Herbal Treatment For Sleep

Few people get sufficient sleep, and this deprivation can lead to a decrease in life quality and an increase in accidents. Sleep disorders are commonly treated with prescription drugs. These medications, however, have numerous side effects. New research looking at old treatments indicates that many common herbs may be helpful in facilitating sleep. These experiments are preliminary, and some have been done only with nonhuman subjects. Yet traditional sleep aids are gradually being scientifically tested.

Wolfberry

In the October 2009 edition of the "Journal of Medicinal Food," findings described the effect of wolfberry juice relative to a placebo in older adults. Wolfberry was delivered in a commercial form, known as GoChi juice, for 30 consecutive days. The herb increased immune function, well-being and sleep quality. No adverse reactions were noted. Similar results were established and published in the May 2008 edition of the "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine." Positive sleep effects were discovered after only 14 consecutive days of treatment with GoChi juice.

Kava

In the July 2005 edition of "Psychopharmacology," study results demonstrated the sleep-promoting effects of kava, another readily available herb. These researchers tested kava relative to flunitrazepam (a commonly used hypnotic drug from the benzodiazepine family) using rats whose sleep had been artificially disturbed. Results indicated that kava-treated rats fell asleep quicker than flunitrazepam-treated rats. While the benzodiazepine-blocker flumazenil predictably reduced the effects of flunitrazepam, it had no effect on the results for kava. In addition, benzodiazepines usually affect sleep both positively and negatively in that they reduce deep sleep. Kava, however, actually increased deep sleep.

Valerian

In the April 20, 2008 edition of the "Scientific World Journal," a study revealed that valerian, a well-known soporific herb, had positive effects on sleep in people seeking help for insomnia. A meta-analysis published in the March 2010 edition of "Sleep Medicine" supports these findings. Yet few studies of valerian as a hypnotic have used a control group or objective measures. However, a study published in the March 2009 edition of "Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine" showed valerian to be effective using those strict criteria in the common sleep disorder known as "restless legs."

Chamomile

In the May 2005 edition of "Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin," researchers used the sleep disruption model to test the hypnotic effects of another supposed soporific herb in rats. Chamomile hastened sleep onset, but these effects were blocked by flumazenil. The latter result suggests that chamomile works through benzodiazepine receptors. The researchers also tested passionflower in this study, but that herb did not affect sleep.

Common Hop

In the September 2006 edition of "Phytomedicine," researchers produced hypnotic effects with the common hop in rats. It is often assumed that soporific effects are mediated by anxiolytic effects, but the hops had no effect on anxiety measures in this study. The researchers also tried to determine the specific chemicals underlying the effects of hops, and they revealed that alpha-bitter acids, beta-bitter acids and hop oil were responsible. It's also interesting to note that hops are particularly effective as sleep promoters when combined with valerian. In the May 26, 2008 edition of the "European Journal of Medical Research," study results showed that this combination increased sleep quality in humans after only a single dose.