I was wondering what everyone thought about some of the herbal sedatives out there, i.e what differences you found with them, subjectively. Here's my observations. I'll try to list them from the most sedating (hypnotic) to the mild:
HOPS: Definitely hypnotic, and the strongest herbal sedative i've tried, other than marijuana. This one is good for insomnia. Unlike many of the others, there was no euphoria whatesoever with this one, just a deep drowsiness and heaviness of the eyelids, and desire to SLEEP! The next day can be a little bit groggy. Contra-indicated if suffering depression.
VALERIAN: This one is also hypnotic at a moderate dose. There isn't any euphoria with this one either, but rather a pleasant floaty feeling. I found that lying in a dark room on valerian causes a sensation of floating in empty space. Usually feel very good the next day, although a few hours of grogginess is possible if the dose is too high.
PASSIONFLOWER: Can be great as a sleep aid, but i don't find it really makes me sleepy, unless i'm already tired. It does cause definite relaxation. It increases sweating and imbues a fuzzy sense of well-being. When trying to sleep on sufficient doses of this one, it can feel as though one is sleeping in a soft cloud...there is a type of softness that affects the nerves of the limbs. At one point, i described it as being in a teddy bear suit (but without the sufficating heat, of course). Very nice, one of my favourites to drink both during the day or at night.
CHAMOMILE:Chamomile's reputation precedes it, so i'll only say it's one of the best herbs i've found for digestive problems related to stress. May increase gas as digestive improves. It can cause sleepiness in some people, but mostly if you are already tired.
CATNIP: Has perhaps one of the strongest anti-depressant/euphoriant effect of any sedative herbs i've tried. Once again, it increases sweating quite noticeably. This one can also cause a slight relaxing buzz in the limbs and behind the neck. Won't usually cause drowsiness.
MOTHERWORT: Similarly mild as catnip in it's sedative strength. It increases sweating, and has mood-stabilizing effects which seem weaker, or less euphoric than catnip's. Comforting nonetheless. Reputed to be a good heart tonic.
LEMON BALM: It's hard to find good lemon balm, apparently, but good stuff should make you sweat and have an anti-depressant effect similar to catnip. It's not really a sedative at all, more of a relaxing nervine.
LAVENDER: Lavender works partially in the brain due to it's soothing smell. It is mildly relaxing, with slight anti-depressant effects, without so much sweating.
The one thing to note about all this is that the herbs that make you sweat from this list also often have the strongest anti-depressant effect. Does St. John's Wort tea ALSO increase sweating?? Something to look into...
Cheers
Valerian is an excellent sedative. Like you suggested, RD, sometimes a bit TOO excellent, in that it might-- depending on the dose and the person--- cause a sleepiness hangover the next day. But works the best of any other herbal I've tried.
Chamomile works rather well as a sleep aid--- I'm drinking a tea blend based on chamomile right now. In fact, it also includes hops and lemon balm, and it works rather well. But I should point out that chamomile is a not-all-that-uncommon allergen for many folks. So if you're interested using chamomile, best to start slow and low to make sure you won't have any problems.
Not herbal, but diphenhydramine works pretty well, too. Also not herbal is melatonin. Works for me in really small doses (0.75 mg), but larger doses can cause grogginess in the morning. One last non-herbal (but herbally derived) is 5-HTP (or the related tryptophan)--- works like a charm. But definitely can cause a hangover, depending on the dose and the person.
Also not herbal, but a couple of glasses of red wine works incredibly well, too. Something about histamines in the wine, I'm told.
i agree on the catnip, i like it, it seems more of a head stone effect for me, creates menatl relaxation and a nice glow of euphoria, nice to get to sleep if youve got a lot on your mind, turns off the lil voice for me..
anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is really nice also, provides a heavy body stone, making your body feel heavy.especially good if you feel restless and cant get to sleep,also a nice relaxant, lets u sit nice n still. makes a great combo with catnip to make ya nice n relaxed all over.
californian poppy is a nice herb, makes me feel very euphoric, kinda like a weak but different poppy buzz.. make you real relaxed and settled.. always puts a smile on my dial. good for times when u need to relax to get to sleep
prickly poppy, only ever tried it once, rite befor bed, made me less hed stones but still feeling dopey, woke up bit later with lotsa sweat and feeling really lost and confused, jus generally out of it, not as nice mellow feeling, felt really groggy aswell really needed to go back to sleep, felt ok in the morning.
nettle, didnt notice much except a greneral numbness, took the edge off getting to sleep, nothing huge noticed tho
skullcap, eases the mental aspect, can make me sleepy, my ex complained when i gave her some for a hedache she got real sleepy, mostly i find its a good headache treatment for me
kava kava, kratom, and I hear blue water lilly but haven't tried it.
kava is the most potent one in my experience.
worlds of difference between kava extracts, and ground kava root. the extracts have never had much effect for me, while the root itself can prove to be offly intense.
What about a fatty of canibal saliva?
Mugwort and garden sage seem to also be of value. One tried wormwood also, but that was a little too strong. It gave one that cloudy headedness the next day.