acupuncture for insomnia depression anxiety

Valerian, a hardy perennial flowering plant with sweetly smelling pink or white flowers, grows in many parts of Europe and Asia and now also grows naturally in parts of the USA. Other names commonly used for valerian include: garden valerian, and garden heliotrope (no relation to Heliotrope - Heliotropum).

Valerian is also known by various folk names: Caopn's Trailer, Fragrant Valerian, Cat's Valerian, Set Well, Red Valerian, All-Heal, Bloody Butcher, Amantilla, Vandal Root, Sets Wale, English Valerian, Phu, and St. George's Herb.

The principal components used for medicinal purposes are the roots, rhizomes (underground stems) and stolons (horizontal stems). Ordinarily harvested in September, the dried roots may be used to prepare teas and tinctures, while the dried plant materials normally find their way into capsules or tablets.

Reference is made to the use of valerian as a medicinal herb as far back as the time of ancient Greece and Rome. Hippocrates described its therapeutic uses and, in the 2nd century, Galen prescribed valerian for insomnia. In the 16th century saw it used to treat headaches, heart palpitations, nervousness, and trembling. In the mid-19th century, many people considered valerian a stimulant that caused some of the same complaints it is thought to treat and held it in low esteem as a medicinal herb. During The Second World War the British used it to relieve the stress of air raids.

Unlike a lot of other natural herbal sleep aids, to gain the benefits of the effects of valerian you need to use it regularly, with the full effects heightening over time.

Results ought to appear after about a month and regular use promotes deep relaxation and sleep. Some studies suggest valerian as far and away the best natural solution for insomnia and general sleeplessness.

Commonly prescribed as a calming sleep aid, valerian also plays a useful role in the treatment of anxiety-related sleep problems.

Unlike other commonly prescribed sleep medications, valerian is not toxic, does not impair your ability to drive or operate heavy machinery and does not heighten the effects of alcohol.

A common flowering plant, Chamomile (Matricaria camomilla) grows in various parts of central and southern Europe (Germany, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia), as well as in north western Asia. Chamomile is also now widely cultivated in Argentina, the United States, Australia, North Africa, and Egypt.

Often packaged as a tea, the dried leaves and flowers can be purchased over the counter in both bagged and loose form.

For many hundreds of years Chamomile has proved an excellent sleep aid and it can be administered in numerous ways including as a tea and used in a sachet placed under your pillow.

Unlike some herbal sleep remedies, you do not need to use Chamomile on a regular basis to enjoy its effects as a sleep aid. It can be used when required to supply fast relief for anxiety and sleeplessness.

Chamomile tea, which is brewed from the leaves and dried flowers of this common plant, typically proves most effective when taken a half an hour to forty-five minutes before going to bed.

Chamomile can prove particularly valuable in alleviating the symptoms of mild, or transient, insomnia.

Chamomile can also act to reduce the histamine-based swelling produced by some allergic reactions, and is a very effective solution when congested sinuses or food allergies are a contributory factor to sleeplessness.

It should be noted that hay fever sufferers who show an allergic reaction to ragweed and its close botanical relatives (such as aster and chrysanthemum) frequently show a similar reaction to Chamomile.

The California poppy contains the compound protopine, that is said to be similar in its effect to a light version of morphine.

Unlike its cousin the Opium poppy, the California poppy does not contain the narcotic morphine, though its structure is similar. Because of this, the California poppy doesn't have any of the addictive properties of its narcotic relative.

As of the time of writing dosage guidelines haven't been set as the California poppy has been the subject of very few clinical studies.