Supporting your Sleep......Naturally

I am experiencing a prolonged period of interrupted and un-refreshing sleep and I don't really want to take any sleeping tablets from my doctor – could herbal medicine help me?

As is often the case with a simple question like this, the answer is much more complicated  The short answer is yes, herbs can help quite effectively with insomnia, but the longer answer has to acknowledge that the effectiveness of herbal remedies depends on the correct identification of what is causing the problem and also on choosing the right herbs for you.

It is a fantastic feeling to have had a really good night's sleep. Not only does it make you feel better and ready to face the day, research has shown that it really is essential for good mental and physical health. There is thought to be an association between consistently poor sleep patterns and an increased risk of developing chronic condition such as type II diabetes and being overweight. On a mental level, anyone who has suffered regularly from insomnia will know that characteristic 'cotton-wool' brain feeling the following day. Sadly, over time sleeplessness can dull our thought processes and really begin to corrode our quality of life.

It is ironic that something that should be so natural as sleep can be so easily disrupted. Although insomnia probably affects most of us at onetime or another, this can be endured if it is only an occasional night. However, if poor sleep is experienced over a period of many weeks, this becomes a more serious problem for the sufferer and is really when you should seek help.

Admittedly, insomnia can be a tough nut to crack, particularly when it is chronic and long term. One of the reasons for this is that it can have a number of root causes and may be a conflation of different factors which can be difficult to untangle. It also means that in very intractable cases, self-treatment is probably not your best option, as you will need expert help to explore your problem and certainly with herbal treatment, professional advice is recommended for chronic conditions.

Classic amongst the causes of sleeplessness are anxiety, depressive and other stress-related conditions. These will give the characteristic sleep patterns of either not being able to get to sleep, despite being tired and/or waking up in the early hours of the morning and not being able to easily resume your slumber.

Hormonal imbalances, particularly the lower levels of progesterone, experienced during the menopause (aside from overtly disruptive night sweats) can also be a cause. Physical things like pain, poor digestion (gastric reflux, for example) can also impact on sleep quality.  All these issues will need treatment if your sleep is to improve. However, for some people the reasons for entrenched insomnia are more mysterious and it may take some time to test for and eliminate possible causes and find effective treatment strategies.

Of course life-style choices, poor sleep habits, bad sleep hygiene (ditch those electronic devices with their blue screen lights at bed time, which disrupt the brain's light sensitive sleep mechanisms, for example) diet, alcohol, caffeine and over-stimulating pre-sleep activities may also impact on the quality of your sleep.

There are also some natural variations – some people actually need less sleep and you need to identify and manage this if it affects you. Older people, for example tend to sleep less at night and more throughout the day and recent research has shown that for some of us waking up in the middle of the night for a few hours might be our natural sleep pattern – the only problem being that it doesn't fit well with the demands of our early -rising modern working lives.

That said, what can be done herbally for the sleepless in Seattle and elsewhere? There are in fact, quite a few herbs that you or your herbalist can use to help you with insomnia, both for helping with sleep onset and in maintaining sleep. These are herbs which have hypnotic and/or sedative properties. Some, but not all of these, are available in many over the counter formulas. However, you do need to find the right one for you as herbs can be idiosyncratic in their actions.

Probably the best known sleep herb is Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) actually a wild British plant, which is included in many commercial sleep remedies. Back to my point about idiosyncrasy. Valerian can be a highly effective anxiolytic, mildly sedative and hypnotic herb for some people,  but others actually find it stimulating (it is estimated  that this affects about 1 in 10 people – I am one such).  A mere whiff (it is very pungent) can cast those it suits into the arms of Morpheus, whilst those it doesn't, can remain doggedly wide-awake under its influence. This is a very individually dose specific herb, it also depends, as with so much herbal medicine, on the quality of the plant material used in the remedy – a poor quality preparation often gives poor results.  Valerian may also help with low level pain relief, panic attacks and emotional stress and would be particularly indicated in those cases where this kind of additional symptomatic support was needed.

