Lack of sleep can herbs really help with this.

Lack of sleep can herbs really help with this.

At some point during your life you will have had a period where sleep was not easy to come by, and if you live in the western society you will most likely have taken either a prescription or over the counter pharmaceutical drug to aid your sleep. However for centuries many cultures have used herbs to aid with sleep and in many cases the benefits of using some herbs as a sleep aid are well documented.

There are a number of herbs that will help you drift off to sleep peacefully and have no harmful effects on the body, however there are many herbs that are much more powerful and can induce an almost coma like state which can be very difficult to wake up from. It is therefore very important that you know which are safe to use and which to avoid.

Here are four herbs that have been shown to have sleep inducing properties

· Valerian (Valeriana officinalis);
· Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata);
· Hops (Humulus lupulus), and
· Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

Traditionally, valerian is one of the best known herbal tranquilizers. That use was not known to the ancients, but evolved from usage in the 17th and 18th centuries.

This cure works as it blocks the breaking down of the GABA or Gamma-Aminobutyric-Acid, a natural sedative neurotransmitter.

Passionflower is native to North America but is more popular in Europe as a sedative, how it works and what components are at work is still being studied.

Hops aside from its popularity as a plant used mainly to make beer, hops are another effective herbs for sleeping. It acts by slowing down the breakdown of GABA in the brain and the melatonin receptors.

Lemon balm, Melissa or Melissa officinalis, is a traditional cure for sleep problems. This folk cure blocks the breaking down of the GABA or Gamma-Aminobutyric-Acid, a natural sedative neurotransmitter. It also inhibits acetylcholine from breaking down. These substances are responsible for making people fall asleep. A lot of manufactured sleeping pills contain lemon balm. Scientific studies show that combining lemon balm with valerian, another sleep-inducing remedy, is effective in treating sleep problems.