8 remedies for insomnia from folk medicinal plants

Prolonged insomnia can lead to severe weakness, chronic insomnia reduces quality of life, causes fatigue, reduced concentration, reduced memory, severely affecting the patient's life.

Below are some simple folk remedies that are easy to apply at home to help patients improve their sleep.

1. Lotus heart (Lotus heart, lotus seed heart - Embryo Nelumbinis)

Lotus heart is the young sprout inside the lotus seed, dark green in color. Phytochemical studies have studied and proven to contain active ingredients such as bisclaurin, betus, isoliensinine, liensinine, lotusine, motylcon, neferine, paline...

With these active ingredients, lotus heart works to relax smooth muscle in blood vessel walls to help lower blood pressure, prevent arrhythmia, inhibit platelet aggregation to prevent blood clotting, and improve myocardial ischemia.

How to use:

- Method 1: Boil 10g lotus heart with 100 ml boiling water for 10 - 15 minutes, strain, drink before going to bed.

- Method 2: Lotus heart 8g, Licorice 6g, Black beans 12g, Chinese clematis seed 12g, Cassia seed 10g. Boil with 500ml of water, reduce to 300ml, drink 2 times/day.

Note: Do not use fresh lotus heart for people who have symptoms of cold fear, cold hands and feet, poor appetite, and loss of appetite.

2. Erythrina variegata L.

The dried leaves of the vông nem tree are neutral, bitter, and help calm the nerves.

How to use:

- Method 1: Dry the leaves of the Acacia auriculiformis plant, chop them, put them in a pot, boil them and drink like tea every day before going to bed.

- Method 2: 16g of acacia leaves, 10g of roasted black jujube seeds, 5g of roasted lotus seeds. Steep with 1000 ml of boiling water, add 2-3 fresh jasmine flowers, drink like tea every day.

- Method 3: 13g of Acacia leaves, 15g of passionflower, 2g of lotus heart, 10g of mulberry leaves. Boil with boiling water, drink like tea every day before going to bed.

3. Passionflower (Passiflora foetida L.)

It is the dried above-ground part of the passionflower plant. It has a sweet, slightly bitter taste and a cooling effect. It has sedative properties and is used to treat nervous breakdown, heart palpitations, and sleepiness.

How to use:

- Method 1: Drink 15g of dried passionflower instead of tea every day.

- Method 2: 50g passionflower, 30g vông leaves, 10g mulberry leaves, 2g lotus seed heart. Boil with 700 ml of water, reduce to 200 ml, divide into 2 doses/day.

- Method 3: Passionflower (roots, young fruit, vines and leaves) 500g, morning glory flowers 300g, young bitter melon leaves 100g. Roast to remove soil, with 50g green beans with skin, roast until cooked, grind finely. Mix 3 teaspoons with 100ml boiling water every day, drink instead of tea every day.

4. Longan (Arillus Longan)

Longan pulp, after harvesting, is dried in the sun and oven. Longan contains: adenine, choline, glucose, sucrose (Chinese medicine); protein, tartaric acid, fat, vitamins A, B.

Longan has a sweet taste and warm properties. It helps nourish the heart and spleen, nourish the blood and calm the nerves, and treat loss of appetite, excessive anxiety, forgetfulness, palpitations, insomnia, spontaneous sweating, and fear.

How to use:

- Method 1: Boil 100g of fresh longan pulp with 200 ml, drink before going to bed every day.

- Method 2: 30g longan, 30g astragalus, 30g poria, 15g atractylodes macrocephala, 3g jujube seed, 15g ginseng, 8g licorice, 3g angelica, 3g polygala. The longer the wine is soaked, the better. Drink 1-2 small cups every day before meals.

5. Semen Ziziphi mauritianae

Is the dried or dried ripe seed of the sour apple (Chinese apple). The chemical composition of the apple seed contains alkaloids that can affect the nervous system, affect mood and relaxation, and have antibacterial or anti-inflammatory effects. In addition, sour apple seed also contains many other substances, including: vitamins, minerals and other compounds that can support health.

Apple seeds are neutral, sour and sweet in taste, have the effect of nourishing the liver, calming the mind, stopping sweating, and stimulating the heart; treating heart palpitations, depression, insomnia, fatigue, weakness, and excessive sweating.

How to use:

- Method 1: 8g black-roasted jujube seed, 4g licorice, 8g poria, 8g betel nut. Boil and drink twice a day.

- Method 2: 6g black-roasted jujube seed, 5g white poria, 3g ligusticum wallichii, 4g trichosanthes root, 2g licorice. Boil together 500 ml, reduce to 200 ml, divide into 2 doses/day.

6. Stephania rotundaLour

In the tubers of the betel tree, it has been proven and extracted that the active ingredient Rotudin has sedative effects, calms the nerves, regulates the cardiovascular system, and prevents coronary spasms.

The root of the betel nut is cool, has a bitter and sweet taste, helps calm the nerves and clear the lungs.

How to use:

- Method 1: 8g of betel root, 10g of lotus seeds, 10g of longan, 10g of roasted jujube seeds, 12g of vông leaves. Boil and drink twice before going to bed.

- Method 2: Dry the betel root, use 3-6g and boil with 1000 ml of water for 20-25 minutes. Drink instead of tea every day.

7. Mulberry (Fructus Mori albae)

Mulberry fruit, ripe red of the mulberry tree (Vietnamese mulberry), has a warm nature, sweet taste, slightly sour. Uses: clears heat, nourishes yin, nourishes blood, laxative, relieves constipation; treats dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia, rapid heartbeat, thirst, constipation,...

How to use: 60g fresh strawberries, wash, boil with 500ml warm water. Drink twice a day in the afternoon and evening. If you have long-term insomnia, use: 15g vine fruit, 15g rehmannia root, 15g white peony root. Boil with 700ml water, reduce to 200ml, divide into 2 times/day.

8. Mimosa pudica L.

Modern medicine has researched and shown that the ingredients of the Mimosa pudica plant have many compounds that can improve the central nervous system to work more effectively, reduce fatigue and stress. At the same time, prolong sleep by enhancing biphasic activity. From there, help sleep last longer, sleep deeper and sleep better.

How to use:

- Method 1: Wash the mimosa root, cut it into small pieces and dry it. Boil the dried mimosa root with 1 liter of water until it reduces to about 200ml, then turn off the stove and divide into 2 drinks per day.

- Method 2: Dry the mimosa flower, use about 1 teaspoon steeped in a little boiling water, drink before going to bed at night, use mimosa to treat insomnia continuously for about 1 week to see clear results in improving sleep.

In addition, in traditional medicine there are many methods to help treat insomnia and improve the quality of life of patients such as: acupuncture, acupressure massage, thread implantation, health exercises, foot baths.