One of my personal favourite sleepy-time herbs and one that is again widely known is Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata). Quite pleasant when taken as a tea at bedtime and helpful as part of wider formulas alongside other herbal sleep aids. Its actions are similar to Valerian and it can help with both sleep onset and maintenance and has additional indications for neuralgic pain. This is one to be a little careful of, however, as it can interact with anti-depressant medications, so best check with your herbalist, pharmacist or doctor before you take it.

Lime flowers (Tilia x europea) - the aromatic blossoms of the linden tree (not the citrus) much used in France and much ignored in the UK are another good choice for insomnia. Another of the herbal teas pleasing to the palate and a gentle sedative remedy even for fractious, wakeful children. This also might be indicated if you have high blood pressure and if you suffer from excitability and tension headaches.

Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) is well known as an aid to sleep, in the form of its essential oil - put a few drops in a bath or on your pillow. It has anti-depressant and anxiolytic actions and can help with nervous digestion.  Less well-known is that the dried flowers can be taken as a tea (unlike the essential oil – which shouldn't be taken internally). This is more effective for me personally than the essential oil. However, I find it odd to take as it is so perfumed and even though I am quite hardened to the unusual flavours of herbal tea, I always feel that I should be dabbing it behind my ears! This one is perhaps not for lovers of a traditional cup of Builders' tea

Perhaps a less widely known plant, Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) but one found growing in many gardens, is another herb that has mildly sedative properties. This is one I have found useful for those patients whose day is still running through their minds on a continual loop as they try to get off to sleep. In my experience, it is helpful for stilling and settling the mind and if you go with the flow, it should ease you gently into sleep. This can again be taken as a warming a relaxing tea, but might not be the herb for you, if you have low thyroid problems.

Many of these herbs are found in combination remedies that you can buy over the counter, however, if these don't work for you, don't despair – you don't necessarily need to think about using sleeping tablets from your doctor.

Do remember that often symptoms such as sleeplessness can be the expression of a  range of long-standing conditions. The underlying cause of any condition will always need attention before things can improve and over the counter sleep remedies will not necessarily be formulated to deal with these. You may need a more in-depth assessment of your condition and a herbal prescription that isn't off the shelf. This is where consulting your medical herbalist scores highly. There are many more herbal options available to them and they have the training to look beneath your condition to individually tailor a herbal medicine for your needs in order to help you to (hopefully) to begin at last, to get a good night's sleep.

Catherine Schofield BSc BA MSc MNIMH is a practising herbalist and member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists.

If you would like to make an appointment to see Catherine for a full consultation at Bare Health, please call the store on 01260 408413. 

This information is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended as a guide to self-treatment. Caution needs to be exercised with all herbs in terms of dosage and possible interactions and contra-indications and if you are pregnant, lactating or suffer from any other medical condition. Always consult your healthcare professional fist and make sure that you use the correct herbs from a reputable source

Herbal Medicine - Supporting your health with the power of plants

Have you ever thought what herbal medicine could do for you..? I think it might be a fair guess that at some time you may have done, especially if you are interested in alternative therapies.

Even though they may never have never thought of consulting a medical herbalist, the number of people in the UK who have taken or regularly take herbal preparations is enormous. It is arguably the most popular of the alternative modalities with many people self-treating with over the counter preparations ranging from simple cups of chamomile tea to help with sleep or using more complex formulations for more complicated conditions. 

Herbs have been used by humankind as medicine since our beginnings and many animals are known to self medicate with plants. It is safe to say that herbs are our natural medicine chest and it is only relatively recently, with the development of the commercial drug industry, that herbs have taken a back seat.  The reasons for this are numerous and complex including cultural, social and economic factors, but they are not necessarily to do with the lack of efficacy of medicinal plants.

It always makes me smile when people ask me if plants are effective medicine– I just have to ask them  why they drink tea and coffee, a prosaic example of plants commonly used for their 'pick me up' properties. Morphine, still one of our best pain relievers is derived from the opium poppy and the drug digoxin (still synthesised from foxgloves) keeps many a heart regularly beating. These and many more examples of herbs in common use allow me to rest my case, but they are only a small selection of the wide range of plants that have real therapeutic benefits.

Plants still feature in medical phamacopoeias and are used as the basis for old and new drugs. Aspirin and ephedrine are two common plant derivatives in widespread use. Drug companies are even now keenly researching the plant medicines of many ethnic peoples around the world to feed into new drug development.

