Insomnia is the second most common complaint after pain. A 1984 report of the National Institutes of Mental Health indicated that 35 percent of the general population suffers from insomnia.
And the prevalence increases with an increase in age. Our lifestyle alone provides us today many constraints for proper and adequate sleep.
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder to date.
Medical practitioners believe that insomnia can be a symptom of various underlying conditions, such as depression and anxiety. Prevalent as this condition maybe, many adults do not seek treatment from a physician.
Research on insomnia suggests that it has impaired human quality of life, performance and mood. It has dealt fatigue, irritability, lack of energy, and poor concentration including impaired memory.
Pharmacist Jo Barnes made a recent review of all herbal medicine widely studied for its aid to sleep. Barnes is a lecturer in phytopharmacy at the Center for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy at the School of Pharmacy in the University of London.
In her report, published on in The Pharmaceutical Journal (2002), she observed that research has mainly focused on the effects of valerian (Valeriana officinalis), with minor studies on hops (Humulus lupulus), passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and Jamaica dogwood (Piscidia erythrina) simply for their reputation as hyponotics.
Most of these herbs are also reputed to have sedative effect and have been used particularly for sleeping disorders of “nervous” types.
The parts of valerian used medicinally are the roots and rhizomes (underground stems). Strobiles (female flowers) are used in hops; herb (leafy aerial parts including flowers and fruits) in passionflower; leaves in lemon balm; flowers in lavender; and root or bark in Jamaican dogwood.
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