potentiators

/oneironauts/, have any of you had experience potentiating your dreams, intentionally or otherwise? i know there are supplements/herbs that purportedly have this effect. the two that i've predominantly heard of are calea zacatechichi and mugwort. the former has never worked for me, would be interested in hearing lainon's opinions. but i used to forage the latter all the time, and can attest that it works like a charm. the diuretic effect of the plant also makes it a wonderful tool for those attempting to lucid dream. i personally haven't had effects from a dream pillow (ie, using the aromatics of mugwort to induce dreaming), although my partner at the time (an already extremely intense dreamer) reported it gave her nightmares. i've had plenty of positive experience from the tea, as well as smoking it. mugwort also tastes and smells amazing, it's very minty. it adds a menthol vibe when rolled in a cigarette, and the pillows smell nice. tea is definitely the best way to go though. honorable mention: chantix. it's an anti-smoking medication. after i take it for a few days, i begin to have very, very intense dreams. it is by far the most potent dream affector i know. the dreams are normally very long, and my presence there is very close to lucidity. it frequently causes long chains of dreams bound by threads, which are sometimes picked up and resumed a few dreams down the chain. outside of lucid dreaming, also wonder if anyone has other suggestions for increasing the frequency or awareness of their dreams.

I read about Artemisia absinthium and stramonium to be used to dream, artemisia to be smoked or drank as tea, stramonium does good with just one seed

>>26 figured that would be wormwood by looking at the name. was not wrong. fyi, (the most common/non-localized variation of) mugwart is artemisia vulgaris. makes me wonder if there's more plants in the artemisia family that have this effect. i also have some proper absinthe laying around, would be interesting to see if thujone has any effect on dreams (though i'm sure the thujone/alcohol ratio is probably enough to potentially negate any dream-affect from the thujone.) >datura interesting. i've heard of its use in shamanic rituals as a tool for invoking visions (among other psychomagical effects,) but mostly its association to me is as a deliriant, generally used by people without access to drugs who don't necessarily know what they're getting into. (or are intentionally seeking delirium, like i was when i experimented regularly with diphenhydramine a decade ago.) doing some quick research returns plenty of anecdotal accounts vouching for it. interesting. if anyone any experience with this plant first hand, i'd be very interested in hearing about it.

Certain drugs/withdrawals will give you weird dreams. Cheese too. I really don't recommend getting into drugs but they have given me some intense and vivid dreams. However you are most likely to wake up, remember them, then fall asleep in 30 seconds then forget it. The list of things that do this are long. SSRI withdrawal may lead you to have intense dreams, GABAergic drugs, at certain times during periods alcohol use, anti-psychotics (believe it or not they can really mess with your dreams despite possibly helping with audio/visual hallucinations)

I once made tea from catnip that I had lying around, and also smoked a hefty amount of it that night. I had very vivid dreams that I remembered quite clearly the next morning. Usually I have trouble remembering dreams or only remember a small portion of one. Another thing that I have unintentionally done, or at least not consciously chosen to do, Is set my alarm earlier than I normally wake, and then snooze it and go right back to sleep. Sometimes this leads to multiple dreams that are easily remembered, but more often than not I forget them all except maybe the last one. also I have found that the period of "withdrawal" from regular weed smoking has left me with some incredibly intense dreams