However, herbal medicines are different to the pharmaceutical drugs derived from herbs, in that they contain the whole spectrum of the plant's constituents rather than just chemical isolates. This gives them a different action derived from the interplay between these constituents, which can cut down on side-effects and give other benefits.

That people value plant medicine is clear from the high usage of herbal products.  One of the reasons often cited for this is that they are a more natural and gentler way of treating illness and don't have side-effects. This is largely true, but herbs do have side effects – they wouldn't work if they didn't (these are good side-effects!). In fact, bad side-effects are  quite rare, but herbs do have contra-indications, interactions with other medicines and dose restrictions just like orthodox medication. Also, not all herbs are suitable for everyone, so you always need to be careful and with certain herbs - it is always best to seek professional advice.

So, how is consulting a medical herbalist different from self-medicating with herbs from your health food shop? Essentially this is similar to self-medicating for minor conditions with over the counter drugs from your pharmacist against when you need more in-depth advice from your doctor about more serious and difficult to treat conditions. A herbalist will have access to a wider range of herbs than is generally available to the general public and will use their knowledge and skill to chose and blend herbs suitable for your condition, checking dosages and interactions.  Also herbalists are trained in medical and diagnostic skills.

The actual practice of herbal medicine is more than just the herbs themselves, just as the practice of orthodox medicine is more than just the drugs. Although western herbal medicine is firmly rooted in the orthodox medical tradition and medical herbalists undergo extensive training (now usually university based) which gives them a robust foundation in the medical sciences, it is a much more natural, holistic and patient-centred therapy.

So what will happen when you visit a medical herbalist? Well, it's very like visiting your GP. You will be seen in a confidential and comfortable environment and a full medical history will be taken.  Be prepared - this may take some time!  I can take up to two hours with patients on their first visit. This gives me a picture of your health now and what past circumstances may have had an impact on your condition. Usually I explore nutritional, dietary, life-style and emotional issues as these can all feed into your presenting complaint. If necessary and with your permission, I may carry out appropriate physical examination, much as your GP would do.

We will discuss any medication that you may be taking from your doctor and I will work round this checking for any interactions with the herbs that I will choose for your medicine. I will also, if necessary, refer you to your GP if I think that anything potentially serious needs checking out.  Herbal medicine can work very well and can be used as complementary to orthodox medicine, if required. 

At the end of your consultation I will formulate a herbal remedy based on your individual presentation . This is likely to be a combination of a number of herbs whose inclusion in the medicine will each be chosen to not only give symptomatic relief, but also to help you  towards a better state of health by supporting underlying conditions. I will make the medicine up from the extensive range of herbs that I have in my dispensary, many of which are not available on general sale. The herbs will be chosen on the basis of the actions I want them to bring to the medicine and their affinities with particular conditions. 

At first I will usually give 2-3 weeks worth of medicine and then see you for a follow-up appointment to assess your progress.  As the treatment progresses then I may change the formulation in response to changes in your condition.  The aim is to help the body regain and maintain a  more healthy future state, as well as to give symptomatic relief.  The length of time you may have to take herbal medicine will depend on your condition, but I aim to see an improvement in symptoms within the first  few weeks.

Herbal medicine can work very well for a wide range of conditions, particularly those that are often chronic and stubborn to treat. Skin conditions can respond well, as can digestive issues such as IBS and Crohn's. Respiratory complaints, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and menopausal and gynaecological problems, also men's health issues can be helped by herbs. Anxiety and stressed states also respond well.  This is by no means an exhaustive list and many different conditions cross my threshold, but if you are interested in finding out whether  herbal medicine might be suitable for you, telephone me for a no-obligation short chat, visit my website or email, I will be happy to help where I can.

Catherine Schofield Bsc (Hons) BA (Hons) MSc MNIMH (Member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists)

Catherine@naturesbestmedicine.co.uk

COMING SOON TO Bare Health - Catherine will shortly be announcing a regular clinic day to be held at Bare Health - if you would like to speak to Catherine or make an appointment for a consultation please contact Bare Health on 01260 408413