there are probably 40 or 50 different herbs on the market that advertise that they really do something for sleep. there are only 4 or 5 that actually have any significant scientific data behind them. valerian is a big one. kava is another one but people have to be pretty careful about kava-kava because it can have some pretty big effects on your liver and so if you have any problems with your liver whatsoever i would never recommend trying something like kava-kava. melatonin while it’s not an herb it is considered into the supplement range. you have to be very careful also i think there’s a general recommendation to be careful about herbs because they are not regulated by the fda. so that means that i can make that in my garage and i can sell it at the local health-food store and there’s no purity standards you never know how they are going to interact with other medications that you may be taking or they may progress another disease that you have. so if somebody is going to go and find a more holistic herbal supplement to take specifically for sleep they should always talk to their physician about it. make sure there aren’t any interactions with it. and actually i think there’s an entire section on webmd that talks about all the herbs and things like that so definitely go and check that out. other herbs are interesting. chamomile tea has actually has been shown to help people fall asleep. lavender in an essential oil or aromatherapy is the fifth herb that may help people sleep. at age 66 i use lemon balm along with 5 mg of melatonin which works very well for me. this is probably due in part to my age as the body produces less melatonin as we age. i used to use benedryl and melatonin which also helped but i suspect that lemon balm is safer and works even better in combination. being military i find that natural herbs give the best rest. after many years of use i found the best pre-formulated to be produced by puritan's pride by the name of super snooze you take 1-3 capsules i take 2-3 but i'm 265 lbs and trained to stay awake or not get into a deep sleep. i would say the average person could take 1. you can get around 500 capsules for about $25 bucks so they will last you a long time. <link> my husband and i (65 yrs old) swear by melatonin 6 mg a night taken 30 mins before bedtime. we started its use years ago to reset jet lag in our overseas travels. yes
can herbs and supplements really help me sleep?