cure insomnia due to pain

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

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

The chief 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.

There is reference to the use of valerian as a medicinal herb as far back as the time of ancient Greece and Rome. Hippocrates documented its therapeutic uses and, in the 2nd century, Galen prescribed valerian for insomnia. In the 16th century saw it used to treat heart palpitations, trembling, headaches, and nervousness. In the mid-19th century, many 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 World War II the English 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 have got to use it regularly, with the full effects coming slowly and steadily over time.

Results should appear after about a month and regular use helps to promote deep relaxation and sleep. Numerous studies suggest valerian as by far the best natural solution for insomnia and general sleeplessness.

Although often prescribed as a calming sleep aid, valerian can also play a useful part in the treatment of anxiety-related sleep problems.

Unlike other frequently prescribed sleep medications, valerian lacks toxicity, does not impair your ability to drive or operate heavy machinery and does not enhance the effects of alcohol.

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

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

For many hundreds of years Chamomile has shown itself to be a very effective sleep aid and it can be administered in several ways including as a tea and used in a sachet placed under your pillow.

Unlike some other sleep remedies, chamomile does not have to be used on a regular basis to enjoy its effects as a sleep aid. It can be used as required to supply speedy relief for both anxiety and sleeplessness.

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

Chamomile can prove especially useful in relieving the symptoms of mild insomnia (sometimes referred to as transient insomnia).

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

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

The Pacific islanders give the name Kava to both Piper Methysticum (a shrub belonging to the pepper family Piperaceae) and also to the beverage that is made from it.

Piper methysticum can be found growing in abundance in the main in western Polynesia, especially in Tonga and Samoa, and virtually all of Melanesia, including Fiji. It is also found on Pohnpei Island, in Micronesia.

People have traditionally prepared kava as a cold tea (an infusion made from straining a mixture of shredded and pounded fresh or dried root and water). A simple method of preparing kava tea involves putting two or more heaped teaspoons of kava root per person into a clean knotted stocking and squeezing it repeatedly in a bowl of cold water.

The tea commonly produces a slight numbing of the lips and tongue at first, followed by slightly talkative and euphoric behavior, a sense of relaxation, well-being, clear thinking and calm. Sleep associated with kava is peculiarly restful and there are no after effects the following day.

Kava can be bought at health food stores as a standardized extract and as a convenient method of relieving anxiety as it is quick acting and highly potent. You can also buy kava in pill form.

Some sellers have packaged high-powered Kava mixtures in convenient mini spray bottles. These are handy to keep in a purse or knapsack and are extremely effective in offering a quick burst of relaxation. A quick spray or two under the tongue can do wonders for tension and a case of the jitters.

If you plan on buying the raw root, it is advisable to buy whole, top grade lateral root.

Several concerns have been raised recently concerning the kava's safety following a small number of deaths from liver failure. As a result Switzerland and France have banned Kava, while Germany has made it available only through prescription. In the USA the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has raised reservations over kava's use.

Controversy abounds, fuelled by the economic interest of kava exporting nations and disagreements between the medical profession and patrons of natural medicine. At this time the 'jury is out' and only time will expose the truth.

It is noted however that the Tongans have used kava for hundreds of years and that it holds a place of great importance within Tongan society.

One side-effect associated with the heavy use of kava is that of kava dermopathy - a scaly eruption of the skin. This disappears if use is discontinued and is quite harmless. In the past, Hawaiians used to drink large quantities of kava to produce just this effect as a way of cleansing the skin and giving themselves a smoother, clearer complexion.