I’ve had quite a journey for the past few years. I was spread thin and couldn’t work on this project.<\/p>\n\n
During the journey, I accidentally discovered some amazing meditation aids in the forms of herbs, herb extracts, foods, and beverages.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
Whatever floats your fancy boat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I never seem to get that phrase right. Oh well.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Normally, people think of eclipta alba as a hair and follicle growth ingredient in shampoo. It is also THE BEST meditation aid I’ve found during all my years on this giant rock.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
There is a good reason yogis in the southern portions of India have been using this stuff for thousands of years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
It can provide the exact type of calm and alert focus you need for meditation. It does not feel like a drug at all. It feels perfectly natural.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
Not only does it make meditation deeper and easier, but it can also increase metaphysical perception, intuition, and memory.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
As Yoda points out above, the material world is much more sublime than our senses and minds trick us into believing. Eclipta alba – combined with meditation – can help transform this abstract concept into an experiential reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
Eclipta alba can trigger vivid dreams as well. If you’re interested in lucid dreaming, try this stuff.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
When I take it, it feels like it’s giving me a brain enema. It’s a spiritual cleansing that appears to loosen up stubborn recurring thought patterns. This includes subconscious thought patterns that can be sabotaging if not addressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
Some people call eclipta alba the perfect replacement for morning coffee. The same people might even tell you that it helps them sleep more deeply and easily, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
I found eclipta alba by accident because my body stopped producing GABA, a neurotransmitter necessary for both meditation and sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
For a while, I had to use vodka to get any amount of sleep at all. That was until alcohol tolerance reached very unhealthy levels. On top of that, it was causing severe damage to my stomach and esophagus.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
After digging through a lot of scientific studies, I found that some of the nutrients I needed may have been available from an Ayurveda company I was working for on a freelance basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
It seemed like synchronicity drew me to that company for a reason. That hunch turned out to be true.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
Eclipta alba is one nutrient source that allows me to sleep without wrecking my body.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
I buy bulk powder from Banyan Botanicals because it’s economical. They are known for high-quality Ayurveda herbs.<\/p>\n\n
Banyan recently ran out of eclipta alba, so I did some research and found that Herbs Forever is committed to high-quality wildcrafted herbs. They are organic and grown in their native habitats. A shipment is on its way.<\/p>\n\n
Enlightenment Formula is a capsule filled with high-quality and organic eclipta alba. Nambu’s claim to fame is that they follow the ancient Ayurveda and Siddha Medicine traditions that entail infusing herbs with special mantras. This honors the spiritual dimension of the herbs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
This is the stuff in green and black tea that creates a calming effect.<\/p>\n\n
\u00a0Some use it for sleep. Others combine it with caffeine to eliminate the coffee jitters. Others use it for anxiety. <\/p>\n\n
When I use L-theanine, it doesn’t just help me sleep. It also calms the mind and dissolves anxiety and photosensitivity in my case. If I walk to the store or another location, it feels like my pupils have incredible adaptive powers. <\/p>\n\n
L-theanine definitely helps set the stage for deep meditation as well. You can buy L-theanine in capsule form anywhere. <\/p>\n\n
There is a patented form that many brands use, and it’s called Suntheanine. This one is known for quality. <\/p>\n\n
Bulk powder is more economical. Powder City and Liftmode both provide high-quality bulk products that are certified for purity.<\/p>\n\n
Two things that helped me a lot in my journey were kefir and red miso.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
Kefir is a probiotic beverage. It has a deep and lasting calming effect on the mind. I never found benefit from the kefir you can find in the dairy or natural foods sections of the grocery store. Making it from starter culture and milk brought me a lot of benefits. <\/p>\n\n
You can also make it with kefir “grains.” They’re not actually grains. They are culture colonies. These are high-maintenance. You must keep them fed with milk, or at least some sugar and water. <\/p>\n\n
You must also keep them clean in the fridge. <\/p>\n\n
Starter culture is high-maintenance enough. <\/p>\n\n
You don’t have to make kefir with milk. <\/p>\n\n
With starter cultures, you can make a great probiotic “water kefir” with sugar water. The probiotic count may be lower and less diverse, though. <\/p>\n\n
Some kefir grains are cultivated strictly for water kefir. There are probiotic supplements that can be helpful if you can’t keep up with the kefir. <\/p>\n\n
Make sure they are time-released or acid and bile-resistant. Also make sure they include PREbiotics in case they “wake up” prematurely and need food to eat.<\/p>\n\n
Miso is soybean paste that is fermented with probiotics. It has been popular in Japan for ages. <\/p>\n\n
Normally, it’s used as a soup broth. Red miso is a type of miso that is fermented for a longer period than the others. This gives it a richer flavor and higher probiotic bacteria count. <\/p>\n\n
Miso has some amazing effects on the brain. It tends to make meditation easier, too, if you consume it on a regular basis. <\/p>\n\n
Some miso is fermented with the lactobacillus strains you will find in kefir, some of which you’ll also find in yogurt. <\/p>\n\n
However, ALL miso is fermented with a probiotic fungus called Aspergillus oryzae. <\/p>\n\n
Most of the probiotics you find in miso make it through the digestive system easily without getting destroyed by stomach acid and liver bile. That means more of it makes it to your intestines, which is where you want them to be.<\/p>\n\n
From the gut, they will help all systems of the body, including the brain and nervous system.<\/p>\n\n
<\/span>There are other herbs, foods, and beverages I could add to this list, but I won’t add them. <\/p>\n\n All of the above are safe and can be taken as a combination. <\/p>\n\n If you have an infection, especially a chronic one, the main side effect to watch out for is a Herxheimer reaction. <\/p>\n\n This is the type of thing people experience while on antibiotics when a lot of harmful bacteria is dying off. It may temporarily make some symptoms worse and increase inflammation. <\/p>\n\n After a while, symptoms improve. Then you steadily feel better than you did before starting the antibiotics. <\/p>\n\n PRObiotics trigger antibacterial and antimicrobial processes just like antibiotics. <\/p>\n\n The most common Herx reactions people experience are gastrointestinal discomfort, loose stools, and things like that. These things are temporary, so don’t let them scare you away from a solid nutritional routine. <\/p>\n\n In some cases, you may feel MORE anxious and LESS calm in the beginning. This is followed by LESS anxiety and MORE calm. <\/p>\n\n The process could take days or weeks. If it goes on for a while, see a doctor and try to get some intel on any underlying issues that you might not have discovered yet. <\/p>\n\n I hope you find my info on meditation aids helpful. <\/p>\n\n Again, eclipta alba is my absolute favorite herb for meditation, and my favorite meditation aid in general, out of all the ones I’ve tried. The others can only add more quality and depth to your meditation practice, at least in the long run.<\/p>\n\n You will learn about my firsthand experiences with them in the article and video below.\u00a0 By the way, I’ve been cartoonified!<\/p>\n\n Scroll down to the video to watch it.<\/p>\n\n There’s a transcript beneath it. You can read along with it by scrolling or you can follow the burned in open captions on the screen.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n