Valerian Root
Inability to sleep or disturbed sleep is a common complaint. Habitual or severe insomnia may require pharmaceutical intervention. However, there is some evidence to indicate that herbal preparations may be useful in mild to moderate cases, both in the form of tablets made of concentrated extracts and as simple herbal teas.
Valeriana officinalis, or valerian root, is one of the most common herbs used for insomnia. Leatherwood and Charffard 1 in 1985 carried out placebo controlled trials (n3D128), using tablets of 400mg of valerian extract. They found there was no effect on the sleep pattern of young healthy subjects with no sleep problems. However poor sleepers and smokers detected an improvement in their sleep pattern with valerian over placebo. This was determined by subjective assessment, indicating a reduction in sleep latency and reduced number of night wakings. Attempts to collect objective data via an EEG study on the effects of the same preparation did not produce statistically significant results.
A smaller study (n3D18) compared placebo to two different strengths of valerian (450mg and 900mg) in young healthy volunteers who have no major sleep disturbances.2 This study found, on both subjective assessment and objective measurement, that the valerian preparations reduced sleep latency and waking time after sleep onset. Night time motor activity was also reduced, and there was no significant residual effect from the medication in the morning. There was no significant difference between the two strengths of valerian preparation, suggesting the effect was sufficient at the lower 450 mg dosage.
While other herbs have been used to promote sleep, there is little scientific data to support their activity. The two herbs discussed here are generally perceived to have a more gentle action than valerian, and to be appropriate for long-term, regular use.
Herbalists have traditionally used mild herbal sedative teas to promote sleep. Among the most common is chamomile (Chamomilla recucita), which is easily available from food stores and supermarkets. Long established as appropriate particularly for the very young and elderly, chamomile is effective for mild sleep disorders. The only noted side effect is an extremely rare contact allergy.3 Chamomile is commonly available as a tea rather than in tablets or capsules. In the absence of standardised preparations it is recommended that 1-2 tablespoons of dried herb is used in a tea, before bed.
A plant with similar mild actions to chamomile is linden flower, or lime tree flowers (Tilia europea). Traditionally a tea is recommended before bed to induce a state of relaxation and sleep, and tea bags are readily available in health food shops and supermarkets. To be effective for insomnia it is recommended that four tea bags be infused in a cup or hot water and allowed to steep for ten minutes.
Sue Evans
Lecturer, herbal medicine