Shaman Plants U.K.

 

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Dreams are important in mesoamerican cultures. They are believed to occur in a realm of suprasensory reality and, therefore, are capable of conveying messages. Calea zacatechichi is a plant, native to the high altitude cloudforests in a small area of the southern Mexican sierra, that provides those dreams. It also grows from Mexico to Costa Rica in dry savannas and canyons. The name of this herb comes from Nahuatl 'Zacatechichi' which means 'Bitter grass' and it is the common name of the plant all over Mexico. It is known by the Spanish names of 'Zacate de perro' (Dog's grass), 'Hoja madre' (Mother's leaf) 'Hoja de Dies' (God's leaf) and also as 'Dream Herb'.

 Chontal medicine men of Mexico use the herb to obtain divinatory messages during dreaming, whenever it is desired to know the cause of an illness or the location of a distant or lost person. Reportedly, the answer to the question comes in a dream. Dream Herb allows them to experience lucid dreaming; the ability to control and remember their dreams with less effort. Believing in visions seen in dreams, the Chontals assert that Zacatechichi clarifies the senses. Auditory hallucinations are also fairly common, which prompted them, believing they were hearing the voice of God, to refer to the plant as Thle-pelakano or 'leaf of god' in Chontal.

After drinking a tea from the shrub's crushed dried leaves, the Chontal lies down in a quiet place, meditates and smokes some leaves, then sleeps. Recent studies show that Calea Zacatechichi produces 'significantly more meaningful dreams' than average. Reports and direct questioning disclosed a discrete enhancement of all sensory 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. Organic extracts of Dream Herb produce the EEG and behavioral signs of somnolence.

An infusion of the plant (roots, leaves, and stem) is traditionally employed against gastrointestinal disorders, as an appetizer, bile flow inducer, cathartic, antidysentery remedy, and has also been reported to be an effective fever reducer. With other aromatic plants, the dry herb is used as insecticide.

"Strangely enough, I've found that using Calea in ANY form tends to clear the mind. It alters the perception of time so that it appears that time is passing more slowly, and it makes one feel more 'in control' of things. You won't automatically become lucid in your dreams, but your chances of lucidity are greatly increased. Furthermore, your dreams can seem so realistic (in some cases) that they are actually more enjoyable than a normal lucid dream where the level of clarity is not as high." wrote one user. Wrote another, "In my dream, my father, who had passed away a year ago, was with me in my room and spoke to me. We had a nice visit until my dog woke me up. I settled back in my bed and for a moment believed that I had actually visited with my Dad - so real was the memory of the dream. For a few minutes I was confused, knowing that he was dead but, at the same time, convinced that the dream was so real and clear in my mind that it seemed to have actually happened. It was not until I remembered taking the herb, and its reputation, that I was able to dismiss the dream as just that. The effect was pretty amazing."