Chan
Another Leaf on the Vine
Hello Otherworld
Thought I'd share my first experiences with Silene Capensis aka African (Xhosa) Dream Herb. I found the excellent thread in the "Other Entheogens" section which was helpful, but thought I could still add something...
I took a piece of root about 2.6g, it's a very hard & woody root. As with other preparations, I think there might be some benefit to using manual methods while channeling one's intentions, rather than just chucking it in a blender (which doesn't seem to work anyway).
Began with a microplane grater. It worked, but was slow, and I was afraid for my fingertips (and the grater). Also, a fine airborne dust was generated which irritated my nasal mucosa a lot, a bit like chili powder without the burn, but still a very runny nose and lots of sneezing. I suspect nobody would ever want to try the insufflation route with this one...
Next took a cleaned hammer, and bashed the root slowly and firmly on top of a chunky chopping board. After a few mins, it was in pieces about 5mm in diameter. I transferred these to a mortar & pestle (stone, doubt wood would work) and in only a few more minutes, had a really fine powder. Result!
I wanted to try the traditional "foam" method of ingestion, but clearly some people struggle to achieve this. They shouldn't.
I took a clean pickle jar (about 800 ml) and added 500 ml of cold tap water, then all the powder (it was a scant tablespoon, not a heaped one as directed, but happy to start small). Capped jar and shook, instant thick foam filling the free space in the jar. [For this reason, use a jar not a bottle] It was by now about 4pm, but I hadn't eaten much for lunch, and my stomach felt pretty empty, so felt it was safe to consume.
The foam had a mild, pleasant taste; it's just like beer froth. You're supposed to eat the foam until you belch, and this happens quickly given all the air you are consuming, so I finished my ~300ml and recapped the jar, shaking for more foam, and putting it in the fridge.
I'm typically a night owl, who struggles to get to sleep without a few night-caps of one sort or another, and then gets a deep, unconscious, dream-free sleep. I was hoping the Dream Herb could help me fix that, but wasn't holding out too much hope, especially given the small quantity I had consumed.
Well, by 9pm I could not keep my eyes open. I was first into bed, which never happens and Mrs Chan was very surprised by this. I slept very well, and enjoyed some brief, but vivid dream activity. Trailers rather than full movies, but still very impressive. I woke early, about 5 am, feeling very refreshed and rushed downstairs to take my next helping of foam before breakfast, as recommended.
Early days, but I have a very good feeling about this, particularly as the idea "seems" to have been given to me by Lady Salvia. I hope the preparation tips might be useful for others.
Peace.
Thought I'd share my first experiences with Silene Capensis aka African (Xhosa) Dream Herb. I found the excellent thread in the "Other Entheogens" section which was helpful, but thought I could still add something...
I took a piece of root about 2.6g, it's a very hard & woody root. As with other preparations, I think there might be some benefit to using manual methods while channeling one's intentions, rather than just chucking it in a blender (which doesn't seem to work anyway).
Began with a microplane grater. It worked, but was slow, and I was afraid for my fingertips (and the grater). Also, a fine airborne dust was generated which irritated my nasal mucosa a lot, a bit like chili powder without the burn, but still a very runny nose and lots of sneezing. I suspect nobody would ever want to try the insufflation route with this one...
Next took a cleaned hammer, and bashed the root slowly and firmly on top of a chunky chopping board. After a few mins, it was in pieces about 5mm in diameter. I transferred these to a mortar & pestle (stone, doubt wood would work) and in only a few more minutes, had a really fine powder. Result!
I wanted to try the traditional "foam" method of ingestion, but clearly some people struggle to achieve this. They shouldn't.
I took a clean pickle jar (about 800 ml) and added 500 ml of cold tap water, then all the powder (it was a scant tablespoon, not a heaped one as directed, but happy to start small). Capped jar and shook, instant thick foam filling the free space in the jar. [For this reason, use a jar not a bottle] It was by now about 4pm, but I hadn't eaten much for lunch, and my stomach felt pretty empty, so felt it was safe to consume.
The foam had a mild, pleasant taste; it's just like beer froth. You're supposed to eat the foam until you belch, and this happens quickly given all the air you are consuming, so I finished my ~300ml and recapped the jar, shaking for more foam, and putting it in the fridge.
I'm typically a night owl, who struggles to get to sleep without a few night-caps of one sort or another, and then gets a deep, unconscious, dream-free sleep. I was hoping the Dream Herb could help me fix that, but wasn't holding out too much hope, especially given the small quantity I had consumed.
Well, by 9pm I could not keep my eyes open. I was first into bed, which never happens and Mrs Chan was very surprised by this. I slept very well, and enjoyed some brief, but vivid dream activity. Trailers rather than full movies, but still very impressive. I woke early, about 5 am, feeling very refreshed and rushed downstairs to take my next helping of foam before breakfast, as recommended.
Early days, but I have a very good feeling about this, particularly as the idea "seems" to have been given to me by Lady Salvia. I hope the preparation tips might be useful for others.
Peace.
