The Results

Hey! Look at that! I'm still here. To tell you the truth, the reality of what I had done began settling in as soon as I snuggled under the covers and turned of the light, last night. "What am I doing?" I thought. Maybe I should have researched more about those herbs before drinking them down. "Too late, now." Besides, in all of the researched I had read, nothing had actually said that the dried versions of the Artemisias would harm me. The oil essences, especially that of the Wormwood, were the only items that no one should even touch. Luckily, Mugwort and Wormwood (fresh or dry) are only off-limits to children, pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant. So, you know? I'm off the hook.

Once again, I took 1 tsp Mugwort, 1/2 tsp Wormwood and 1/2 tsp Licorice Root, and steeped them in 1 C of boiling water for 10 minutes. This is meant to be drunk just before bed. In all that I had read, sources warned of the bitterness of the concoction. That was the purpose for the Licorice Root; it was meant to take the edge off. Well, if the Licorice Root took some of the edge off, I am thanking my lucky stars that I used it! Bitter does not even begin to describe the taste. It snuck up on my tastebuds at the back of my tongue and loitered there. (That may be a result of my attempt at chugging the brew and no allowing it access to the myriads of tastebuds anywhere else. I wasn't looking for a palette pleaser or hidden notes; I wanted that liquid down the gullet so I could go to bed and see what effect it might have.) Have you ever wondered what sweaty, old gym socks would taste like? No need to wait for a Bertie Botts Bean flavor! Down a cuppa and you'll experience it in full effect!

My Goddess! It was horrid! I had to stop after every other gulp to shiver and make sure that it wasn't coming back up (not only for flavor, but, if my body was going to reject this, now was going to be the time.) After a quarter of the way through, I decided that honey, as suggested by one of the recipes, was a must. I don't know exactly how much I added, because measurement was not important as I impatiently watched the amber mana crawl its way down through the bottle to the edge of the lid; where I squeezed and squeezed, praying for some alleviation in flavor. While I may have only added roughly 1/2 tsp of honey, I can tell you that I was amazed just how much it helped. But that lingering, back of the tongue after taste? Well, it lingered. I finished the tea. It lingered. I shivered and made the sounds a child makes after taking that horrid, yellow cough syrup. Stuck my tongue out a few times, too. Even did a little dance. Figuring it wouldn't affect the effects of the tea, I downed a glass of warm water (as that was the temp that immediately came from my tap), then rinsed quickly with mouthwash. Now that I think on it, maybe brushing and flossing right before drinking the infusion wasn't the best idea. We all know how leftover toothpaste flavor can turn one follow up flavor into something utterly revolting. Nevertheless, I would try drinking before brushing next time. (Incidentally, in case I didn't mention it before: this tea should only be downed once a week at the most.)

Results in Dreamland:
Nothing spectacular, really. I mean, I'm a fairly vivid dreamer most nights of the week. Then again, this tea is also meant to enhance my psychic ability, and will probably require regular practice. At any rate, here are the fine points I could recall when I sleepily wrote them down this morning.
~Loads of research in a massive library.
~Watery, cavernous caves. I did not feel at all threatened.
~I recall frequently checking (? happening to see?) a glowing, green, digital dashboard clock. I cannot recall the times, but this was a recurring thing.

*Shrug* Maybe I'm being influenced by my daily "marathon" of Destination Truth episodes, but I definitely feel as though I was exploring. I've had dreams in the past week or so where I was part of a team of explorers. However, this time, I feel like I was the leader of the crew.

Interesting. We shall see what this week brings, and if things become clearer after my second cuppa next Sunday night.