Sleep Herbs 

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I have received a number of enquiries of late from people asking about sleep herbs and whether there are any ‘magic sleep herbs’ which could aid them in achieving better sleep. I previously penned an article on the popular herb, “skullcap”, for those that missed it read my skullcap article here. For everyone else, do stay with me. 

I know of three herbs in particular that are regularly prescribed as holistic alternatives to sleeping pills and other manmade sleep inducers. I hope you find this brief overview of each herb useful. 

Ashwagandha Root For Sleep

Traditionally Ashwagandha Root was used as an aphrodisiac, but in the modern day it has been become popular in treating insomnia and other aspects of health such as senile dementia and ulcers. Ashwagandha Root has a calming property and in pill form people report a state of relaxation within a couple of hours of taking a 500mg pill. Patients with stress, anxiety and nervous exhaustion also benefit from Ashwagandha Root. Ashwagandha Root side effects are rare, yet there are reports of a rise in body temperature, nausea and Irritation in the gastrointestinal system. Most reports say that Ashwagandha is safe to take daily, although physicians recommend taking a break after 2 or so months. 

Passion Flower For Sleep

Passion Flower, also know as Apricot Vine and Maypop Herb is commonly found in the woods of the United Sates. A long vine plant, it grows to 30 feet in length and blooms from May to July producing flowers and a yellow, ovate seed plenty berry. 

The Passion Flower is known for its mild sedative effect that encourages sleep. It has been successfully prescribed for people who experience sleep cramps and those who have trouble achieving uninterrupted sleep. The Passion Flower was used historically by the Indians of Peru and Brail as a medicinal sedative which gives credence to its usefulness for deep sleep. The Passion Flower is perhaps more of a deep sleep herb that Ashwagandha in that its sleep potential appears to be stronger. Side effects are rare, but if an overdose is ingested a person may experience fatigue, nausea, drowsiness and or vomiting. That said, the Passion Flower has been passed as safe for inclusion in food by the FDA. 

Sleep Herbs

Valerian Extract For Sleep

Valerian is a perennial plant native to Europe and Asia. Many scientific studies have shown that Valerian can reduce sleep latency and aid in achieving deeper sleep. It is also prescribed for anxiety, nervousness and headaches. Valerian is available in pill form, a tea and a liquid extract. V alerian has been classified as GRAS (generally recognised as safe) for food use in the United States and the UK.  One startling fact is that even though scientific based research and poor sleepers have reported that Valerian is promotes sleep, one of the regularly cited side effects is sleeplessness!? Other side effects include  headaches (strange as it is often prescribed for reducing headaches), muscle spasm, heart palpitations and dizziness. 

My Opinion On Sleep Herbs 

In my opinion Passion Flower looks to be the best bet out of these three natural sleep remedies, but I remain sceptical over sleep herbs on the whole. You may benefit in the first few days, but their potency is limited by dosage and easily adapted to by the body - so in effect, like sleeping pills, you will need more and more as the effects become less and your dependency increases. 

My advice would be to use sleep herbs on occasions where you are worried or anxious and really need a good night’s sleep before a big day. If you are going through a stressful period of life then by all means take one of the aforementioned herbs to aid your sleep, but for insomniacs don’t expect miracle sleep. You need a course of good sleep hygiene - a magic herb won’t cure a badly aligned sleep pattern. If you do take a sleep herb then DO NOT make it an every night occurrence, even natural sleep remedies should be approached with caution. 

In Summary 

In summary, it is better to take a herb than a prescribed pill, and without doubt I am in full support of natural medicine over sleeping pills. But for bad sleepers, dependency is a problem, and I fear sleep herbs may just be another crutch and a facilitator in ignoring the root problem of bad sleep. Wouldn’t it be better to not need anything at all?  

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