Best Ways To Use Herbs For Lucid Dreaming

One of the best ways of using your dream herbs is to make a herbal tea, or herbal infusion. An infusion is basically the same thing but is steeped for a longer time. All you need to do is add a tsp of dried herb to boiling water, brew for 5 minutes if you want tea or 10 minutes for an infusion, and then strain. Infusions are slightly more effective but may taste a little more bitter so it is really just a matter of personal preference. 

If you don't own a tea strainer (I know many people don't these days!), then another alternative is to buy some empty teabags and fill with the herb, then use just as you would for regular tea. For more alternative ways to strain your brew, have a look here for some of the best options.

To make your brew taste delicious try adding one or more of the following: honey, maple syrup, lemon juice, spices (such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice), fresh mint leaves, sugar or your usual sweetener. You could even try adding a splash of your favourite fruit juice! 

For very bitter dream herbs such as Calea Zacatechichi, try these tips here for improving the flavour.

Personally, I add a splash of milk and a spoonful of honey to my dream tea. Not only does this make the tea taste nice, but milk and honey help your body to produce melatonin. Melatonin is an essential hormone for sleep, helping you to fall asleep faster and increase the amount of REM sleep you get. Therefore you will have even more chance of getting some lucid dreams!

Lucid dreaming herbs and herbal blends are best drunk just before bed. Make sure to set your lucid dream intentions as you fall asleep!

Repeat every night until the effects are achieved. Usually you will get good results within a week or two but every one is different. And don't forget to keep a notebook or phone near where you sleep to record your lucid dreams!

IMPORTANT - Before consuming any herb, it is advisable to do plenty of research first and consult a doctor if you have any medical conditions or allergies, or take other medications. Never use whilst pregnant or breast feeding as some herbs such as Mugwort are not suitable. 

Your lucid dreaming herbs can also be smoked; just grind the dry herbs and add to your usual tobacco blend or smoke them as they are. Try to grind your herbs as finely as possible. If you don't have a herb grinder, you could use a coffee grinder or even a pestle and mortar. The finer your herbs are, the more surface area there is, which increases the effects of your dream herbs!

A dry herb vaporiser is another good alternative. Just as with drinking the tea, you would need to smoke your herbs right before bed, every night until the desired effects are achieved. 

Most dream herbs including Calea Zacatechichi, Ginkgo Biloba etc and also dream herb blends will need a medium vape temperature of around 150 to 180°C (302 to 356°F) Blue Lotus (Nymphaea Caerulea), has a lower vape temperature than most herbs so you would need to set your vaporiser to a temperature of 100 - 120°C (212 - 248°F). You can buy Blue Lotus from my eBay page here (UK only).

Obviously there are certain risks and side effects involved when smoking anything so please do your research first!

A decoction is an extract of herbs produced by boiling the herbs in water. It is great for making extracts without the need for any alcohol and is just as effective for dream enhancement and lucidity. They take less time to make than a tincture but do not keep as long. 

Just grind your dream herb or herbal blend finely (or crush using a pestle and mortar) then add to a saucepan of water. For every 20g of dried herb you need about  450ml of water. Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain using a fine cloth in a strainer.

Discard the herbs and pour the liquid back into a pan. Heat gently until the liquid has been reduced to about 100ml. Allow to cool and then pour into clean bottles. Don't forget to add a label and date. Kept in a cool place your decoction will last about 4-5 days. Adding honey, sugar or alcohol will help to preserve for a little longer.

If you need a longer lasting decoction, you would need to make a thicker reduction. So instead of reducing to 100ml, keep going until you only have about 1tbsp of liquid left. If kept in a cool place, this concentrated decoction will keep for many months.

To use for lucid dream enhancing purposes, just take a tsp of regular strength extract, or 1-2 drops of the concentrated strength, right before bed every night for as long as required. 

Herbal pillows are small bags of fragrant herbs that are kept inside or near your pillowcase at night. This practice goes back many centuries and is a wonderful way to promote peaceful sleep and lucid dreams. To make a herbal pillow, just add your favourite blend of herbs to a small bag, such as an organza bag, and it is ready to use!

You can increase the effectiveness of the herbs by spraying with essential oils; just make sure you only use small amounts of the oils so the aroma is relaxing without over-stimulating the senses. These also make great gift ideas. 

If you would prefer to buy one ready made then you can buy one of mine here. Mine include dried herbs of mugwort, hops, lavender, chamomile, passion flower. I also add essential oils of frankincense, sandalwood, may chang, clove, jasmine, clary sage chamomile and lavender, all in a little red organza bag to put under your pillow.  

To make the scent of your herbal pillow last longer, it is a good idea to keep it in a sealable bag when not in use. You can also refresh your herbal pillow by spraying with some more essential oils or just refill with more dried herbs.