Hello one and all, this the esteemed Lady Rat, and I am a hobbyist herb consumer. The problem with dosing yourself with random weird herbs is that there’s almost no information on them, and so I’ve ended up doing a lot of research and a lot of blind eyed experimenting. Since no other basic guides currently exist, I want to put all my current information in one spot, since some of it is genuinely new. Please note that a lot of this is anecdotal, but that’s the best I have to offer.
ALSO PLEASE PLEASE BEFORE YOU DO ANY OF THIS, PUT IN YOUR OWN DAMN RESEARCH. I AM JUST A RANDOM PERSON ONLINE. YOU MAY HAVE AN IDIOSYNCRATIC REACTION, OR A REACTION WITH A MEDICATION YOU TAKE. TAKE THESE ONE A TIME BEFORE MIXING THEM WITH ANY OTHER DRUG.
IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE BREATHING, SEE RED SPLOTCHES ANYWHERE ON YOUR BODY, OR FEEL SWELLING OR NUMBNESS, STOP AND CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY.
I use Pubmed and erowid.org mostly. I also use the internet archive to find any since deleted resources.
I buy my herbs from a local herb store, but you can buy most of these online. I highly suggest that you find your local herb store though, you can learn a lot by talking to the person behind the counter and asking a few questions. Without further ado:
Catnip-
Yes, that catnip. For real.
Uses: Mild physical anti-anxiety, along with a mild muscle relaxing quality.
Taste: Like a mild green tea. When smoked it’s green and refreshing. Pairs well with sweet.
Dosage & Methods: You can either smoke this in an herbal cigarette, or make it into a tea. 2 Tbsp in the tea will do, but it seems to be more effective smoked.
Notes: This plays well with any medication, it’s so mild. Pairs well with skullcap, pairs well with marijuana (may have a mild intensifying effect).
Damiana-
Pronounced dah-me-on-ah. Look up the flowers, they’re pretty.
Uses: Mild anti-anxiety, blend of both physical and mental. Mild insomnia relief.
Taste: Earthy with just the slightest touch of bitter. Pairs well with most anything, and a pleasant smooth smoke.
Dosage & Methods: Smoke this in a cigarette, pipe, bong, whatever. You can also drink it in tea, or take it orally- in tea, 2 Tbsp will do, but mix it with something else to make it more pleasant. Orally, it only needs around 2 tsp.
Notes: Good mix-in base for any smoking mix. Good texture for taking it buy mouth, I toss it in and swallow with water like a pill.
Lavender-
It’s overhyped, but I still like it.
Uses: Smells good.
Taste: Herbal, floral, with a resiny bitter tinge.
Dosage & Methods: Just buy Silexan if you want the anti-anxiety from lavender. You can sprinkle a little bit of it into your smoking blend for taste, or add it to teas for taste. I don’t like it in teas.
Notes: Almost no effects, so no risk of interactions. Possible synergistic effects as a wild guess maybe? That only happened once so, might not even be a thing.
Lemon-Balm-
It’s a rich dark green color.
Uses: Mild mental anti-anxiety (it takes the bite out of anxious thoughts), mild insomnia relief, mild sedative.
Taste: Tastes life a lightly dusty leaf someone put a lemon peel on. Nice mixer with more sweet ones. Slightly harsher smoke than some.
Dosage & Methods: A tsp orally is enough, or a cigarette. A good blending smoke, but I don’t like it too much on it’s own.
Notes: I’m not super impressed by this one, but I still keep it in stock for a change of pace. And it’s cheap.
Milk-Thistle-
Eat with salt to make it tasty. Take care.
Uses: Intensifier of other drugs. Liver protection.
Taste: Reminiscent of a sunflower seed, but with a milder less fatty taste.
Dosage & Methods: Take anywhere from 2 tsp to a whole handful to intensify most any drug experience. Low bioavailability so it’s hard to tell how much upping the dose has an effect. It also protects the liver from deleterious effects of some of the other herbs on the list, but it could also increase the blood poisoning aspect of others.
