Today's herbal headventure is different from those we have done so far. We have stuck to a lot of pills and smokeables, but today, we go into the realm of teas.
After doing a fair amount of research on how to prepare blue lotus, we settled on steeping the petals and parts as a tea. Lots of people talk about making lotus wine, where you would take a good, high alcohol wine, drink a bit, then stuff the lotus parts into the bottle. Recork, let sit for a week or two, then drink. Well, honestly? We didn't want to wait, and didn't want to risk the fact that alcohol could very well limit the "ecstasy" sensations that are rumored.
For those of you that don't know, blue lotus is a plant that has been used for centuries as a pain relieving, calming, and generally enjoyable aphrodisiac. Depending on the reports you read, people have experienced anywhere from zero effect to those relative to taking ecstasy. Euphoria, relaxation, pain relief, improved sleep, and vibrant music and sex experiences are reported. These are attractive side effects. The question is, will we be able to stomach the tea? The plant parts? Only one way to really find out.
Anyway, the way we prepared the tea is as such:
Empty 15g of plant parts (mostly petals and stamens. according to sources, these are the most potent parts, and for that I must commend Captain Amsterdam on a quality product) into a small, 4 cup coffee pot.
Added water to the coffeemaker, and allowed it to heat, steam, and steep the plant parts much like brewing tea from tea bags.
After the blue lotus had been thoroughly steeped in hot water, we added it to about 3 liters of water in the bottle pictured. The plant parts were transferred to this bottle for further steeping via spoon.
Since the blue lotus created a tea that is pretty much an unsweetened black tea, we decided to combine it with a raspberry green tea powder packet to ease the flavor. Past experiences have shown that this particular tea mix does a great job in overpowering flavors of plant items.
A previous experience with kratom powder resulted in green tea kratom ice cubes. We decided to add about 8 kratom cubes to this tea, to help cool it, but also to combine the effects a bit.
This preparation appears to be a good one, especially for the time frame. The only issue is chilling the tea to a palatable temperature. We opted to place the bottle in the freezer for quick cooling.
Based on research, we will drink the liquid AND eat the plant parts.
First off, the flavor and consistency of this concoction... It's definitely something different. Some people might enjoy the tea flavor, but since I'm more of a green tea fan than black, it was a bit harsh. I considered adding some sugar but... it was easier to just toss back the drink.
At first, we did leave the plant parts in the tea, but after one glass, I decided to filter it. I did this pretty simply using coffee filters and the filter cup of the coffeemaker. This made the tea substantially more drinkable. We abandoned the idea to eat the plant; I know it holds components that do not come out in water, but it was just too much. The soggy petals and such just made me gag.
My boyfriend drank about 28oz, and I drank approximately 40oz. He just didn't stomach it too well, and I was determined to drink my "half." Both of us felt nauseous almost right away. My assumption is that it was too much liquid at once. After about 20 minutes, I got the incredible urge to eat, almost like when you get the munchies, and after a big bowl of cereal, I felt a lot better. Usually with these things, you want to take it on an empty stomach, but I suppose I would suggest that if you have a tendency to get queasy, don't be afraid to eat.
After about an hour, presumably because we had to digest the tea, various side effects were reported. He told me that he felt clarity and an increase in heart rate. I experienced a chill out effect, floaty head, slowed thoughts, that sort of thing. After several hours, his state stayed relatively the same, though he felt more relaxed/didn't feel much. Me? I had tingly feelings, heavy relaxation, and tactile sensations are slightly heightened.
Overall? It was an interesting adventure. I can't attest to whether "brewing" it in wine would be easier or tastier. After this, I am not very tempted to buy another one of these packets. I'm more interested in getting it in pill form, so I wouldn't have to mess with the parts of the plant. If you're a natural tea brewer, you might enjoy it in loose material form, but it's just not for me.
I'd give this 4 out of 10 nods for my personal experience, but I'd be happy to read information about better and more involved steeping and experiences. What are your thoughts?
Pros:
Cost
Ease of preparation
Relaxation effects
Mild tactile and mental acuity improvement
Cons:
Dried plant is hard to stomach. Can be too much for ingesting
Not as strong as hoped
Mixed experiences make the herb unpredictable.
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