facts about insomnias

It is said that honey has sleep inducing properties. Dark honey has more antioxidants than light colored honey. Honey can be used either in herbal teas or mixed into warm milk.

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

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

Throughout the ages Chamomile has proved an extremely effective sleep aid and it can be taken in numerous ways including as a tea and used in a sachet placed under your pillow.

Unlike some herbal sleep remedies, chamomile does not need to be used regularly to enjoy its effects as a treatment for sleeplessness. It can be used when required to give quick relief for sleeplessness and anxiety.

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

Chamomile can be particularly useful in relieving the symptoms of mild insomnia (also known 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 demonstrate an allergic reaction to ragweed and its close botanical relatives (such as chrysanthemum and aster) commonly have a similar reaction to Chamomile.

Kava is what the Pacific islanders call 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, particularly in Samoa and Tonga, 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 water and shredded and pounded fresh or dried root). A simple method of preparing kava tea involves putting two or more heaped teaspoons of kava root for each person into a clean stocking, tying a knot in it and squeezing it repeatedly in a bowl of cold water.

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

Kava can be purchased at health food stores as an extract and as a convenient method of anxiety relief as it is quick acting and extremely potent. Kava can also be bought in pill form.

Some vendors have packaged high-powered Kava mixtures in convenient mini spray bottles. These are handy to keep in a purse or knapsack and are very effective for producing a quick burst of relaxation. Just one or two quick sprays under the tongue can do wonders for both tension and the jitters.

If you plan to purchase the raw root, it is advisable to choose whole, top grade lateral root.

Several concerns have been expressed 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 by prescription. In the USA the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has expressed reservations over its use.

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

It is noted however that the Tongans have employed kava for hundreds of years and that it is of great significance 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 as soon as you stop using kave and is quite harmless. In the past, Hawaiians used to drink large quantities of kava to produce just this effect as a method of cleansing the skin and giving themselves a clearer, smoother complexion.