Enter the enigmatic world of dreams, where the subconscious mind rules and reality is bent. Imagine a world where you may explore the deepest depths of your mind, confront your anxieties, and even influence what happens next. This is the realm of oneirogens, an intriguing class of chemicals that provide access to the mind’s Dreamscapes and the hope of a fantastical journey there.
Different people utilize oneirogens, or “dream-inducing” chemicals, for different reasons. Some people use them to achieve lucid dreaming, a phenomenon in which they become conscious of their dream state while still within it and, as a result, gain control over their dream environment. Some people look for oneirogens to improve dream memory, enabling them to recall their dream experiences in great detail, nearly as if they were real memories.
Substances used to induce lucid dreams frequently have deep cultural and historical roots. Native peoples’ faith that dreams are gateways to the future and a source of wisdom, guidance, and revelation has allowed them to preserve and transmit this mystical knowledge from one generation to the next. For the purpose of enhancing dream experiences, uncovering hidden truths, and unlocking the mysterious realm of lucid dreaming, we will investigate 11 distinct oneirogenic substances, each with its own history, effects, and possible advantages.
1. Syrian Rue (Peganum harmala)
Psychoactive and oneirogenic alkaloids can be found in the seeds of the Syrian rue (Peganum harmala). These substances function to inhibit the degradation of other psychoactive tryptamines, including DMT and are not psychedelic.
Harmonye and harmaline, the main active constituents of Syrian Rue, have the potential to enhance the impacts of additional psychoactive substances. Some users claim that they have more vivid and meaningful dreams when they consume the substance in the context of lucid dreaming. This method also has the potential to improve dream recollection.
2.Fly Agaric Mushroom (Amanita muscaria)
The Amanita muscaria, sometimes known as the “Mario Mushroom” or the “fly agaric,” is a common and well-known kind of mushroom. However, only some are aware of the mushroom’s true potential or how to properly utilize it.
This psychoactive fungus is completely unrelated to the ordinary “magic mushrooms.” Its active components function through interaction with muscarinic receptors. The impacts of this mushroom, even when experienced when fully awake, can only be characterized as “dreamlike” and “bizarre.” It is evident that you are under the influence of a psychedelic, even though you will not experience hallucinations or discern intricate patterns and undulating shapes like you would on LSD or psilocybin. Everything seems “odd” or “out of place,” and one’s sense of time and the relative sizes of items are drastically affected.
The real hallucinations start happening when you’re asleep. The dreams of users are substantially more vivid and disorganized, with no clear storyline or pattern. These dreams can be comforting and reassuring at times, but they can also be upsetting and terrifying. With the help of fly agaric, you can practice dream-induced lucid dreaming. The dreams induced by this mushroom are so ridiculous that the dreamer is more likely to snap out of it and become conscious.
3.Yerba Maté (Ilex paraguariensis)
South American yerba maté comes from a big tree that is high in caffeine. However, there are several limitations to using caffeine for generating lucid dreams. You may take yerba maté capsules before bedtime to help you sleep, but you need to be asleep before they begin to work. If you have trouble falling asleep at night, you shouldn’t use this oneirogenic .
Dreams are more likely to be adventurous, memorable, and vivid if you go to sleep before the coffee comes. You may use any herb that includes caffeine for this purpose. Still, yerba maté is recommended due to the presence of other phytochemicals, such as the obromine, which reduce the possibility of nervous side effects and subsequent nightmares.
Caffeine is an effective complement to WBTB techniques for inducing lucid dreaming. It is advisable to store yerba maté tablets in close proximity to one’s bed and consume a pill promptly upon the activation of the alarm. It is recommended to maintain alertness for around 15 minutes prior to resuming sleep.
4.Galantamine (Snowdrops)
Many common garden plants, such as snowdrops, daffodils, and red spider lilies, contain the alkaloid galantamine. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme that galantamine blocks; this enzyme degrades the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. As acetylcholine is implicated in the formation of dreams, it is believed that acetylcholine-boosting supplements, such as galantamine, could enhance the recollection and vividness of dreams upon awakening.
Research by the Lucidity Institute has identified and confirmed this effect through double-blind crossover studies. The study indicated that 57% of the galantamine group and 14% of the placebo group had lucid dreaming. Both groups achieved lucid dreaming with the use of WBTB techniques.
5 – Salvia Leaf (Salvia Divinorum)
The effects of any herbs used to induce lucid dreaming must last for many hours. About an hour and a half after going to bed, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep begins. Smoking doesn’t have much of an effect on sleep because the effects of salvia used in this way don’t last more than thirty minutes.
As a result, people experience the oneirogenic effects of salvia while using tea or when they take capsules just before bedtime. Dreams induced by salvia are notoriously strange and difficult to interpret, yet they nearly always include important insights if you look carefully enough.
