Gingko biloba is a powerful lucid dreaming herb that is sometimes used in lucid dreaming pills or supplements, and it’s very easy to buy online!
Because it’s so easy to get, lots of people find themselves experimenting with it and trying all sorts of combinations and methods with this supplement. By the way for those who just want to buy it, this is the best place I’ve found online to get it, and it’s super cheap!
We’re going to cover lots of things in this post like:
- What is gingko biloba
- The best way of using ginkgo for lucid dreaming
- Warnings and things to be careful of when using it
- Interactions and advice
- Best induction techniques to use with it
- Other lucid dreaming herbs and supplements
What is gingko biloba?
Gingko biloba is a plant, also known in many parts of the world as the ‘maidenhair tree’. It’s actually super old and lots of people have been using it for a long time.
The earliest records of it being used were hundreds of millions of years ago. It’s native to China and has many uses, not just lucid dreaming. In fact I think lucid dreaming is probably one of the least common uses for gingko, as it has many health benefits and properties.
It’s full of antioxidants, making it a powerful substance to ingest even just for health reasons. Lots of the food and lifestyles we have create lots of ‘free radicals’ and antioxidants are critical for mopping up this cellular mess we create for ourselves.
The actual tree (Maidenhair tree, remember?) is considered a living fossil because it’s managed to survive for so long, despite several extinction level events and massive changes and natural disasters in the world throughout the evolution of the planet.
In other words, it’s pretty tough.
Benefits and effects of Gingko
There are many effects that this living fossil can have on your body and mind. It all depends on the dosage for the most part. The main effects of Gingko are:
- Can help with cognitive function, acting as a mild nootropic
- It can increase your sexual energy
- It can sooth things like bladder infections
- Enhances memory and thinking
- Can increase or improve social behaviour
- General improved ability to perform everyday tasks
- It can reduce anxiety and make you feel generally better and more relaxed
- Promote blood flow to the brain (Makes thinking faster in some people)
So it has many nootropic and neuroprotective properties that we’ve seen in other nootropics, but it’s slightly more mild compared to some others.
The best way of using ginkgo for lucid dreaming
Well, from my experience just taking it as part of a nootropic will have the memory and brain boosting effects, even at night. I think the main benefits come after a few weeks, because when I first started taking the nootropic it took a few days at least for the effects to really kick in.
I’d suggest taking it in small amounts every morning and every evening.
Combine it with something like a multivitamin or other nootropic. Start with a really low dosage, much lower than the dosage I suggest in this article, and then slowly work your way up to the suggested dosage.
Interactions and advice
There are a few things to be careful of, so I’ve made each question or topic into it’s own section.
Scroll through until you read something that makes sense for you. For MOST people however, gingko should be fairly harmless if you take the right dosage and are otherwise healthy.
How long to take it for
Well, it seems that to see the most benefits you should take it for a few weeks at least.
It’s not really the sort of supplement that you can just take once and get instant benefits from. It’s something to add to your daily stack or vitamins and nootropics (if you have one).
That being said, make sure you do your research before adding it in, and check it doesn’t interact badly with what you’re already taking. In particular, if you’re already taking things like blood thinners, don’t use Ginkgo.
Should you take gingko in the morning or at night
Both.
The effects are best felt when you spread the dosage out over the course of the day. It can also be dangerous to take the whole dosage all at once as well. So make sure you eat just before taking it, as some people can feel a bit nauseous when they take it on an empty stomach.
Gingko biloba side effects
There are a few side effects to be careful of when taking Gingko, such as:
- Stomach aches and cramps
- Vomiting
- Feeling dizzy
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
But don’t be scared, these effects are not felt in everyone. In fact they’re quite rare, providing you have a healthy diet, take the right dosage and don’t abuse this by taking too much or taking the dose all at once.
Gingko biloba dosage
The best dosage for Gingko tends to be about 120-200 milligrams throughout the day (not all at once). This is for healthy adults of average height and weight by the way.
IMPORTANT: You should NOT take Gingko biloba if you are:
- A child
- A pregnant woman or breastfeeding
- You have epilepsy
- You already take blood thinners
Make sure you do your own research and remember, none of this is intended to be medical or nutritional advice. You should consult a doctor or a physician before buying and trying anything like this.
My review of Gingko biloba
In my experience, it’s been fairly effective in lucid dreaming induction and support, however I’ve never tried it on its own.
My experiences have always been that I’ve been cycling or using a nootropic which has a high dosage of gingko, and the effects could have been from the other ingredients. Until I tried it on it’s own, with nothing else for several weeks it’s hard to say which effects were from which ingredient.
I probably won’t ever do that, because that would mean going weeks without taking a nootropic, or any other supplement.
That being said, there’s a lot of research suggesting the effects and benefits are real, and reliable. The problem with a lot of lucid dreaming or nootropic supplements is that it’s very hard to reliably say which ingredient had which effect.
They’re often combined with other things and taken all together for several days or weeks at a time. Try it out for yourself and see what effects your notice. I did notice that while I was using a couple of nootropic that included Gingko, my dream recall and dream vividness was improved.
Other lucid dreaming herbs and supplements
There are of course LOTS of dream supplements and herbs you could try. Here are the best herbs and supplements from my experience. These are also the ones with the most research and other peoples experiences linked to them:
- Calea Zachatechi (Great all round lucid supplement and herb, hard to get hold of. More often you have to get a supplement that INCLUDES Calea Z. Anyway you can get it cheaply here)
- Ginkgo Biloba (An all rounder said to boost brain function, recall and vividness)
- Heimia Salicifolia (Believed to induce powerful life altering lucid dreams. Also said to help the user hear tiny details from far away. This is also called the Sun opener and I think you can get it here)
- Wild asparagus root (Said to open up your heart, helps induce lucid dreams)
- Valerian root (Naturally helps you fall asleep if you find it hard. Fresh leaves smell bad, but the root can be made into a tea. )
- Peppermint (Not much research on peppermint. Said to mildly increase dream recall)
- Ubalawu leaves (Also known as Silene Capensis, said to make it easy to recall even the tiniest details of your dreams the next morning)
- Mullein (Limited research for this herb, said to increase dream recall and vividness)
- Mugwort (Makes the dream colorful and makes it more likely you’ll become lucid in it! Get it here)
- Burdock (Positive, happy dreams that make you feel good)
Alternative nootropics
If you’re interested in nootropics, there are actually some alternatives you might want to consider.
- Mind Lab Pro: A powerful all natural nootropic that I personally use almost every single day. I even take this traveling with me and it’s the closest I’ve found to the ‘limitless pill’
- Optineuro: A powerful nootropic that I also use every day along with Mind Lab Pro but this one DOES contain caffeine so be careful if you already drink coffee
- CILTEP: This stands for chemically induced long term potentiation. It’s a nootropic that aims to improve your brain, even after you’ve STOPPED taking it
