Growing Mexican Dream Herb

Mexican Dream Herb (also written as Calea, Calea zacatechichi, and Calea Tenifolia) is a fast growing herb native to Mexico and Central America. This plant has been used for generations as a traditional medicine, for mental clarity, and, most interestingly, as a “dream unlocker”.

I won’t get too deep into the details here, but when Calea is consumed it can both produce vivid dreams and lower the threshold for lucid dreaming. Mayan shamans used the herb in ceremonies as a way for the gods to give them divine messages in their dreams. The plants we sell are a less bitter strain, making the tea more palatable but the leaves can still be put into gel caps if the taste doesn’t suit you.

Growing Calea is surprisingly easy, it readily adapts to a variety of light and humidity levels. When you first receive your Calea plant or when you plant a cutting, it is recommended to keep humidity levels high and then slowly reduce them to allow the plant to acclimate. I personally lost a few plants before learning that lesson unfortunately. 

Mexican Dream Herb grows as a lanky shrub with lots of internodal spacing. These plants prefer full sun/high light conditions but will also grow indoors and at lower light levels. Calea grows fastest in high humidity.

Propagating Calea is very easy. The roots will sprout anywhere along the stem so it’s not even necessary to cut at the nodes. This plant roots very easily and quickly; personally I don’t even use rooting hormone. Simply cut just above a node and place the stem in water or moist perlite. Once there is a robust root system, transplant your new propagations in soil and keep them moist. The survival rate will increase significantly if the plantlets are put in a high humidity growing area (ex: greenhouse, humidity bag, pebble tray).

To harvest Calea, just clip off some leaves. Start with the less productive leaves, such as those in shade. Make sure to leave enough foliage for the plant to continue growing (never harvest more than 30% of the leaves at any one time).