Thread: Ginko Biloba, Melatonin, Calms Forte

DAY 1: Ginko Biloba and Calms Forte.

Dream Recall was minimal but not absent. I remember that I was told to mow the lawn by my stepmother, and I also recall some other vague fragments. Nothing special.

DAY 2: Ginko Biloba and Calms Forte

Again, minimal results. Minimum dream recall. I only remember that I HAD a vivid dream, not what it was. The only dream memory I have is a fragment where I was in the back seat of a car with my friend and a female, who proceeded to do pleasurable things to me. (megusta).

EDIT: I recall fully remembering my dream, but falling back asleep and losing it forever. So it is not entirely an unsuccessful attempt.

So far, Calms Forte is seeming to be somewhat effective.

DAY 3: Ginko Biloba and Calms Forte

I did not dream. Because I did not sleep. I layed in bed for two and a half hours, before getting frustrated and leaving the bed to come downstairs. I partially blame my insomnia on the fact that for the first time in weeks, I have had things to do the next day, planning to take care of, worries, etc... Having gone to bed at around 4:00 A.M., I was afraid I'd sleep through the day and miss out on my daily responsibilities. I notice difficulty sleeping when I'm concerned, and now my insomnia has only made the problem worse.

The overall verdict on Calms Forte - On one night it aided in VERY vivid dreaming - another, nothing, and another, I dreamt but forgot my dream(due to sloppy WBTB). I don't have enough supplies of Calms Forte to study it any further, but if I were to make an observation about it, I would say that it can aid in relaxation for WILD attempts, but it can prove to put you in too deep of a sleep to effectively WBTB. It may take away from dream memory, but I'm not sure.

Now that my short examination of Calms Forte is completed, I will be moving on to the natural hormone Melatonin.

I have had much success with Ginkgo Biloba in terms of dream quality. In my limited knowledge, I know that the herb has something to do with acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter involved with dreaming. Ginkgo helps to facilitate the uptake of acetylcholine, I believe. Whether that is what is going on here or not, I don't know. The more simplistic explanation is that Ginkgo increases blood flow and circulation, including the flow of blood to the brain. This would help there to be more brain activity while sleeping, and thus more complex dreams.

What makes this herb unique for me is not so much that it makes my dreams longer and more vivid (which it seems to have done for me), but more that it seems to give me pleasant dreams. Sometimes, the dreams I have are emotionally vivid, one in particular about a girl whom I became infatuated with and on following nights made attempts at dream incubation to try and find her again. Others, including yourself apparently, have also had pleasurable dreams using Ginkgo Biloba.

Calms Forte has also had interesting effects. One night I was having anxiety problems and took 4 of the tablets (more than recommended) and had what seems to have been a WILD. The trouble with Calms Forte is that it is a blend of other herbs, so it would be hard to say which one is at play in this case.

Melatonin has a well known effect in producing vivid dreams and sometimes lucid dreams. I believe that this is because of a rebound effect, because melatonin actually supresses REM sleep for a while. So far I have had success in combining valerian and melatonin to give me lucid dreams from time to time.

My question for further research would be this: what would be the effect of taking melatonin at bedtime, and a few hours later taking ginkgo biloba to give a boost to the REM rebound?

Also - in my experience, the effects of ginkgo biloba in producing dream masterpieces appears to be increased if I excercise before bed. I make a tea with the herb, then do some moderate excercise (push ups, jumping jacks, etc.) for about 10 or 15 minutes. Then straight to bed. Whether the effects of this process is a coincidence or not, I don't know.