Shailene Woodley Eats Weeds to Help Induce Lucid Dreams
Shailene Woodley has never made it a secret that she’s a pretty adventurous eater. Because she’s traveled all over the world, she’s been exposed to a lot of different cuisines and enjoys trying new foods. Furthermore, as the Big Little Lies alum is passionate about herbalism, she has a vested interest in using foods and herbs to heal her body naturally. The actor is fond of gathering plants that can help her with everything from digestion, to inflammation, to having lucid dreams.
How did Shailene Woodley’s passion for food and herbalism begin?
Woodley’s passion for herbalism began back when she was a teenager. After studying environmentalism in high school, she set wanted to find a way to live a healthy lifestyle with minimal damage to the environment. This led her to study indigenous cultures and different modalities of healing. She soon learned that she was particularly passionate about herbalism. In fact, if her acting dreams ever change, Woodley would pursue a career involving using food for healing.
“If I wasn’t an actress, I’d probably do something with food,” Woodley shared with Into The Gloss. “Finding seeds, planting seeds, watching them grow, harvesting the fruits, cooking the fruits, eating them, seeing how my body reacts, and even digesting. I’m fascinated with the entire process. I would open a place like Moon Juice and have an elixir bar where people could come in and say, ‘My tooth aches,’ or, ‘I have a sinus infection,’ and I would be able to help them.”
‘The O.C.’ alum uses a weed to induce lucid dreams
But Woodley doesn’t just rely on foods and plants for healing. She also uses them in a more recreational way. While speaking with Interview Magazine, the Endings, Beginnings actor revealed that she uses herbs to help her have more vivid dreams. “I’ve actually found some herbs that will induce lucid dreaming or will help with other types of dreaming,” she shared.
But what specific herbs does Woodley use to have more control over her dreams? She specifically cited a type of weed. “There are a few,” Woodley explained. “One that I love for dreaming is called mugwort. It’s actually what we’d call a weed. You can find it all over America. You can dry it and make it into a tea or you can burn it like sage. It’s what the Native Americans used to do to bring on helpful dreams to encourage visions for the coming days.”
Is mugwort safe for Woodley to eat?
Apparently, Woodley has a high success rate with mugwort. “I dream so many dreams!” she exclaimed. “I do.” The Divergent star also makes sure to write her dreams down so that she can remember them. But while Woodley may feel comfortable picking and eating weeds for dreaming, mugwort can cause allergic reactions. Additionally, the flowering plant can be toxic if consumed in large doses. Thus, it’s probably best if you do your own research before consuming the weed like Woodley.
