DOSE:

repeated

Mugwort

(plant material)

BODY WEIGHT:

170 lb

After reviewing the limited information on mugwort's effects on dreaming, I decided to put it to the test two nights ago. The mugwort that I had on hand was purchased in Washington state a few years ago, and is a pale-yellow color, with flowers, leaves, and stems. I opted to drink a cup of tea, using approximately one tablespoon of mugwort. After letting it steep for about ten minutes I drank it down, and to my surprise it tasted pretty wonderful, like an aromatic green tea. Almost immediately I felt its effects, which consisted of a subtle lethargy and a bit of clumsiness. I made it to bed a half-hour later, and fell asleep right away. The dreams I had were mundane in content, and almost lucid (I have few lucid dreams normally). What was startling was the 'realness' of the dreams, as they appeared to me in full-on technicolor splendor. I woke up feeling good, surprised that I remembered in great detail my dreams. I usually have good recall, but not THAT good.

So, yesterday I went to an organic herb shop (I now live in the midwest) and bought a half-ounce of mugwort for about ten dollars. This stuff was bright dark-green and contained no stems, but seemed quality. When I got home around dinnertime, I opened the bag and rolled a tobacco-mugwort cigarette and smoked it. Afterwards, I didn't feel stoned exactly, but I became aware of a little grin on my face that wouldn't seem to go away. This lasted for about an hour.

Later in the evening I brewed up a cup of tea, again using about a tablespoon of mugwort. The new mugwort was notably more aromatic than the Washington state stuff, and turned the tea a dark green. I added large quantities of honey and took a sip. Disgusting. It tasted like lawn juice, if that makes any sense. Far too aromatic for me. But I gulped it down, and it was bearable. A half-hour later I brewed another cup, and also took 600mg of vitamin B-6 in pill form, which I've used for dreaming previously, albeit with mixed results. I felt more lethargic than the night before, with the same clumsiness.

After banging my foot on the radiator, I made my way into bed a half-hour after drinking the tea, and drifted off to sleep. The effects on my dreams were about the same as the night before, except that my recall when I woke up was even better, almost as one remembers day-to-day events and conversations. The difference between my two experiments is that I woke up this morning with a nasty headache, which is not normal for me. I don't know whether to attribute this to the mugwort or the B-6.

In summary, mugwort has some very interesting properties, which I will continue to explore. I did not enjoy the taste of smoking it or drinking it, so maybe an extract is in order. It seems like one cup of mugwort tea has about the same effect as two cups, so I am inclined to think that downing a large quantity of the stuff is futile. It is well worth your time if you are interested in exploring your dreams a bit, though I have to recommend seeking out a pale-yellow mugwort over the green stuff, as there seems to be little difference in effects between the two varieties. Happy dreaming!

Exp Year: 2005	ExpID: 41666
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jul 10, 2007	Views: 23,994
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Mugwort (292) : Retrospective / Summary (11), Alone (16)