Notes: Really be careful of this one. Do NOT mix with alcohol. I had a bad reaction with it my anti-depressants, it upped the dosage temporarily so the next day my normal dose wouldn’t be enough and it made me pissed off. But seriously, if you’re on anything look up interactions, this one messes with almost every medication and drug.
Motherwort-
Wort of the mother, I suppose.
Uses: Mild anti-anxiety, period cramp relief.
Taste: Very woody, slightly bitter and mildly acidic
Dosage & Methods: Smoke in a cigarette for anti-anxiety, take orally for period cramp relief. 1-2 tsp a day should work, but with more as needed. You will need to grind, or at least pick out the larger sticks.
Notes: Worked very well for me, took period pain to almost non-existent, shortened it, but I felt like I bled heavier.
Mugwort-
Bitter is the medicine for dreams.
Uses: dream activator and more restful sleep.
Taste: Bitter, dusty, and earthy. Round but very strong.
Dosage & Methods: So incredibly bitter in tea. Do not make into tea, it’s undrinkable (I am not exaggerating, I threw up and I have a strong stomach) Take orally, 2 tsp, or smoked.
Notes: I was skeptical but it does actually work. It’s very crumbly and sticks together so I recommend mixing it with something else when making a smoking mix. I like mixing this with yarrow and oatstraw.
Oatstraw-
Looks like straw. Tastes like straw. Why I am surprised.
Uses: Mild mental anti-anxiety
Taste: Tastes spicy when smoking, sweet orally. Smells like hay.
Dosage & Methods: Anywhere from 2 tsp to 4 tsp orally, or normal rolling in cigarette or bong. Easier to smoke when ground.
Notes: Taking it before bed is helpful to calm racing thoughts, or while smoking weed to take the edge off the come up anxiety.
Passionflower-
A good everyday herb, reliable and consistent.
Uses: Mild anti-anxiety, both mental and physical.
Taste: Slightly sweet, kind of green taste.
Dosage & Methods: 2 tsp orally or a bit more in tea, or roll into cigarette of your choice. Might have some vine remnants to pick out.
Notes: Great everyday mixer with other herbs, a good baseline and a nice smoke. Make sure you are getting Passiflora incarnata, and not P. caerulea as the latter is poisonous.
Red-Clover-
Soft and fluffy.
Uses: Relief of menopause/menstruation bad effects.
Taste: Mild and slightly sour, but pleasant. It has many little hairs and stems.
Dosage & Methods: 2 tsp orally will do, or more if taken as a tea.
Notes: Seems to generally help out when taken right before having a period, but I’m still not sure it’s not placebo.
Rose-
Find your own local rosebush!
Uses: Tasteful mix-in for cigarettes, supposedly mild anti anxiety in high concentrations?v
Taste: Floral, similar to how the rose smells.
Dosage & Methods: Mix in however much you want for a mild, slightly scented smoke.
Notes: Rose hips are a useful supplement for those lacking in vitamins, and can be made into a tea. You can also roll a joint or a cigarette with the rose petals, by sticking two together, heating it up, then rolling the joint.
Salvia-
Caution advised. This one is a bonafide psychedelic. Please do your own research before trying.
Uses: Incredibly intense psychedelic, and unlike others has NO EUPHORIC EFFECT.
Taste: Barnyard hay type taste, slightly bitter.
