Calea Zacatehchichi

My experience,

I am getting right to the point. I used Calea Zacatehchichi extract with no effects. None, actually I believe it briefly took me off rhythm with my dreams.

I dream nightly, in multiples, and know my dream cycle well.

Maybe it was the extract? However, I did notice how the extract made me feel. Not high or drunk but somewhat herbal in the feeling, mostly in my head. Nothing worth elaborating on. Although the Calea did seem to give me lighter sleep than usual.

I recommend if you have Calea extract put one drop on your tongue. Watch out! The taste is not extremely pungent in the beginning but the bitter, nasty, taste amplifies the longer it sits on your tongue, and have a strong mint ready!

“Mentos” to the rescue, I didn’t think I would ever say this.
I find mint to be the best flavor for neutralizing the effects of this troll feces. As a matter of fact “Mentos” I now particularly enjoy. Do you remember the Mentos commercials “The Fresh Maker” You couldn’t stomach the commercials let alone the candy, well I have found a use for these nasty candy-isle protrusions.

  1. Chew on a Mentos, half chewed
  2. Down the Calea juice, one swift drink
  3. Have 2-3 more Mentos ready to chew, TRUST ME have them ready, and don’t say I didn’t warn you!
  4. Don’t go without Mentos.
  5. Don’t worry the Mentos will neutralize the effects of the Calea.
  6. If going to bed brush your teeth with some mint toothpaste.

Here is a nice anecdote that came with the extract:

Calea Zacatehchichi:
Bitter Herb, Sweeter Dreams

"The Chontal Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico traditionally prepare a hot water infusion or tea, made from a handful of dried leaves of Calea Zacatehchichi, the plant they call “thle-Pelakano” or “leaves of God.” The brew is said to help produce dreams and promote visions in the dreaming state.

Calea is a fantastically bitter herb. It’s easily the most cloyingly bitter botanical we’ve encountered. Natives gulp their Calea tea with a strange grimace and smoke Calea “cigarettes” afterward to help quell the bitterness. This extract not only concentrates the active principles, but also the bitterness. Try diluting the extract with only as much liquid as can be downed in a single swift swallow. You can follow up with a chase of water or juice. A piece of hard candy, a strong mint or slice of fresh ginger can help provide extra relief. Then, of course, you can do as the natives do and light up a Calea smoke. Happy Dreams!"

In conclusion, I will say that I may try brewing some Calea tea, or possibly smoking some of the herb. The extract did nothing for me and I varied the doses considerably too less recommended doses too more-than-recommended. I didn’t loose much as my dreams are vivid as usual. Recently I bought some Valerian Root extract and find it relaxing, I like it better than the Calea, however no dream amplification with either product. I don’t recommend NOT trying Calea however I would recommend brewing some tea or try smoking to notice any effects. Give it a try, what is there to loose except some dreams. No worries.

Hi
I tryed the tea, but I couldn´t get down more that 1 glass down my throat.I really didn´t believe anything could taste that nasty…
Afterwords I felt a little bit sick, but no effects on my dreams.
I also smoked it (about 5 “heads” through a waterpipe).It also was a bit bitter, but nothing compared to the tea.No effects either.
Well,now I have some Calea left, I am not sure what to do with it.I think if I could make a tea of it and trink it, it could have some effects, but without any kind of help I can´t drink the stuff.
Anyway,Calea seems to work for some people and for anothers not.Try it if you want to find out wich group you are,but if you wan´t to drink the tea you have to be very brave…

Traumgänger

The trouble with CZ is that there is an inactive variety and an active variety. :smile: Good luck finding a supplier that will guarantee his supply is active.

Oh… I didn´t knew that, and I bought two times from the same store :sad:
But thanks Davion, at least that means that Calea could work for me, if I just get the right one.
There is no way to find out wich plant you get but testing it?

Traumgänger

So I suspect brewing Calea would be a better alternative, or smoking. I assume you are referring to the extract being active or inactive? This is my interpretation.

The plant also builds up in your system… Sometimes this may take up to 5 days, but once it builds up in your system, it works great…

This may very well be an EXTREMELY dumb question, but I’m gonna go ahead and be the dummy and ask anyway lol…

Can ya stick it in brownie mix or something? You know like you can do with weed? Anyone know or think that might work? I’m sure that would lessen the taste or whatever.

Personally I haven’t tried it yet… I’ve been waiting to see what everyone else says about it and then make my decision. Speaking of which, do you just get it at like a GNC place or something? (And how do you smoke it… lol)

Not sure about brownies but I came across this earlier - written by our very own Davion :content:
erowid.org/experiences/exp.php3?ID=12224

Just but some Mentos or a strong mint, it will neutrilize the taste. Trust me, the extract I used was god-awful-rat-feces, strong. From what I hear extract concentrates the bitterness.

Some health-food stores sell the extract, you may have to visit a herb store to pick up the plant material.

Hey Oldskuller, is this true. I was not aware of this. Sounds interesting?? Some feedback would be helpful.

So, now I am confused :wink:

But I am quite sure Davion meant the plant itself is either active or not, not just the extract, right? (What sense would it make to make an extract that has no effects?)

Ok,so does anyone now a supplier in Germany that sells ACTIVE Calea plants? I know that they can´t tell you wether their plants are active or not, since it is “dangerous to consume these herbs, and they are only for burning in your room so it smells good”.But perhaps anyone succesfully tryed the plants of a Europe/German supplier?

