Lullaby and Goodnight

Description

Valerian Root (Valeriana officinalis):

Studies show that valerian reduces the time it takes to fall asleep and improves sleep quality. Unlike many prescription sleep medications, valerian has fewer side effects and is a lot less likely to result in morning drowsiness.

In one double blind study conducted by the Foellinge Health Center in Sweden, the effects of valerian on poor sleep were significant. Of the study participants, 44 percent reported perfect sleep while 89 percent reported improved sleep when taking valerian root.  In addition, no side effects were observed for this group

Scientists have found that valerian root increases the amount of a chemical called gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) through GABA receptors. GABA helps regulate nerve cells and calms anxiety.  (Drugs such as alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium) work by increasing the amount of GABA in the brain, but have MANY side-effects).

The valeric acid, valerenic acid and valerenol contained in valerian root extract act as anti-anxiety agents. It’s pretty amazing that an herbal remedy like valerian root can have the same anti-anxiety effects of prescription drugs without all the serious side effects of psychotropic drugs. 

By reducing anxiety and improving the length and quality of sleep, valerian root can significantly help with daily stress management. Chronic stress can make you feel anxious, but anxiety can also make you feel more stressed out.

By improving GABA levels, valerian makes it easier for both the mind and body to relax. Since relaxation is the antithesis of stress, valerian root is an excellent natural way to help keep your stress down and your quality of life up.

Further, valerian root has been shown to suppress both physical and psychological stress by helping to maintain levels of serotonin, according to research in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood.

****  If you are taking other calming medications or antidepressants (such as tricyclic antidepressants like amitriptyline or tetracyclic antidepressants), do not take valerian at the same time.****

Lemon balm: (Melissa officinalis) is an herb in the mint family.  Often said to ease stress and anxiety, lemon balm contains a compound known as rosmarinic acid that appears to have potent antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.  According to a 2013 study in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, lemon balm combined with valerian root significantly improve sleep quality in 100 women with menopause when compared to a placebo.

Insomnia and sleep apnea, often accompanied by depression and anxiety, are common features of menopause. The combination of herbs is believed to aid in sleep by acting directly on GABA receptors in the brain, delivering a mild sedative effect while stimulating the production of the “feel-good” hormone serotonin.

American Skullcap: (Scutellaria lateriflora)  can help those who experience insomnia and other sleeping problems, such as restlessness, restless leg, muscle tension and clenching the jaws.   Research analyzing the use of herbal medicine for insomnia suggests that herbs including skullcap, lemon balm and passion flower are often used to improve sleep.  A skullcap tincture before bed to help you relax, ward off anxiety and give you some well-deserved and much-needed sleep.

Passion flower (passiflora Incarnate):  With a name like passion flower, it can only be something kind, gentle and calming from nature. While that doesn’t hold true for all sweet names, it does hold true for the passion flower, a wildflower of striking beauty that produces a fleshy fruit. 

There are many passion flower benefits — it may help reduce and possibly eliminate insomnia, anxiety, inflammation from skin irritations and burns, menopause, ADHD and even more serious conditions such as seizures, high blood pressure and asthma, just to name a few, but I am using it mainly for sleep in this remedy… 

Passion flower is a great alternative for you if you have anxiety, problems sleeping and struggle to focus, those nagging, uncomfortable hot flashes and even problems with high blood pressure.  I love combining it with other relaxation-inducing herbs, to create calmness in your body so you get you some much-needed shut eye!

Chamomile (Matricaria recuita) is a flowering plant in the daisy (Asteraceae) family.  

Some of the purported benefits of chamomile likely stem from the fact that the essential oil and flower extracts derived from chamomile contain more than 120 chemical constituents, many of which are pharmacologically active. 

They include chamazulene (an anti-inflammatory), bisabolol (an oil with anti-irritant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial properties), apigenin (a phytonutrient that acts as a strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral), and luteolin (a phytonutrient with potential anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer activity). 

Whether as a result of these compounds or others, research shows chamomile possesses properties that can promote calm and sleep, help ease inflammation, spasms, and flatulence, and protect against the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers.

Germans refer to chamomile as alles zutraut, meaning capable of anything. It is considered a panacea or cure-all, and I found one writer who described it as “the medical duct tape of the pre-MacGyver days.” I liked that!!

St. Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum):  Promotes deep sleep and mitigates sleep-disturbing conditions because of its ability to prolong deep sleep and to extend the final stage of non-REM sleep – the stage of sleep believed to be most important for physical and mental recovery, and the one directly preceding REM sleep.

Albeit indirectly, St. John’s wort could also potentially improve sleep by ameliorating anxiety and mood disorders, including depression and seasonal affect disorder (SAD),  that are widely recognized as causing sleep disturbances.  

St. John’s wort seems to simultaneously inhibit the reuptake of multiple neurotransmitters — such as serotonin and gamma-butyric acid— that play a role in sleep.  The hyperforin in St. Johns wort has been shown to inhibit the reuptake of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and the hypericin in St. John’s wort acts as a receptor antagonist of GABA, a calming neurotransmitter known to favor sleep.