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Ubulawu family

Ubhubhubhu is a plant that is part of the African dream plant family of Ubulawu, sacred plants to the Xhosa and Zulu of South Africa.

Ubulawu are not only used to induce lucid dreams, they are also tools for connecting and communicating with ancestral spirits through visionary and prophetic dreams, as well as obtaining answers to specific questions that the we can rest before going to sleep.

There is little information available on the pharmacology of Ubhubhubhu.  It is suspected that its dreamlike effect is due to the triterpenoid saponins contained in its roots. A small amount of the root (250 mg) is shown to be active, but this exerts minimal changes on the awakened consciousness, yet the effects on the dreaming state are profound.  

Traditional use: in the Xhosa tradition, the roots are powdered and ingested in the morning, about 1 to 2 grams upon waking, while the stomach is still empty. The subject then lies down in the dark. If the ceremony is planned for the evening, a larger amount (about 2g) is mixed with half a liter of water until a foam forms. This foam is then drunk by the Amagqirha who will then remember his dreams in order to help his tribe.

To discover the secrets, some users prefer to drink a decoction of 0.25 to 2g of roots  (these being boiled in water for about twenty minutes), every evening and / or every morning for 3 to 7 days, using one or more different Ubulawus roots. Depending on the dosages used, the number of consecutive days and the intensity of  sacred and intimate connection that is established with the spirit of the roots thus consumed, the dreamlike experience unfolds  gradually, from day to day, sometimes starting only a few days after the last  use and can therefore last for weeks.

According to the Zulus, if the communion with the spirit of the Ubulawu is sufficient  important, a small amount consumed the 3  evenings of a full moon should be enough to open the doors of the dream for a lifetime ...