Insomnia
Insomnia
We live in a country that has a hard time getting enough sleep. About a third of Americans experience insomnia regularly, and up to ten million rely on sedative prescriptions to help them fall asleep. That's a whole lot of sleeping pills.
Insomnia is a broad term that encompasses any and all difficulties with sleep, including the inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep.
Green Pharmacy for Insomnia
Pharmaceutical sedatives work, but they can become addictive, and they interfere with natural sleep cycles. You won't be surprised to learn that I prefer natural alternatives, of which there are several.
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). Also known as melissa, lemon balm is endorsed as both a sedative and stomach soother by Commission E, the body of scientists that advises the German government about herb safety and effectiveness. The sedative action is attributed largely to a group of chemicals in the plant called terpenes. Several other herbs--juniper, ginger, basil and clove--are better endowed with some of these chemicals, but none of them has the combination that lemon balm contains, and none of them has its reputation as a bedtime herb.
I suggest trying a tea made with two to four teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water.
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis). Drinking a tea made with one to two teaspoons of dried valerian root shortly before bedtime will promote sleepiness, according to Commission E. In fact, the commission considers the tea so safe that it also endorses drinking it up to several times a day to relieve restlessness, anxiety and nervousness.
Valerian has a fairly rank aroma and taste. If its earthiness is not to your liking, you can always opt for a tincture or capsules instead.
In the United Kingdom, there are more than 80 over-the-counter sleep aids containing valerian. Why? Because it works. In one study, a combination of 160 milligrams of valerian and 80 milligrams of lemon balm extracts brought on sleep as well as a standard dose of one of the drugs in the Valium family of pharmaceuticals (benzodiazepines).
I should mention here that Valium is not derived from the herb valerian. There's a common misconception that the two are related, probably because they both begin with a V.
Unlike prescription sleep or anxiety medications, valerian is not considered habit-forming, nor does it produce a "hangover," as do medications in the Valium group.
Some naturopaths I respect suggest that you treat insomnia by drinking valerian root tea about 30 minutes before retiring. Others suggest taking 150 to 300 milligrams of a standardized extract (0.8 percent valeric acid). Personally, I don't think it matters.
Valerian presents another opportunity for me to reiterate my belief that the whole herbal extracts used in natural medicines often make more sense than the "magic bullet" herbal derivatives that the drug industry favors. For years scientists believed that only two constituents in valerian, valepotriates and bornyl esters, produced its sedative effect. But one more recent Italian study notes that other chemicals in this herb, valeranone and kessyl esters, also contribute to its sleep-inducing effectiveness. The researchers concluded that the sedative effect of valerian comes from the actions of its many different constituents working in harmony with each other.
 Valerian The root of this herb has long been used as a sedative, and it's the active ingredient in more than 100 over-the-counter tranquilizers and sleep aids. |
Lavender (Lavandula, various species). It's nice to see lavender approved by Commission E for insomnia. I've seen accounts of British hospitals using lavender oil to help patients sleep at night. The hospitals administer the oil either in a warm bath or sprinkled onto bedclothes.
Lavender oil is also a favorite of aromatherapists, who use it for all sorts of ailments, including insomnia. Some components of lavender oil affect cell membranes, interrupting the interaction of cells with each other. Because the oil helps to slow nerve impulses, it can help reduce irritability and bring on sleep. It also has an anesthetic effect.
But beware: Not all lavender is tranquilizing. Some species, especially Spanish lavender, might have a stimulating action similar to rosemary's. When you buy lavender oil, be prepared to try it out to discover whether it's soothing. If you buy from an aromatherapist, specify that you're looking for an oil that can help you sleep. If you inadvertently buy a lavender oil that has the opposite effect, simply save it for other uses (you'll find many in this book). But remember that essential oils are intended for external use only.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata). This is a mild sedative, according to Commission E. Respected herbalists around the world agree, among them Steven Foster, a distinguished Arkansas herbalist and photographer and co-author of The Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients.
In the United Kingdom, about 40 over-the-counter sedative preparations contain passionflower. But wouldn't you know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of passionflower in over-the-counter sedatives because it has not been proven safe and effective? The problem here is not with the herb itself. The problem is with the FDA's unrealistic and exorbitantly expensive standard of proof.