Salvia is commonly recognized as a sage plant instructor inside the cultural contexts that utilize it; nonetheless, it cannot offer conclusive answers. It is often metaphysical and symbolic, leaving you to puzzle over its meaning for weeks, months, or even years before anything becomes clear.
6.Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
Dreams and restful sleep have long been connected with mugwort. Artemisia is a botanical name that originates from the name of the Greek moon deity Artemis. It helps in lucid dreaming, having more vivid dreams, and remembering such dreams the next day. Native North Americans in the United States traditionally burned mugwort before bed to aid in falling asleep and to fend off bad spirits after they entered the dream state.
7.Blue Lotus Flower (Nymphaea Caerulea)
Ancient Egyptian cultures, renowned for their fascination with dream-inducing substances and elaborate rituals, revered the blue lotus flower. People also consider a lotus flower rising from the turmoil as a symbol of humanity’s origin. The ancient Egyptians used plants like the blue lotus flower, which induces dreaming since they thought it was a channel between the living and the dead. Smoking or vaping blue lotus flowers before bed can increase the user’s lucid dreaming abilities and make falling asleep easier.
Blue lotus flowers more commonly induce clearer, less chaotic visions than other oneirogens. In most cases, the dreamer knows they are dreaming immediately, without resorting to reality checks or wakefulness before sleep (WBTB) approaches. This is advantageous, as the sedative properties of blue lotus render awakening from a deep slumber exceedingly challenging.
8.Calea (Snow drpos)
Calea zacatechichi and Calea ternifolia are two hallucinogenic plants native to Mexico and Central America, respectively. The Chontal Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico, have a long tradition of using Calea as a means of accessing the wisdom of dreams for divination. Non-oneirogenic uses included the treatment of stomach problems and fevers.
Lucid dreaming and improved dream recall are the two primary modern applications of calea leaf. People commonly use Calea leaf to enhance dream recall by those who consume it before bed, either in the form of a powerful tea or by smoking the dried leaf.
Experts believe that Calea can also impart a sense of organization or order to one’s dreams. The dream’s storyline flows more smoothly, with less discontinuity between scenes. People who take calea while awake typically report feeling “lucid.” People who use it often report feeling sleepy and dizzy, and they may have moderate hallucinations as a result of confusing familiar shapes and things.
Unfortunately and strangely, Calea also can disrupt sleep, causing users to wake more frequently during the night and wake up feeling less refreshed than usual. Because of these considerations, we should not use calea more frequently than once or twice weekly. Both Louisiana and Poland have made Calea illegal, but no other countries have taken such action.
9.Iboga (Tabernanthe iboga)
Ibogaine is the primary active compound present in Tabernanthe iboga and several other African plant species. This chemical has potent psychedelic properties, yet it is important to note that it may also possess potential risks or adverse effects. Because it tends to cause hallucinations similar to those seen in dreams, iboga is generally classified as oneirogenic. Iboga is similar to many of the other herbs here, but there is one major distinction that sets it apart. Ibogaine produces hallucinations similar to those seen in dreams when the person is awake. Lucid dreaming occurs because the drug makes the brain believe it is asleep.However, in reality user’s consciousness is active, and they are fully aware of their surroundings.
Scientists also use ibogaine that is a substance beneficial for the purpose of inducing lucid dreams.Moreover,people also use it in scientific investigations resulting in a reduction in the overall duration of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. When one closes their eyes, hallucinations that resemble dreams rush over their vision at lightning speed, eliciting a wide range of feelings based on the specifics of the dream. Some people also compare it with like viewing a slideshow of one’s life, with good and the bad performing their equal roles pushing the viewer to confront their inner demons.
10.Damiana (Turnera diffusa)
Damiana is a plant that is native to Mexico as well as other countries of Central and South America. Common applications include those for treating depression and anxiety as well as relieving headache pain. For last few centuries people are using this powerful plant to stimulate more vivid dreams, particularly those that centre on sexual or romantic themes. Numerous elixirs designed to increase libido or sexual desire contain this component.
The bitterness of Damiana diminishes when ,people use it with Calea zatechichi in the form of a tea, and they also mix a sensual element in it. It blends effectively with other smoking ingredients, including tobacco, weed, salvia, mugwort, or even blue lotus flower.
Conclusion
You may improve your dreams in many different ways, many of which are harmless under normal conditions. The ability to enter lucid dreaming improves with time, effort, and the proper resources. To acquire constant lucidity in your dreams may require time and practice, as lucid dreaming is a highly individual experience. If you approach it with honesty, amazement, and patience, you can find yourself on the verge of some very amazing journeys within your mind.
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Hi, I’m Ashra Abdulrazzaq (Doing MS in Clinical Psychology). I am a professional psychologist and author whose work has been published on many recognized websites. I love unwrapping the mysteries of the human minds and then utilizing this knowledge to heal them.
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