Traumgänger

You may be right, however I do not understand this “inactive-active” bit. It does not seem right. the maturity of the plant can have some effects or the species of Calea could have a different effect as well, I understand this could be true with Calea, although I have never harvested the plant. I didn’t think Calea could be this complicated. All I know is the extract I used did not work, time to try something new.

To explain inactive and active… Cannibus has “active/inactive” plants as well. The unfertalized female plants contain the resin that gives you the effect that you want. The males not so much. Must be sort of the same thing?

Yes this could be the case. I will look over the internet and figure this mess out one of these days. Maybe some of the experienced afficionados could help us here, also post some sources. Maybe I will mail some people on this site. Let’s keep this discussion going and figure some things out. If I wasn’t sooo… busy.

When should I harvest the leaves from my Calea plant?

I have come back to this forum after a long break, of almost a year
Nice to see some familier faces Davion etc.

i have got hold of some mugwort tintures in the last few days from Neal’s Yard.
www.nealsyardremedies.co.uk for anyone interested. I have read up allot, about how mugwort is good with lucid dreaming, however am nervious about trying it, being that i am on 175mg of imipramine a day.
im going to have to speak to my doctor before trying it. dont want it reacting with it, as its quite a hefty dose.

Newho, Back to topic Calea!

There was allot of problems finding calea in the UK when i was last here, so to anyone having problems finding it, i think i have the answer.

potseeds.co.uk/

The above site, links to a place on the south coast, that sells both the herb, and the herb as a tinture. I havent ordered from them, but hope to soon. Still, im going to have problems with it and my medication yet again, and the chances of my phy. knowing what Calea is, is going to be almost none. but oh well, may just have to test a small ammount and see what happens.

hey man, nice to see you’re back!

I’ve tried Calea… awful tasting stuff :wink: especially the extract.

In the article I read, they said shamans have used it as a way of recovering lost objects. Perhaps it improves your psychic ability in dreaming.

However, i haven’t used this stuff for ages, and even when I did I thought it was to expensive to be worthwhile… You don’t really need it to dream. just some thoughts.

explora…

The below posting is also on another posting and I wanted to include it here. And remember if drinking the tea or the extract, remember a strong mint, or Mentos!

Over the past week, I have been using Mazatec Gardens 10X (10:1) Calea Zacatechichi capsules with great results!

mazatecgarden.com

MazatecGarden sells their Calea in 10X veggie caps, a new product for them. From this, posts and others I was willing to try Calea “again,” as my last experience was not worth mentioning.

On most days, before I would lie down to sleep, I would take 2 capsules. All of these days I had multiple vivid and long dreams. On one day I experimented with 3 capsules with no notable increase in dreams (from the usual 2 capsules of Calea)

On one particular day, I took 4 capsules, experiencing long series of dreams throughout about 8-9 hours of sleep. I filled over two pages in my diary with writings but there were many more dreams I did not record. I awoke this day numerous times ALL of these with dreams either taking place or there was dream sequences. It was at times difficult because my dreams were so long that I was constantly reversing my steps trying to recall all the dreams. I had a strange dream where I was shot in both of my feet and my doctor was also shot in the foot. A strange situation, especially when you wake up and your feet hurt.

On most days I was taking 2 capsules of Calea and I would have long dreams and numerous of them throughout the night. I have been having so many dreams lately I have not been recording them all, too much writing.

As from some previous posts here that I have read, I wanted to review a couple of points:

  1. “Active” Calea
  2. Build up of Calea in the body

I’m still a little mystified by the “Active” Calea statement, but I do now believe there is some Calea that may be more mature, or have a greater potency, as I found out from MazatecGarden. I refer to “Active” Calea as being a fully mature product. Mature as in the plant grow cycle. I hope MazatecGarden sticks with what works.

I relate the idea of “built up Calea in my system” and dreams getting better over time, I see myself getting better used to the Calea, my dream cycle, and my sleep cycle, all of these coming together to increase my dreams. I do not believe in the build up of Calea in my system. But the increase of dreams, over this week, is attributed to the Calea, also honing into my dream cycle. Once I hit the zone, I had massively long dreams. I have before had long dreams but not to this extent. NO side effects from the Calea at all. Completely unnoticeable when taken.

In closing, I have briefly stopped using Calea and I do dream more than usual. That is a fact. Although I have not been using the capsules only for a couple of days now, as I await my next shipment. As of yet I have not tried smoking any Calea with the Capsules, I am looking forward to this in the next week or so. Mazatec also sells a smoking blend called “Pipe Dreams”, has anyone tried this??? mazatecgarden.com/products/dream_herb.htm

I did not have any Lucid Dreams but my dreams were hella long and plenty vivid. I missed a shitload of dreamsigns. The most noticeable effect of Calea was the lengthening of my dreams, and the amount of dreams in one night, wow………Cool. The day when I took 4 capsules, every time I awakened myself, I was in a dream sequence or there was a long sequence of dreams. I believe I dreamed all night. I proved to myself the placebo myth about Calea as being totally bunk! This stuff works.

Hey give the capsules a shot, what have you got to loose? I just would like to see them a little cheaper. 32$ plus shipping for 24 Capsules. Read the previous posts by “DreamPill.” Mazatec kicks arse, good service. I only take 2 a night with great effect. I am glad I tried some good Calea.

later all~