LucidDreaming tools: Nicotine, Brugmansia flower scent, Huperzine A and Galantamine. Any Experiences?

[Schahin92]

So dear community,

I already have another thread here which is similar and talks about the induction of lucid dreams through Datura seeds. The information I got there ist that tobacco, Huperzine A and probably Galantamine are good fot that too.

Now I would be happy to hear your experiences with any of these compounds in single usage or combination or even other typed of herbs.

What would interest me is, did you use nicotine Patches or Rape? I used to smoke cigarettes and quit a long time ago but never had lucid dreaming.
Also can the nicotine patches create addiction if yes how often should it be used?

And were the experiences negative or positive? Were the dreams beautiful or rather nightmarish?

 

[Varallo]

I don’t have any experience with the substances mentioned, that said any form of nicotine is highly addictive, so my advice would be to be very cautious or better just not use it especially because of your previous addiction.

 

[northape]

I don’t have any experience with the substances mentioned, that said any form of nicotine is highly addictive, so my advice would be to be very cautious or better just not use it especially because of your previous addiction.

I agree. People have a very hard time getting rid of nicotine addiction. Nicotine works best with rare use (like once every two weeks) before sleep to induce lucid dreaming. That way, it could give some intensely vivid dreams. I am still of the opinion that lucid dreaming depends heavily on your psychic constitution. I remember only a few experiences in my whole life. Huperzine A is not addictive and works well to alter your dreams somewhat. It is a strong dream potentiator when you combine them both.

There are lots of African dream herbs for sale online, but I have never tried them. You can binge-smoke cannabis for a few weeks and then stop cold turkey. It will produce some intense dreams. If I remember correctly, long-term fasting also gives nice dreams.

 

[Schahin92]

I don’t have any experience with the substances mentioned, that said any form of nicotine is highly addictive, so my advice would be to be very cautious or better just not use it especially because of your previous addiction.

That's 20 years ago , I smoked some cigarettes every now and then about three years ago like 2 a day thats it. I hate cigarettes actually, the scent and the smoke are the worst for me,.

 

[Schahin92]

I agree. People have a very hard time getting rid of nicotine addiction. Nicotine works best with rare use (like once every two weeks) before sleep to induce lucid dreaming. That way, it could give some intensely vivid dreams. I am still of the opinion that lucid dreaming depends heavily on your psychic constitution. I remember only a few experiences in my whole life. Huperzine A is not addictive and works well to alter your dreams somewhat. It is a strong dream potentiator when you combine them both.

There are lots of African dream herbs for sale online, but I have never tried them. You can binge-smoke cannabis for a few weeks and then stop cold turkey. It will produce some intense dreams. If I remember correctly, long-term fasting also gives nice dreams.

I had that experience with cannabis actually this week I used it several times and then quit and the dreams just became amazing, but not lucid and not really too vivid either.

 

[northape]

That's 20 years ago , I smoked some cigarettes every now and then about three years ago like 2 a day thats it. I hate cigarettes actually, the scent and the smoke are the worst for me,.

Cigarettes and organic tobacco are two different things. There is almost no tobacco in cigarettes. It's similar to milk or eggs from the store; they are so far from the real organic stuff that anyone with experience could easily spot the difference. Mapacho, rapéh, and even a good old cigar are your choices.

I had that experience with cannabis actually this week I used it several times and then quit and the dreams just became amazing, but not lucid and not really too vivid either.

That's the deal with lucid dreaming; it's not about substances. Vivid and intense dreams are easy, but to have full awareness is tricky. That's what the spiritual journey is all about - to be present in every state. You may have more success with dream yoga or maybe pranayama to induce lucidity. Still, there is no certainty at all.

 

[Schahin92]

Cigarettes and organic tobacco are two different things. There is almost no tobacco in cigarettes. It's similar to milk or eggs from the store; they are so far from the real organic stuff that anyone with experience could easily spot the difference. Mapacho, rapéh, and even a good old cigar are your choices.

That's the deal with lucid dreaming; it's not about substances. Vivid and intense dreams are easy, but to have full awareness is tricky. That's what the spiritual journey is all about - to be present in every state. You may have more success with dream yoga or maybe pranayama to induce lucidity. Still, there is no certainty at all.

