Herbs To Help You Sleep

Picture of a lady sleeping

Herbs For A Restful Night

Rather than take expensive and dangerous prescription sleeping pills, why not first try some all natural herbs to help you get some much needed rest.

There are many herbs that you can use to help you relax and get to sleep faster and have a more sound sleep too.

Probably the best known herb for the treatment of insomnia, is Valerian. It has been used for centuries as a mild sedative and sleep aid. This plant is native to North and South America, Europe and Asia. The root is the part of the plant in herbal sleep remedies.

This plant has a long history of use and dates as far back as ancient Egypt. The Egyptians, as well as the healers of India and China prescribed this herb to help people get to sleep faster.

Found in the ancient medical texts of the Romans and Greeks, Valerian was listed as the best herb to aid sleep. Valerian has undergone a battery of tests and research and has a very good track record for safety and effectiveness.

There is now scientific evidence that this herb does work as described in the ancient healing texts. Valerian contains valerianic acid. This is an essential oil and also what gives it it’s sedative properties and it’s smell. This herb is also an analgesic (painkiller) due to it’s salicylic acid content. This herb is widely used in Europe as a non-prescription tranquilizer and sedative.

Valerian acts like a mild tranquilizer and works directly on the central and autonomic nervous system. It helps sooth and relax the mind and promotes deep, restful sleep. It is very effective in relieving insomnia due to the fact that it removes the conditions that cause lack of sleep, such as anxiety, fear, depression, worry and irritability.

There have been numerous double-blind studies in the U.S and Europe on the Valerian Herb. The results were promising. After taking Valerian, the test subjects were able to fall asleep more quickly and stay sleeping longer. They reported deep sleep and feeling refreshed upon awakening, with no groggy feeling.

Besides helping with sleep problems, Valerian also offers many other health benefits, such as treating weakness of the nerves, painful nerves, sciatica, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.

Valerian is also good for the heart. It can slow the action of the heart while enhancing it’s force, all while reducing palpations and abnormal heart beat. It is also a good blood pressure stabilizer. It’s a safe herb without the potentially dangerous side effects of prescription medicine.

Next on our list of sleep aids is Hops. Widely known an ingredient in the brewing of beer, it also is beneficial to the nervous system and a powerful sedative. The fruit and flower of this herb is the part that is used for medicinal purposes. Hops has been used since ancient times by the Romans, Greeks and Hebrews. It was also used in Chinese herbalism. It was also used to treat many ailments by the native American tribes and all through Europe in the middle ages.

Hops contains many beneficial substances like humulene, caryophylene, myrcene, humolone, lupulone, tannins, glycosides, flavonoids and about 100 others. The combined effect of these numerous compounds have an effect that is soothing and relaxing, helping one to get to sleep faster and sleep longer. Hops also has pain relieving, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties, making this one powerful healing herb.

Besides treating insomnia, many people use Hops to treat restlessness, anxiety and nervous tension. If you have problems sleeping due to an overactive mind and restless thoughts, Hops may be the answer to your troubles. Hops brings about sleep by it’s sedative action on the central nervous system. It is used in many health supplements in the United States and Europe.

Because Hops is so bitter, it helps improve appetite and digestion. It is especially helpful in preventing digestion problems that are due to stress and anxiety. It is good for relieving intestinal spasms and gastric disturbances too. Because the plant contains steroids, Hops should not be used during pregnancy or by very young children.

Next up, is Passion Flower. Used for centuries by the people of Peru, Brazil and Native Americans for it’s healing benefits. This plant contains sterols, flavonoids and many alkaloids, especially harmine and pssiflorine. These are what gives this herb it’s anti-spasmondic, anti-convulsant and sedative properties.

Passion flower is useful in treating such conditions as insomnia, hysteria, depression, anxiety, nervous exhaustion, irritability and pain. The majority of scientific research done on this herb has been concerned with sleeping problems. Test subjects having a variety of sleep problems reported a more restful and deep sleep after taking a supplement containing passion flower.

The herb worked well for people who normally had trouble sleeping due to pain, stress and over-excitement. Research indicates that the compounds in passion flower inhibits the break-down of serotonin. This is the neurotransmitter that helps us get to sleep. It not only relaxes the mind, it also relaxes the muscles, helping promote a good nights sleep.

Since passion flower is also useful for treating pain as well as muscle spasms, it may be helpful to those who suffer from epilepsy.

You now have several all natural options to help you beat insomnia and get a good nights rest. Before trying prescription sleeping pills, you many want to try these herbs to help you sleep. To be safe, always consult your doctor before taking any herbal supplement.

If you’d like to try an all natural herbal sleep aid that contains Valerian, I recommend taking Alteril.

If You Are Over 30

If you are over 30, you'll want to take some GF20 with this. Then you'll be able to run circles around people your own age. What is GF20?

 



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