Dosage & Methods: Orally, you can chew it for 15 minutes (do not swallow, your stomach acid neutralizes the active ingredient), but I haven’t had success with the dry kind, it simply made my mouth numb. To smoke, use a small bowl, and hold the lighter to the leaves the entire time you are pulling in, and when you inhale, hold the smoke for at least 10 seconds before breathing out, ideally 15. It will be hot and bitter, this is not a pleasant smoke. The trip will begin almost immediately as you breathe out, and last for 30 minutes, with a dissociative effect for another 30 minutes after. You may have visual hallucinations (lines crawling, images if you close your eyes, inanimate objects moving and crawling) , audio hallucinations (music, voices speaking), visual warping (vision stretching left, black boxes obscuring vision, fish eye effect), tactile hallucinations (heat or cold, pressure, falling or vertigo feeling). Your thinking will be altered, and you may get the giggles at first. Be prepared with a trip sitter, and make sure that you are comfortable before you trip, as you will likely not be able to move for the duration. There is a sense that you are away from the world. You may not understand the objects around you. You may get stuck in place, or begin walking with no memory of what you are doing (I have this, I begin walking often). Begin small, and then work your way up.
Notes: Do not use if you have any family history of schizophrenia, or any history of psychotic breaks, bipolar with psychotic breaks, or depression with psychotic tendencies. MIx with other psychedelics, or drugs at your own risk. Narcan does work on this drug, so if you have a bad trip you can narcan your way out. Mixing with weed makes it much more pleasant. This drug has a reverse tolerance, the more you do the less you need. Remember, the trip is temporary, and cannot hurt you. It’s all in your head. You can order it online, or at your local smoke shop, depending on state legality.
Skullcap-
Cool name. Not much information.
Uses: A slight body high and mild insomnia relief.
Taste: Green (?)
Dosage & Methods: Smoke as normal, or take by tea, 3 tsp should do.
Notes: Good mixer with catnip. Unknown interactions and mechanisms, so use at your own risk.
Vervain-
You will be protected from both werewolves, and vampires.
Uses: mild Insomnia relief, better sleep quality, mild dream intensifier, mild anti-anxiety.
Taste: Sour and woody, complex.
Dosage & Methods: More effective when taken orally, or by tea. 2 tsp should do orally, or more if put in tea. Smoking is also an option, where it’s a pleasant and distinct smoke. Burns well.
Notes: You may have to grind this one, as it’s woody and branchy. One of my personal favorites.
Wormwood-
The witchiest herb name of them all.
Uses: Mental clarity, medium physical anti-anxiety
Taste: Bitter, astringent, and sour.
Dosage & Methods: Not the most pleasant smoke, so it benefits from mix-ins. Not bioavailable by tea, but can be smoked or taken orally. A cigarette dose should work. Begins working almost instantly when smoked, great for clearing up mind fog.
Notes: Can be extracted by boiling in a mixture of vinegar or lemon, and water. Looking into seeing if sea wormwood is a viable option. In large amounts wormwood is toxic to the liver, so it is recommended to mix with milk thistle seeds.
Yarrow-
Some people are allergic to the pollen of this plant.
Uses: Mild anti-anxiety (both mental and physical), and mild insomnia relief.
Taste: Slightly savory, bitter, and woody.
Dosage & Methods: Can be ground up and smoked, or taken orally or by tea. Cigarette amount, or 2 tsp orally.
Notes: Plays well with other herbs taste wise,and a mild smoke, so great as a mix-in.
SMOKING MIXES WITH APPROVAL FROM GIRLS:
13: 1:1 mix of skullcap and catnip, used to enhance marijuana.
Witch: 1:1 mix of passionflower and catnip, used for anxiety relief. 1:1:1 mix of yarrow, oatstraw, and passionflower for anxiety prevention from marijuana.
Rat: 1:1:1 mix of yarrow, oatstraw, and damiana for anxiety relief. 1:1:1 mix of damiana, vervain, and mugwort for insomnia relief. 1:2 mix red clover and motherwort for period pain relief, and shortened period. 2:1 mix mugwort to wormwood for clarity and thinking.
INTERACTIONS WITH MEDICATIONS:
Hydroxyzine+ wormwood for anxiety= pleasant, and not disabling
Marijuana + clonidine= overwhelming, unpleasant, not useful
Clonidine+ wormwood= disabling but resolved panic
I want to go back please!
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