Most European herbal sleep remedies contain passion flower, or Passiflora incarnata, even though the plant comes from the tropical regions of the Americas, where it was widely used by the Aztecs, according to journals from 16th century conquistadors. I just brewed a mead (honey wine) with lemon balm and mugwort: it’s still fermenting but we’ve already named it “the Dreamer’s Mead.” Passion Flower Passionflower image by Nganguyen Lemon balm can be called a nootropic, or a brain-enhancing supplement, as it can improve cognitive performance too. A 2003 study in the journal Neuropsychopharmolocology found that lemon balm indirectly encourages sleep by improving mood and inducing mental calmness.
The effects of lemon balm are more than wishful thinking/placebo. Add it to your dream pillow, while you’re at it. It has a clean, refreshing citrus smell so you can take it in a tea or as a supplement. Lemon balm, or Melissa officinalis, has been used as a relaxant since the Middle Ages in European folk medicine. I would say that, in general, any difficultly sleeping that lasts over two weeks may require more medical assistance than any herb can provide. Several clinical studies suggest that valerian alone is not effective in the long-term for insomnia. It is also regularly combined with kava kava, but beware of this if you have diagnosed liver or kidney problems. Valerian with hops also has some clinically proven results for sleeplessness, according to a 2005 study reported in the journal Sleep. Taken as supplement, valerian reduces the amount of time to slip into deep sleep. Valerian root has a long history of use as a mild sedative. I am providing some reputable resources at the end of the article to consult for further reading. See your medical provider if you have doubts, and do your homework before trying any herbal remedy. Some herbs may actually counteract other prescription drugs or be dangerous if used in combination with alcohol or sedatives, and others may be dangerous when combined with antidepressants. This hasn’t stopped the modern pharmaceutical industry from plundering indigenous knowledge bases about herbs, of course, but it has limited the public funding opportunities for current studies on the effectiveness of many revered and powerful herbs and plant medicines.Ī quick note: Herbs do not = safe. So we have a double taboo against studying herbs: an ancient religious doctrine combined with commercial scientific interests. This old religious taboo against “folk medicine” carried over in the early 20th century, when the study of herbs was dropped for good in favor of the more profitable chemical methods of synthesization. Herbal Knowledge is Doubly Tabooed The prejustice against herbal knowledge is still with us Western culture sent these healing methods underground and repressed all kinds of herbal knowledge along with it. Much of this suppression was due to women herbalists’ promotion of safe and effective birth control through the use of herbs, as well as their wisdom in procuring altered states of consciousness for healing and shamanic information retrieval. That’s why countless people turn to herbs, which have been tested for hundreds of years by herbalists and naturopaths –versus the standard 6 months of testing for the average pharmaceutical.įolk medicine was suppressed in Europe thanks to the cultural forces from Rome, and many herbalists were burned at the stake for their uncanny knowledge of the natural world. The sleep aid industry has a powerful grip on the world, but even the most effective prescription drugs have their downsides: side-effects, limited access and prohibitive costs.
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