I actually heard about that and there are people here selling "organic tobacco" nonetheless, normal cigarette tobacco looks like tobacco to me too, so I dont get the difference

 

[northape]

I actually heard about that and there are people here selling "organic tobacco" nonetheless, normal cigarette tobacco looks like tobacco to me too, so I dont get the difference

That's how organic tobacco looks like:




There is a whole history as to why they do not sell it in the West. N. Rustica tobacco is like 3-5 times stronger, too.
Smoke one such roll and say goodbye to any addiction. Most likely, you won't touch tobacco for years after this.

 

[Alice the Small]

I actually heard about that and there are people here selling "organic tobacco" nonetheless, normal cigarette tobacco looks like tobacco to me too, so I dont get the difference

I could answer this but probably not as thoroughly or efficiently so I got this from chatgpt:

Here’s a summary of what is known about additives in U.S. cigarettes: what they are, why they’re used, and what risks are involved.

What are cigarette additives

* Cigarettes don’t just contain tobacco and paper; manufacturers add **many** substances to alter flavor, burn rate, smoking experience, shelf life, etc. ([American Lung Association][1])
* According to various tobacco-company disclosures, in 1994 there were about **599 different additives** that could be included in American cigarettes. Not every cigarette uses every additive. ([Wikipedia][2])

---

Common/additive types & examples

Here are some of the kinds of additives used, and what they do:

Sugars / Sweeteners - To enhance flavor; make smoke less harsh. When burned, also produce additional harmful compounds.
Ammonia compounds - Boost nicotine absorption; make the cigarette “feel” stronger or more addictive. ([U.S. Food and Drug Administration][3])
Natural & artificial flavorings (e.g. menthol, cocoa, licorice) - Flavor masking, altering aroma/taste to be more appealing or reduce harshness. Menthol is a big one. ([Healthline][4])
Humectants/moisture‐retaining agents (e.g. glycerol, propylene glycol)- Keep the tobacco moist so it doesn’t dry out, burn too quickly, or taste harsh. ([Wikipedia][2])
Binders, casing agents - Used in processing/assembly: help tobacco filler, wrappers, filters, etc. ([U.S. Food and Drug Administration][5])
pH modifiers / buffering agents - To adjust the chemistry so nicotine uptake or the smoke “feel” is modified. Ammonia is one example of that; others help change how smoke interacts with throat/mouth linings. ([PMC][6])

---

Risks / Issues

Many of the additives aren’t harmful in themselves until they’re burned; burning changes their chemical structure, often producing carcinogens or respiratory irritants. ([PMC][6])
Added chemicals can increase addiction (e.g. via ammonia boosting nicotine uptake). ([U.S. Food and Drug Administration][3])
Some additives mask unpleasant smells or harshness, which may encourage deeper inhalation. ([PMC][6])
Smoke from cigarettes (natural tobacco + additives + combustion products) contains thousands of chemicals; many are toxic, and dozens are known carcinogens. ([American Cancer Society][7])

Something I can add regarding licorice...there is actually more black licorice put into cigarettes than there is sold in stores as licorice. Why, I do not know, but it can't be a good thing!

Natural tobacco is great for many things, imo. Cigarettes, however, are dastardly.

 

[Sakkadelic]

Have you tried guided meditations for lucid dreaming? It used to work well for me but haven't tried it in so long. Also binaural beats work for altering dreams.

In those guided meditations they ask you to lay in a comfortable postion and stay completely still, don't move a finger, even if you have an urge to scratch, don't. And then focus on your breath to be distracted from your own thoughts until you fall asleep.
I think following these steps would help in inducing lucid dreams.

 

[Jamie01]

I am most likely to have fully immersive lucid dreams that I recall after 3am. Often my back hurts and I move to the couch in the early morning and it’s enough to wake my mind up. It also seems if I’m getting sleep paralysis around that time I might also have a more OBE or astral type experience.

This is why if you use nicotine to dream I think it’s most useful to wake up in the very early morning after midnight, smoke it or use a patch or w/e then go back to sleep.

