Daily Herb-o-Scope - Get Some Sleep with Natural remedies for insomnia

Insomnia can be devastating to both the body and the mind. There is nothing worse then lying in bed awake, hours after you should be sleeping. I feel like more and more I am hearing of people having trouble with the necessity of sleep. There are many things an individual can do to help relieve the symptoms of insomnia but until the root of the problem is addressed, insomnia will always be an issue.

There are two categories of insomnia. The first form is sleep onset insomnia where there is difficulty falling asleep. This may be due to anxiety and stress, environmental issues, emotional issues, phobia of sleep, the fear of not being able to fall asleep, pain, caffeine, alcohol and/or drugs. The second category is maintenance insomnia where the is frequent or early waking. This can be due to sleep apnoea, pain, drugs and alcohol, hypoglycemia or depression. Participation in a sleep study may be needed to rule out any serious conditions.

There are many herbs that can be taken to help with insomnia. If the problem is long term it is important to help build and tonify the nervous system. Herbs that are nervous system restoratives include: American, Asian and Siberian Ginseng, Oatstraw and berry, Flowering knotweed (He Shou Wu), stinging nettles and Schisandra berries. For symptom relief herbs such as lavender, chamomile, hops, oats, passion flower, skullcap and lemon balm can all be used as a tincture or as a tea 30 minutes before bed to promote rest. Valerian is also a common herb used in cases of insomnia, however it can be habit forming and in some people it has an energizing effect. You may wish to brew extra tea is you have maintenance insomnia and continually wake up in the middle of the night. Drink this tea when you wake up or pulse dose additional tincture.   

Essential Oils can be very helpful when you are unable to fall asleep. I find oils such as Roman Chamomile, lavender, sweet marjoram, neroli and valerian very helpful at bed time. You can purchase an electric diffuser that can help vaporize the oil. In school I heard of a man who had an awful time trying to sleep but he had also lost his olfactory function and couldn't smell anything. He bought an electric diffuser and vaporized lavender essential oil and although he could not smell, he experienced the best night sleep he had in a long time. Essential oils can also be sprinkled on you pillow or mixed with water in a spray bottle and misted of the bed before bed time.

There is a long list of things that many individuals have found helpful when dealing with insomnia. It's important to find what changes in your routine work for you. Listed are a few lifestyle changes:

· Meditation before bed can help calm the mind and stop racing thoughts.

· No TV 1/2 hour before bed time. Too much visual stimulation makes it hard for your system to turn off when you are ready for bed.

· Expressing your anxieties and worries can help to ease stress and help individuals to sleep. Try not to keep worries bottled up. If you can't express these issues, how do you expect to resolve them?

· Certain prescriptions can cause insomnia and may need to be taken earlier in the day rather than before bed.

· Going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time every day can help the body to establish natural rhythms and can help reduce any sleep issues.

· Avoid sleeping medication. Pharmaceutical can promote the wrong type of sleep, reducing REM sleep and leaving you feeling groggy and exhausted.

· Avoid alcohol. It may initially help you fall asleep but it can disrupt your sleep cycle later in the night.

· Exercise during the day helps to tire the body and the mind, making it easier to fall asleep at bed time.

· Take a warm bath before bed. If you include a few drops of lavender essential oil it can be even more beneficial.

· For dinner, eat foods that are high in tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin which helps regulate sleep.

· Vitamin B3, B6 and magnesium all help with the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.

· Avoid foods high in tyramine a precursor to norepinephrine which is a brain stimulant.

Traditional Chinese Medicine really seeks to find the cause of the problem and address it. Insomnia is just a symptom within a bigger picture. Kidney Yin deficiency, blood deficiency and Liver Fire are just a of the bigger syndromes that might include a symptom of insomnia. If insomnia is an ongoing problem for you, I suggest making an appointment with an herbalist or with an acupuncturist that is also studied in herbal medicine. This way the root of the problem can be addressed producing long term relief.

