Posted by circusboy on October 31, 2006, at 12:47:14
Subsubject: Deeper Into Herbals
Figures. A few weeks after my quasicoherent blatherings about herbal supplements vs. supplement-supplements following an unsuccessful fling with Rhodiola, I'm back in supplements aisle at Whole Foods.
To try to relieve the poor sleep I've been having for about two weeks now, I bought some Gaia brand Valerian Poppy Supreme tincture. It didn't work all that well for sleep, but, unexpectedly, my mood was much brighter the next day. And, in spite of my sleepiness, my concentration was much better: I only needed a quarter of my usual daily dose of methylphenidate (usually 20mg/day).
I felt the same effect the next few days. When I skip it, my mood isn't as good and my concentration is poorer again.
Any ideas what could be helping? Here's what's in it:
Valerian Root (Valeriana officinalis)
Skullcap Herb (Scutellaria lateriflora)
California Poppy Herb (Eschscholzia californica)
Kava Kava root & rhizome (Piper methysticum)
Passionflower Vine (Passiflora incarnata)
German Chamomile Flowers (Matricaria recutita)
Mugwort Herb (Artemesia vulgaris)I'm thinking it might be the Passion Flower, actually. And yes, it's possible that just getting a slightly better night's sleep had something to do with it... but still. There's something going on here.
I bought a bottle of passion flower tincture and another of skullcap, but I'm, once again, having trouble with the empiricism. :)
-cb
P.S. - Here's where I am on herbal sleep aids:
- Valerian is very good, but even better in combination with Kava. Jury's still out on passion flower and skullcap.
- Hops-containing sleep aids knock me out, but leave me feeling worse the next day. Makes sense to me that it's contraindicated for depressives.
poster:circusboy
thread:699313
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20061013/msgs/699313.html