Because of this, you may not be able to buy the kind of safe, gentle sleep-inducing preparations containing passionflower that are widely available in Britain or Germany. But you can buy the herb itself, as well as herbal tinctures, and these should be safe to use. Fresh or dried passionflower has been used successfully for centuries to treat nervous tension, anxiety and insomnia.
Opium: History's Favorite Sleep Inducer Do you have any pretty poppies growing in your backyard garden? If they're large red, purple or white annuals, it's just possible that you're harboring illegal plants. Because poppy plants are the source of both opium and heroin, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has made it illegal to grow them. If you're among the "guilty," however, you certainly have a lot of company. These poppies are grown as ornamentals throughout the nation. And opium poppies are so good at seeding themselves that they're hard to get rid of. (I've even seen them growing illegally in many state-run botanical gardens.) If you do have an illegal poppy or two among your petunias, you should also know that you're growing one of the world's oldest medicines. The sleep-inducing, pain-relieving powers of opium have been recognized for thousands of years. According to a manuscript sent to me by the famous Hungarian scientist Peter Tetenyi, people along the Rhine had fields of opium poppies as long ago as early Neolithic times, around 5000 b.c. Although the seeds were first used as food, the sedative effects of the pod and latex were recognized quite early. By the middle of the second millennium b.c., the ancient Greeks used opium extensively as medicine. And by about 1000 b.c., the beautiful opium poppy was being used as an ornamental flower from Europe all the way to China. I certainly don't recommend taking any of the narcotics derived from the opium poppy, except when they are prescribed by a doctor. But you might as well be aware that doctors still do make considerable use of drugs derived from this plant, including codeine and morphine. And just in case you're curious, the opium used for legal prescription drugs comes from poppy fields in Holland and Australia. |
Camomile (Matricaria recutita). Camomile tea has been used as a bedtime beverage for centuries. Although its reputed sedative effect was not scientifically proven until this decade, the folklore was right. Apigenin has proven to be one of the effective sedative compounds in camomile. I'd probably try it at bedtime, if I didn't have my valerian and lavender handy. It is a pleasant-tasting tea that you'll probably enjoy.
Catnip (Nepeta cataria). The plant that intoxicates most cats also has mild tranquilizing-hypnotic-sedative effects on many people. Catnip contains chemicals (nepetalactone isomers) similar to the sedative constituents of valerian. And being a member of the mint family, catnip tastes much better than valerian. You can try a cup of tea about 45 minutes before bedtime.
Hops (Humulus lupulus). Hops has been used to treat anxiety, insomnia and restlessness for more than 1,000 years, ever since the plant became a popular ingredient in beer. Hops' sedative ingredient is apparently the compound methyl-butenol, which has a sedating effect on the central nervous system. Smoking hops is said to have a sedative effect, and while I wouldn't recommend smoking it, it does make a pleasantly bitter-tasting tea.
 HOPS"> Hops Hops comes from the female flowers of a grapelike, perennial vine. |
Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis). Although not usually grown in the United States, this shrubby African legume is available in selected herb stores. Tea made with this herb is a bedtime favorite among South African herbalists, consumers and even physicians. South Africans also use it to improve appetite, calm the digestive tract and reduce nervous tension. They regard it as safe enough to give infants.
Herbal formulas. In searching my database for plants that are rich
in sedative compounds, I turned up several surprises. Many plants that are rich in sleep-inducing chemicals have little or no folkloric reputation as sleep aids. Among them are ginger, with 11 different sedative compounds; basil, thyme, tangerines and tomatoes with 9; cinnamon, spearmint, red pepper, pennyroyal and oranges, 8; and peppermint, 7. I can't prove that a tomato salad with basil and thyme or a cup of spearmint tea with ginger and cinnamon will bring on the Sandman, but if you have sleep problems, it might help to eat these foods and herbs more frequently.
In addition, California herbalist Christopher Hobbs, a fourth-generation botanist and author of about a dozen books I often refer to, suggests a number of combinations that can treat sleeplessness and its close relatives, anxiety and stress. For insomnia Hobbs suggests treatment with passionflower, valerian and California poppy. To banish the anxiety that may cause insomnia, he recommends a combination of California poppy, hawthorn and hops. And to help cope with stressful situations that could contribute to insomnia, Hobbs recommends two parts each of camomile, lavender, lemon balm and linden with one part orange peel.