Daily Herb-o-Scope - Natural remedies for Grief

                 The passing of our loved ones can cause so much grief and turmoil in ones life. Grief is such a strong and hopeless emotion that for some it's so easy to get stuck in a bottomless pit of depression and yet others turn to pharmaceuticals to repress the grief. I want to provide some herbal and natural remedies for getting through the difficult time of coping with grief.

          In Chinese medicine, grief can injure and weaken the lungs causing shortness of breath, shallow breathing and making us more susceptible to catching colds. Repressed grief can cause more long term issues of the lungs including asthma, emphysema and allergies. Deep breathing exercises helps to tonify the lungs and release grief. One exercise that you might find helpful is to breathe in through your nose for 5 counts, hold for 5 counts and then breathe out through your mouth for five counts and then hold for five counts. Repeat at least 10 times and do it as many times throughout the day as you find helpful. There are also many herbs that can be helpful to tonify the lungs and help the body deal with the stress of loss. I suggest using adaptogenic herbs like astragalus, reishi, ashwaganda, eleuthero and licorice root.

          Uplifting and euphoric essential oils can be helpful in lifting you spirits. Bach flower remedies have proven to be useful along with essential oils such as neroli, melissa, jasmine and what I would consider to be the most helpful, rose essential oil. The smell of rose is so comforting and soothing that it can penetrate the heart; however, rose essential oil can be very expensive. I suggest purchasing rose water or rose hydrosol. It's not as pricey and still elicits a similar response.

          Receiving flowers after the death of a loved one is very common in American culture, and internally flowers can be as wonderful as they are esthetically pleasing. Try making an tea infusion from flowers such as chamomile, rose petals, hawthorn leaf and flowers, hibiscus or St. John's Wort.

          The physical manifestations of grief and include insomnia, poor appetite and physical exhaustion. Herbs can help to promote relaxation and rest, and calm and soothe in times of grieving. Such herbs can include lemon balm, lemon verbena, passion flower, and chamomile to name a few. Vitamin B complex and a magnesium and calcium supplements can also be beneficial while grieving.

           As hard as it may seem, the grief must be acknowledged. If we repress this hopeless emotion we can become cold and rigid. Crying helps to free the heart and make room for love. By shedding tears, it helps to clean the wounds of loss. Don't discredit the importance and value of bereavement counseling. It can be very helpful to talk to someone who knows what you are going through. All else aside, be sure to nurture yourself in this painful period and hopefully with time you will find the piece of yourself that was lost.

Daily Herb-o-Scope - Don't Let the Bugs Bite

      With summer time approaching, the joy of the outdoors is upon us. Camping and hiking are just a few of the outdoor activities that I cannot live without. What I can live without are the mosquitoes that accompany the outdoor adventures. When I get bit by a mosquito my body has an allergic reaction to them. The bites swell up to the size of at least a golf ball, sometimes bigger and they itch and ache so bad. So for me it is imperative that I have a safe and effective bug repellent with me on my outdoor adventures.

      N-N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide, more commonly known as DEET, is the main ingredient in most commercial insect repellents. Many government agencies deem DEET safe; however, because compounds applies to the skin are readily absorbed into the bloodstream, DEET may not be as safe as we think. Once in the body, DEET affects the nervous system and can cause long term effects including seizures and death. One study done in rats showed that long term use of DEET killed brain cells. DEET isn’t the only pesticide in bug sprays. They are often a chemical cocktail of toxicity .These chemical bug repellents are especially toxic to the sensitive developing bodies of children. So why take the risk when there are other alternatives?