 

[artificer]

I have dabbled with African dream root [Silene capensis] and its' lucid dreaming potentiation is no joke. For effect, it requires taking it as a routine for some consecutive days, at least that was my experience. I rarely recall dreams, or even feel like I'm simply not having dreams, but while taking capensis, I would consistently dream and occasionally they would be lucid. No nicotine or other substances at the time. I have been thinking of dabbling again... and I have huperzine-A but haven't ever tried it.

 

[Schahin92]

I have dabbled with African dream root [Silene capensis] and its' lucid dreaming potentiation is no joke. For effect, it requires taking it as a routine for some consecutive days, at least that was my experience. I rarely recall dreams, or even feel like I'm simply not having dreams, but while taking capensis, I would consistently dream and occasionally they would be lucid. No nicotine or other substances at the time. I have been thinking of dabbling again... and I have huperzine-A but haven't ever tried it.

That sounds nice, mostly reports about dream herbs, like Calea Zachatechichi turn out to be not useful, but this I will research more about Silene Capensis

 

[artificer]

Early in the morning yesterday, for the first time, I took Huperzine-A. It's a 200mcg capsule, which seems a bit high based on dose recommendations I've read for this being 100-150mcg. I refrained from my usual 600-1200mg intake of Alhpa-GPC. I went to bed relatively early, and briefly woke up around 2am - this in itself is not unusual for me, not to use the bathroom or anything, it just happens, and for the most part I can go right back to sleep. But this time, I noticed a cerebral tingle of sorts at the 2am wakeup.

and then...

non.stop.dreaming. until 8am (rare for me to sleep in like that, too). I think if I would let it go even longer, it would have.

For the most part, it was not lucid, except for one dream where something that was happening between two people; I can't recall enough to even put context to it, but they were interacting at a distance from each other, and then some train noise (in real life) transformed what the one guy was doing and it became very lucid for a moment - this individual had been somewhat planted in place but then started to fly through my field of vision toward the other person and was yelling right to left, until i realized his yelling was actually noise of inbound train, but i still let the dream play for a moment.

It all stood out for me as "out of the ordinary", even the non-lucid parts, partly because I normally don't feel like I dream at all, and partly because I was repeatedly going in and out of the dream state, and then back in.

Currently feeling slightest headache, and perhaps still some of that cerebral tingle, but otherwise everything good/normal....

this world is sooo goofy. I'll leave it at that

 

[northape]

Early in the morning yesterday, for the first time, I took Huperzine-A. It's a 200mcg capsule, which seems a bit high based on dose recommendations I've read for this being 100-150mcg. I refrained from my usual 600-1200mg intake of Alhpa-GPC.

Good move. Even if Huperzine-A is a reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, combining it with Alpha-GPC may be an overkill. I used 200 mcg without any issues, apart from constipation, if you use it long enough.

 

[Schahin92]

Early in the morning yesterday, for the first time, I took Huperzine-A. It's a 200mcg capsule, which seems a bit high based on dose recommendations I've read for this being 100-150mcg. I refrained from my usual 600-1200mg intake of Alhpa-GPC. I went to bed relatively early, and briefly woke up around 2am - this in itself is not unusual for me, not to use the bathroom or anything, it just happens, and for the most part I can go right back to sleep. But this time, I noticed a cerebral tingle of sorts at the 2am wakeup.

and then...

non.stop.dreaming. until 8am (rare for me to sleep in like that, too). I think if I would let it go even longer, it would have.

For the most part, it was not lucid, except for one dream where something that was happening between two people; I can't recall enough to even put context to it, but they were interacting at a distance from each other, and then some train noise (in real life) transformed what the one guy was doing and it became very lucid for a moment - this individual had been somewhat planted in place but then started to fly through my field of vision toward the other person and was yelling right to left, until i realized his yelling was actually noise of inbound train, but i still let the dream play for a moment.

It all stood out for me as "out of the ordinary", even the non-lucid parts, partly because I normally don't feel like I dream at all, and partly because I was repeatedly going in and out of the dream state, and then back in.

Currently feeling slightest headache, and perhaps still some of that cerebral tingle, but otherwise everything good/normal....

this world is sooo goofy. I'll leave it at that

Does Huperzine A need any Ld techniques to combine with? IÓr does it work on its own?And would you describe your dream as a rather positive or negative experience?

