I have rather extensive experience with Blue Lotus (to be specific: Nymphaea caerulea) - all of it very positive.

For me, Blue Lotus has two distinct effects: 1) it physically sedates, 2) it pulls me away from my ordinary logical frame of mind (which in essence means that its effect on me is psychedelic).

It works brilliantly for nightly experiences-not only lucid dreaming. In fact, what I refer to as astral projections are facilitated by Blue Lotus.

Mostly, I make a herbal tea out of 1 g, and let it steep for a long time (hours). I have recently obtained a dry extract of it, and this works also, but in my view not quite as well.

Crucially: in my experience there is nothing unpleasant about the effects. Dreams are not unpleasant, and neither are astral projections. Actually, Blue Lotus is for me associated with particularly pleasant experiences. It is one of my all-time favourite herbs.