      The next question is “what are effective alternatives?” I’ve tried many options from store bought natural bug sprays to homemade ones, some working better than others. But what I’ve found to work the best is a homemade mixture including many essential oils. Bugs don’t like the smell of these essential oils and I will admit some smell better than others. Useful essential oils include: Lemon, Lemongrass, Clove bud, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Citronella, Orange, Rose Geranium, Lavender, Rosemary and Catnip. I find Catnip essential oil to be the most effective at repelling mosquitoes; however it is very expensive! To remedy this I make a tincture of catnip using 90-100% alcohol. At this strength the alcohol is able to pull out some of the essential oils. The base that I use is witch hazel extract. If the bugs do manage to make their way through the haze of essential oils that I spray on myself, the witch hazel extract helps to tame the itch and the inflammation. Here is the recipe I use:

·         4oz of witch hazel extract

·         90 drops of citronella essential oil

·         80 drops of eucalyptus essential oil

·         40 drops of lavender essential oil

·         30 drops of rosemary essential oil

·         20 drops of clove bud essential oil

·         10-15 drops of both lemon and lemongrass essential oil

·         4oz of catnip tincture

      Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle. I prefer to use many small glass spray bottles because the essential oils can eat away at plastic containers and the small ones are easy to store in your purse or backpack. Shake well before using. If you are missing some of the essential oils, substitute for others named above or just leave them out and increase the amount of other oils. Make sure that you use at least 4 different essential oils and be sure that citronella is one of them. Purchasing all of the essential oils can be expensive, but they will last a long time if you store them in a cool, dry place out of sunlight.

A few other tips:

• Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors, so stick to brighter colors
• Mosquitoes are attracted to an increase in carbon dioxide and lactic acid – so    be careful when you are exercising outside
• Mosquitoes like fruity and floral fragrances so be aware of the kind of soap, shampoo and other beauty products you use. 
•  Don’t give the mosquitoes that opportunity to eat you and wear long sleeves and pants in heavily infected areas.
• Try not to drink alcohol. Doing so adds sugar to our sweat making us tastier to mosquitoes.
• Eating garlic and Vitamin B has been said to help keep the blood sucking bugs away.
• Clear away any standing water around your home. This could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

      I hope everyone can now enjoy a mosquito free summer.

Daily Herb-o-Scope - Tea Tree Essential Oil

      The Tea Tree plant (Melaleuca alternifolia) yields an essential oil that is very valuable. It has antiseptic, expectorant, and immunostimulant properties that can be used in a wide variety of ways. But what I find most useful is its broad spectrum antimicrobial properties, protecting against bacteria, viruses and fungi. When applied topically it is excellent for wound healing. For adults, tea tree oil is one of few essential oils that can be applied directly to the skin for cuts and scrapes; however, do not use on babies and for children dilute the essential oil in a carrier oil (olive oil, almond oil, etc.) making a 1% solution. Several drops can also be added to a foot bath of half warm water and half white vinegar to help get rid of athlete’s foot, and when tea tree oil is applied directly to the fingernails or toenails twice a day it can help to get rid the nail of fungi.

      Due to tea tree oil’s expectorant), antimicrobial and immunostimulant properties, it can be a great treatment for all sorts of respiratory issues. I add a few drops of tea tree oil to a pot of boiling water and make a towel tent over my head, inhaling the vapors. This can be quiet beneficial and enjoyable, helping the body to cough up secretions and mucus that are stuck in the respiratory system. I recommend keeping your eyes closed while doing it and when the steam cools down use the pot of water as a foot bath.

      For me, the most benefit I get from tea tree essential oil is in my cleaning products. Its antimicrobial properties are a well needed addition to home-made cleaning products. It’s very simple to make an antiseptic soap spray. Fill a 16oz spray bottle with warm water. Add 3-5 tablespoons of castile soap and about 30 drops of tea tree essential oil. This spray can then be used to disinfect most surfaces and it is non-toxic (unlike most commercial cleaning products). I also like to Sprinkle several drop of tea tree directly on my sponges to help disinfect them.

      There are a few safety precautions to know about before you start using tea tree oil. First it’s non-toxic and non-irritating however some individuals may be allergic to it. So before using tea tree oil, do a small patch test to make sure you are not allergic. Put a small drop on the inside of your arm and if within an hour you notice irritation or redness, do not use tea tree oil. Keep out of the reach of children. Essential oils smell very pleasant, and if a child gets a hold of an essential oil and drinks it, it can be very dangerous and potentially fatal. Also do not take internally.  

      Tea tree oil is very close to me in my arsenal of effective home remedies and I hope you find it as invaluable as I do.