- Melatonin (300mcg) - Choline precursors: Alpha-GPC or CDP-choline - Nicotine receptor agonist: nicotine - Muscaric receptor agonist: amanita muscaria (muscimol) - Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor: Galantamine or Huperzine A. - Choline flux accelerators: racetams in general (piracetam, phenylpiracetam, etc.) - Brain waves: l-theanine (200-800mg), a glutamate agonist, put you in alpha brain waves. It may help you get closer to the dream wave (theta). Also, "dream machines" (photic and binaural sounds stimulation) might help (check "frequency following response") - Polyphasic sleep. It seems to schedules of polyphasic help with dreams - Catecholamines don't seem to help, they actually make sleep worse. So, try to avoid stimulants like caffeine. Although nicotine is a dopamine agonist, it seems to help because of nicotinic agonist effects - Glutamate receptors: AMPA and NMDA doesn't seem to have a good effect on dreams. Although ibogaine seem to produce a dream-like effect - Gaba modulators: doesn't, by itself, help on dream. But, if you're too anxious, some gaba agonists may help with sleep. There's some reports on zolpidem hallucinations - Sigma and opioid: no correlation but, as with gaba, may help with anxiety. Maybe Oxicodone - Canabinoid: Controversial, some people say cannabis make you dream more, some just don't have dreams while on it. - Monoamine oxidase inhibitors: there's some reports on lucid dream using peganum harmala - Brain stimulation: some people say that stimulation on some areas make you more lucid on dream. Check tDCS, CES and TMS (magnetic) - Behavioral change: reality check and other techniques seem to help. Only anecdotal evidence - Sensorial imput prior to sleep: some odors while doing things seem to increase the likelihood of remembering it. For example, if when you're studying something you really want to remember you smell some odor that is really peculiar and strong, and then smell it again prior sleep, it may increase the possibility of dream (only anecdotal reports on this). The hypothesis is that the smell system is directly interlinked with the amygdala and hypocampus, that are responsible for emotions/memory, respectively The keyword you're looking is "oneirogenics". It's the word that characterize drugs that augment dreams. There's some books and articles if you search, but I think I did a good compilation here. I have some other notes, like the how intestinal bacteria (probiotics) might enhance it, or some nutrients (B-complex, Vit D, Vit B12) might also help, but it gets more technical and would be exhaustive.

>>27 >datura never heard that it is used as a dream enhancer before, very interesting. However, the dream reports I read on differing dosages seem close to the delirium trips it produces, only while dreaming. From wiki; Effects of ingestion Due to the potent combination of anticholinergic substances it contains, Datura intoxication typically produces effects similar to that of an anticholinergic delirium: a complete inability to differentiate reality from fantasy (frank delirium, as contrasted to hallucination)... The dream reports I read all report the same, as the dreamer wasn't able to tell they were dreaming, and just thought they were awake, and going about their day. doesn't sound a very pleasant dreaming experience to me. I'd rather dream about space battles and impossible creatures and such

>>96 >anticholinergics Don't use it. That's my advice. Anticholinergics is way, way, too dangerous. It can but you really serious, at the point that big chunks of your long term memory can just disappear (especially with scopolamine containing plants). Don't use it.

Two words: blue cheese It's both tasty and gives you vivid dreams.

>>26 >>27 i thought datura stramonium was mad dangerous?

>>101 It's definitely dangerous: in lower doses, it acts as a deliriant - look up some experience reports and check out some of the hells it's put folks through - and in higher doses can be poisonous. Interestingly enough, the active ingredient in datura is an extremely important medicine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atropine >>102 this is not really an argument and doesn't warrant a response, but we can discuss it if you'd like to put forth something more substantial.

It sounds silly but the smell of lavender does this. It works for me and other people I have talked to. Just dab some essential oil on your pillow or hair if you have long hair, a facecloth, anywhere you can smell it. It encourages very vivid dreams.

Gonna drink a tea with tobacco and laurus officinalis, going to post if something happens to my dreams

>>120 wait wait wait, tobacco tea? don't drink that, that's lethal

>>120 >>121 ok, after a little more research I guess that is a thing, but I'm hoping you've done this before and really know what you're doing. It was always my understanding that ingesting tobacco-infused liquid was slightly poisonous, if not lethal. >Laurel/Bay I used to teach a course on wild foraging and it was my understanding that the eucalyptol generally leads to stomach upset when plants containing it are brewed into tea. I did not experience this the few times I have drunk eucalyptus tea; ymmv. This is a really weird and odd combination of ingredients, neither of which seem particularly desirable - what was the inspiration behind using these two plants?

