content (measured by the number of lines written in the report). Spontaneous reports of emotions and nightmares were not different among the four treatments. Nevertheless, with the methanol extract more colors during dreaming were mentioned.”

“These results show that zacatechichi administration appears to enhance the number and/or recollection of dreams during sleeping periods. The data are in agreement with the oneirogenic reputation of the plant among the Chontal Indians but stand in apparent contradiction to the EEG sleep- study results. It is well known that dreaming activity is correlated to the REM or paradoxical phase of sleep (Aserinsky and Kleitman, 1953) and it could be expected that a compound that increases dream would also increase REM stage frequency or duration, as it has been shown to occur with physostigmine (Sitaram et al., 1978). In contrast, zacatechichi increases the stages of slow wave sleep and apparently decreases REM sleep. This also occurs with low doses 12-10 mg) of diazepam (Harvey, 1982). Despite this similarity in EEG effects, diazepam decreases dreaming reports (Firth, 1974) while zacatechichi extracts enhances them. Such discrepancy may be explained by the fact that dreaming and imagery are not restricted to the REM episodes but also occur during slow wave sleep (SWS I and II) as lively hypnagogic images (Roffwarg et al., 1962). Such images are reported as brief dreams and are known to be enhanced by marihuana (Hollister, 1971). All this suggests that Calea zacatechichi induces episodes of lively hypnagogic imagery during SWS stage I of sleep, a psychophysiological effect that would be the basis of the ethnobotanical use of the plant as an oneirogenic and oneiromantic agent. “

Click here to read the full text of the research report.

Other Studies

Non-dream related scientific research into Calea Zacatechichi for medicinal purposes:

• Studies on Hypoglycemic Activity of Mexican Medicinal Plants
• Anti-Inflammatory Activity of the Aqueous Extract of Calea Zacatechichi

Note: These studies will open as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. Download the PDF viewer for free.

Experience report by Juan. March 2008.

On March 1st, 2008 I travelled to Oaxaca, Mexico to eat psilocybin mushrooms with a Mazatec female curandero named Senora Julieta. As Mexico’s magic mushrooms are known to induce out of body experiences and interdimensional travel, I decided to spend some time in study, meditation and preparation before partaking in these sacred ceremonies which officially begin in the rainy season of late March to April. Out of the seven power plants in the world, Mexico is home to five of them. Only Iboga, which is found in Africa, and Ayahuasca, which is found in Peru and other countries in the Amazon, grow outside of Mexico. Peyote, Datura, Salvia Divinorum, Psilocybin mushrooms and Olioluqui (LSA – The naturally occurring alkaloid which LSD-25 was synthesized after) are all found in Mexico. Interestingly, all five of Mexico’s power plants can be found in the state of Oaxaca.

As a lucid dreamer, I was also very eager to locate the Mexican dream herb Calea Zacatechichi in Oaxaca. Calea Zacatechichi has been used by the Chontal indians of Mexico for hundreds of years in a ritual setting to gain access to the dreamworld for healing.

I had put out the intention to meet the spirit of Calea Zacatechichi when the time was right. Within a period of three days, I found a beautiful patch of fresh Calea growing in the mountains during an afternoon hike. I collected approximately fifty fresh leaves in a ziplock bag which when weighed came out to about 20 grams. Later in the evening, while talking to the spirit of Calea and asking her to share her teachings with me, I began to dry the leaves so I could crush them into a powder for a bedtime tea. After drying and crushing the 20 grams of fresh leaves, I had almost 7 grams of Calea. I rolled two Calea cigarettes and made a tea with three cups of hot water, lemon, honey and just over 6 full grams of dried Calea leaves. I drank the tea swallowing all of the crushed leaves as well. Then I began to smoke the two Calea cigarettes.

Before I had finished smoking the first Calea cigarette, I began to feel very dreamy and euphoric. This heightened state of “well being” continued to increase for the next three hours. At this point, I was in a state of inner bliss and ecstacy. I sat upright in my bed in lotus position in deep meditation for the next two hours. During the meditation, Calea began to speak to me through a series of visions which were all about world peace and planetary healing. The recurring theme during the meditation was “remembering how to dream.” Calea’s style of teaching was very shamanic. She spoke often of the “art of dreaming”, reminding me to use my powers as a lucid dreamer to envision universal harmony in service to all living beings. On more than one occasion during the meditation she posed the question to me directly: “Is there really any dream worth dreaming outside of the dream of world peace and universal harmony?”

After the meditation, I began to feel a little drowsy although I continued to sit upright in lotus position. I began to see many hypnagogic images yet they were very vague, non-descript and undefined. Again I heard the voice of Calea asking me what exactly it was that I expected or hoped to see. She assured me that whatever it was that I was looking for would ultimately be what I would find. She repeated one of the universal truths from The Kybalion by The Three Initiates. “Nothing is, Everything is becoming”. She again reminded me that it is the dreamer alone who chooses and decides what meaning to give to all realities viewed. Finally, she showed me the classic black and white composite from Psychology 101. If you focus on the black, you see two lovers about to engage in a kiss. If you focus on the white, you see a champagne glass. Both realities are equally valid and real. What defines the reality perceived and experienced by the dreamer is where one’s attention is placed. Calea bid me goodnight with the truth that the world of duality is both dark and light. She challenged me to choose wisely as a conscious dreamer what things truly are worthy of focusing on.

This was the last thing I can remember before falling to sleep. I had at least six very vivid and lucid dream sequences which I can recall clearly. I was even able to recall entire conversations for hours after waking from several of my dreams during the night (much more so than a normal night of dreaming without Calea) in which spiritual guides were present.

Heightened dream activity, greater dream recall and increased lucidity, as well as the guidance, wisdom and teachings of a very powerful ally can be found in Calea Zacatechichi provided she is sought with a pure heart and clear intentions.

I look forward to many more teachings from this impeccable plant teacher.

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