Herbal Remedies For Relaxation

Stress can make you feel like a walking nuclear fusion experiment. Stupendous amounts of nervous energy get crammed into your noggin, leaving you ready to explode at the slightest move. When you?re that revved up, relaxing can be as difficult as defusing a bomb.

Thankfully, tons of tools are at your disposal. There are several safe and legal relaxation remedies that can take you out of DEFCON 1. The following remedies are available at your local health food or vitamin shop and, for the most part, are harmless and nonaddictive.

Valerian

Valerian root is a herbal medicine from ancient history. It has been used as an effective sleep aid for more than 1,000 years and it has been vetted by hard science. Several studies have shown that valerian, when taken before bed, can help you sleep more soundly and ultimately make you more rested and relaxed. A 2000 study at the Humboldt University of Berlin found that insomniacs were able to get higher quality sleep after taking 600 milligrams of valerian extract for 14 days.

The root also induces drowsiness and a generally relaxed feeling, making it a perfect alternative to an evening cocktail. As an added benefit, valerian isn?t addictive and won?t make you feel groggy in the morning.

Where to find it: Valerian is native to North America, Asia and Europe, which means it?s relatively easy to cultivate across the world, so it can be found in most grocery store supplement aisles. Take about 600 milligrams a night for a few weeks to get the best results.

Kava

In Polynesia they say kava can connect you with the gods and your ancestors and grant you mystical intuition that can help you solve any problem. While these claims haven?t been proved (or disproved), one thing?s for certain: The psychoactive plant has powerful soporific (sleep-inducing) effects and will help you chill out and get a better night?s sleep.

Kava as we know it comes from the crushed roots of the kava plant, which is indigenous to the Pacific Islands. It has been used as a medicinal herb and general cure-all there for thousands of years. Kava tea is used in ceremonies to induce a euphoric and relaxed feeling that some compare to the effects given by a stiff cocktail, but without any of the emotional outbursts usually associated with alcohol. Kava generally makes you happy, calm and eventually puts you to sleep. And the plant does all this without giving you a hangover.

Within the last 20 years, scientists have identified kava?s active chemical components -- kavalactones. They are responsible for the plant?s psychoactive effects. Amazingly, the compounds aren?t addictive and they don?t damage brain cells like alcohol or other drugs.

But kava isn?t totally benign. In 2002, the FDA warned of a possible link between kava and liver failure. The risk is low -- very low -- but it does exist. If you?re going to take kava, take only a little. Never exceed more than 4 grams a day (about eight supplement pills). And never drink kava and drive.

Where to find it: Kava is available in most health food stores as a supplement. Like all supplements, it isn?t held to strict FDA drug standards, so quality can vary greatly from one brand to another. Look for a label that at least defines how much kavalactones the supplement contains.

Expect to pay around $20 for a bottle. Kava capsules can be downed like pills or their contents can be emptied into a glass of cool water. The resulting cloudy concoction has a slightly bitter flavor and will numb your tongue and the roof of your mouth after a few sips. Don?t worry -- the numbing is temporary. There?s no evidence that drinking kava is more effective than taking the supplement, but if you sip the potion you?ll notice the effects come on more gradually.

Chamomile

When you were feeling stressed or anxious around grandma, she would give you a cup of chamomile tea. The small, ground-hugging plant has been used as a herbal remedy for thousands of years. Both the Egyptians and the Romans included it in their medicine cabinets, using the herb to treat insomnia, irritability, chills, and fevers.

While there is little modern scientific evidence that chamomile helps you relax, there?s no doubt that a fragrant cup of chamomile tea can calm your frazzled nerves. The plant?s scent, disbursed either through a candle or incense, can also help you get into a relaxing mode. So if you?re feeling tense, listen to grandma and put the kettle on the stove.

Where to find it: Chamomile tea is available in nearly every market in North America and Europe. It?s less commonly found in scented candles. There are a few different types of the plant, including Roman and German chamomile, but all have a similarly sweet and calming fragrance.



Passion flower

Passion flowers look like they?re from outer space and they definitely have an ?other-worldly? effect on your psyche. The sweet flower is a mild sedative and has been used to treat insomnia, restlessness and anxiety for eons. Like kava and valerian, the herb is nonaddictive and won?t make you groggy the next morning.

Studies have shown that passion flower can relieve spasms and anxiety and lower blood pressure. In 2001, a team of scientists at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran pitted passion flower against the anti-anxiety drug Oxazepam. They found that the flower extract, when taken daily for a month, was just as effective as Oxazepam in treating anxiety. The active ingredient in passion flower is currently unknown, but many studies indicate that the flower?s flavonoids are responsible for the effects.

Where to find it: Passion flower is available as a supplement or a tea at most health food stores. Like kava, it?s not subjected to FDA drug standards, so effects can vary greatly from one brand or bottle to the next. If you buy an extract in capsule form, follow the directions on the bottle. Passion flower can also be brewed as a light tea. Scoop about one teaspoon of dried passion flower in a cup of very hot water and drink before bedtime for three weeks.


-tazz