>>122 It's not lethal. Shamans use it in Peru and Amazon on the ayahuasca rituals. You just have to be careful to not exceed the nicotine intake. That's not a big problem with Nicotiana Tabacum (the normal tobacco), but if you're using the Nicotiana Rustica (you should, because it has much higher MAOI's and nicotine), that can be a problem. I've already drunk tobacco tea... it's not good and did no effect on me. It seems that the oral route is not good for nicotine (even sublingual - I have tested it). The best ROA's for nicotine seems to be aerial (smoking) and infusion (IV or IM). You should try Amanita Muscaria, though, as I said here >>59

>>122 This is the first time ever I ever do something similar with other than tea or camomilla. Well I have read that nicotine is good for dreaming(don't worry I have read too that tabacco is dangerous, that's why I put in the tea less than a quarter of sigarette), and laurus has been used for various problems in my country for the whole history from ancient Greeks and Romans, not last that was used for divinatory purposes. If tomorrow I am alive I will make sure you know it. Thanks for the interest and sorry for my broken English.

>>124 Hello guys, I am alive and I have had no dreams. The tea wasn't that bad anyway

>>122 I have made tobacco tea before. It can easily be dangerous but if made properly it won't hurt you. If you go overboard you won't exactly feel well though. A cigarette can have like 10-20mg of nicotine in it total, you only get a small fraction of this from smoking it. Making tea from a whole cigarette wouldn't make you feel too nice at all. Can't say i ever used this for dreams. Was actually pretty enjoyable when i tried it. It was strange, gave me some serious calm concentration. Wouldn't say it is really worth it unless you are low on cigs or using it for some other purpose (like to quit them).

>>121 source? I'm pretty sure it's fine in medium-small quantities.

>>201 I am >>124 It is not lethal unless I am not a mortal

Hey guys I am the guy that tried the tobacco tea. I recently found a better way to have very vivid dreams: It happened twice this month that I couldn't have dinner and I didn't eat before going to sleep, I had some very nightmarish and vivid dreams. Actually the best potentiator I tried is nothing at all. Please share if you had similar experiences

>>368 Try intermittent fasting. Also, buy a red glasses to block blue light spectrum and use it 4 hours prior to sleep, to increase melatonin.

>>23 Extensive experimentation with calea zacatechichi has proved to not only effect dreams on nights taking it, but has left me with intense and vivid dreams most nights since stopping regular use (going on about 6 months)

I get the best dreams when I open a window right over my head so the cold sea breeze blows over me. Probably more oxygen and negative ions, as well as cooling my head down. I tend to heat right up in my sleep. I really wanna try a buckwheat husk pillow, I hear they're the best. My wife swears by a drop of lavender oil on the pillow for a good night's sleep. We've had good results with chamomile tea, too.

Hello lain, I just smoked a bit of artemisia vulgaris but I am not sure if I should try to sleep immediately. I'm feeling a bit light-headed but maybe it's just placebo. I'll report if it affects my dreams in any way.

>>1755 I'm very curious. please tell the results tomorrow.

>>1609 >My wife swears by a drop of lavender oil on the pillow for a good night's sleep. I had very vivid dreams when I tried this. Not more remarkable in terms of plot or story but visually very clear and real looking.

>>1756 Hey, I didn't get to have a lucid one but I haven't had one in months. Still I had a bunch of very vivid dreams, I should have written them because now I only remember vaguely. The one I woke up from was the most vivid and the one I remember most. I don't usually dream a lot, it was nice but maybe I smoked too little. Also it was mixed with chamomile to soften the taste but I don't know if it interferes.

I've tried using mugwort, it seems to work a little bit but id like to try C. zachatechichi and S. capensis which seem to be more powerful

after abusing stimulants for a few days I have had horrible dreams that can be difficult to distinguish and bleed into real life. It's not quite psychosis as they happen when I am going to sleep and the difficulty distinguishing is periods in between where I wake up and fall asleep again. When I do remember dreams its usually pretty intense, and I also get sleep paralysis often. The above also massively increased sleep paralysis to the point where I would try to fall asleep get sleep paralysis going into sleep so then id wake up and this could happen 3 times. Often upon waking up too. I had one instance where I dreamed I had sleep paralysis only to get out of the sleep paralysis and wake into another dream. So I mean not recommended but yeah for whatever reason stimulants for me cause intense dreams on the comedown.

>>1765 it's sleep deprivation. Go the fuarrrk to sleep.

>>1765 >>1766 yeah thats because of REM rebound, some drugs supress REM sleep for some reason happens with stims and ssri's afaik