 

[artificer]

If by "LD" you mean Lucid Dream techniques, then yes, those would be recommended. I am not an expert with this stuff.. but the way I see it, these substances are catalysts of sorts, and induce stronger dreams, in general, which help immensely if you're like me and start with a normal baseline of barely ever dreaming. The more you dream, the more you can 'play' with them and learn how to steer things.

As to the positive/negative experience - it was overall positive for me, but it's been forEVER since I've had a nightmare. Also, for the experience I posted above, it wasn't "a" dream, it was hours of dreaming different dreams, in and out, which I believe is a great platform to learn lucid dreaming techniques.

One thing I noted when taking Silene Capensis is a sense of feeling more recharged when I woke up in the morning, whether I could remember dreaming or not. In comparison, this one experience with Huperzine A was 'interesting' for sure but I didn't feel well rested. Nothing unmanageable, but I'm glad it was a Sunday where I could enjoy it.

 

[northape]

One thing I noted when taking Silene Capensis is a sense of feeling more recharged when I woke up in the morning, whether I could remember dreaming or not. In comparison, this one experience with Huperzine A was 'interesting' for sure but I didn't feel well rested. Nothing unmanageable, but I'm glad it was a Sunday where I could enjoy it.

That's the thing with all our pharmaceuticals - they just trigger a specific function in the body. They do not differentiate if it is good or bad for the whole organism.
Basically, we're playing with fire. Huperzine-A is quite benign, and you can read more about how it functions, but it falls under the same category.
Plants are much more organic and have a wide spectrum of activity. So, I'd choose a plant alternative any day of the week.

 

[Schahin92]

If by "LD" you mean Lucid Dream techniques, then yes, those would be recommended. I am not an expert with this stuff.. but the way I see it, these substances are catalysts of sorts, and induce stronger dreams, in general, which help immensely if you're like me and start with a normal baseline of barely ever dreaming. The more you dream, the more you can 'play' with them and learn how to steer things.

As to the positive/negative experience - it was overall positive for me, but it's been forEVER since I've had a nightmare. Also, for the experience I posted above, it wasn't "a" dream, it was hours of dreaming different dreams, in and out, which I believe is a great platform to learn lucid dreaming techniques.

One thing I noted when taking Silene Capensis is a sense of feeling more recharged when I woke up in the morning, whether I could remember dreaming or not. In comparison, this one experience with Huperzine A was 'interesting' for sure but I didn't feel well rested. Nothing unmanageable, but I'm glad it was a Sunday where I could enjoy it.

So what is your experience with Silene Capensis in this regard?

 

[artificer]

That's the thing with all our pharmaceuticals - they just trigger a specific function in the body. They do not differentiate if it is good or bad for the whole organism.
Basically, we're playing with fire. Huperzine-A is quite benign, and you can read more about how it functions, but it falls under the same category.
Plants are much more organic and have a wide spectrum of activity. So, I'd choose a plant alternative any day of the week.

Personally, I'm ok with synthetic counterparts of compounds found in nature, although my preference would be the extract. I'm NOT a fan of pharmaceuticals of compounds that aren't found in nature. In the case of Huperzine A, it is a naturally occurring alkaloid that is found in firmoss plants (various Huperzia plants), so I'm ok with it. If a lab made me pure N-N dimethyltryptamine, Harmine, Harmaline, and THH, I wouldn't hesitate to make good use of it... although I might have some internal conflicts with it at times.

So what is your experience with Silene Capensis in this regard?

You can find this online easy enough, the root usually comes in these sticks, and as long as it's properly dried, it grinds up fine in a coffee grinder. There is some traditional technique to frothing it up and only consuming the foam, but I never did this, as the tea worked fine for me. I would weigh out a gram or so of the pulverized root, and steep it in water, filter, and drink. 3 days in a row of this, and that 3rd night dreaming was undeniably boosted. I've heard people say that consuming it long enough can permanently leave you with the increased dreaming attribute, even after you stop consuming it. I didn't do it that long, out of laziness more than anything. I think I might try it again via capsule.... I should mention: some people experience nausea/purging with it; it was fine for me, but it's not for everyone.