FEBRUARY 2026: PLANT LORE STUDY GROUP: BOTANICAL RELAXANTS: HERBS FOR SLEEP

The February Study group meets in Oakland, Tennessee on February 28, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. Study Group materials cost $10.00 and include Sleep Support Foot Massage Oil.

To attend the Plant Lore Study Group: email Ginger Winn at irish0072@aol.com and request to attend the group sessions.

Relaxant herbs are a category of plants that calm the nervous system, and ease stress, anxiety, and insomnia by promoting relaxation, reducing muscle tension, and improving sleep quality.

Sleep: a normal body process that allows the body and brain to rest. The body cycles between being awake and asleep throughout each day, with certain processes only happening during sleep, and it is a time when the body “powers down” and most body systems, including the brain become less active. Key things that happen during sleep include energy conservation and storage, self-repair and recovery, and brain maintenance.

How much sleep do I need? Sleep is variable from person to person, the way that people sleep and how much they need can vary widely, and the number of hours of sleep needed can change during a lifetime.

Recommended sleep amounts by age are:

·        Newborns: birth to 2 months: 12 to 18 hours including naptime.

·        Infants: 3 months to 11 months: 14 to 15 hours including naptime.

·        Toddlers: 1 to 3 years: 12 to 14 hours including naptime.

·        Preschoolers: ages 3 to 5: 11 to 13 hours including naptime.

·        School-aged children: ages 5 to 10: 10 to 11 hours.

·        Teenagers: ages 11 to 17: 8-1/2 to 9-1/2 hours.

·        Adults: 18 and older: 7 to 9 hours.

Stages of Sleep: there is still detectable brain activity during sleep, and that activity has predictable patterns. The stages of sleep fall broadly into two categories which are rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep.

·        Stage 1: NREM Sleep: is the lightest stage of sleep that occurs right after falling asleep. This stage usually lasts only a few minutes and makes up about 5% of total sleep time.

·        Stage 2: NREM Sleep: is still light sleep that is deeper than stage 1. During this stage, brain waves slow down and have noticeable pauses between short and powerful bursts of electrical activity. Those bursts are the brain organizing memories and information from time spent awake. This stage accounts for about 45% of total sleep time and is the most time of any stage. During sleep, there are multiple rounds of stage 2 sleep, and usually, each one is longer than the last.

·        Stage 3: NREM Sleep: is the deepest stage of NREM sleep and it makes up about 25% of total sleep time in adults. Babies and children need more stage 3 sleep, and the older you get, the less you need. In stage 3, brain waves are slow but strong and the body takes advantage of this very deep sleep stage to repair injuries and reinforce the immune system. The same bursts of brain activity that happen in stage 2 can also happen in stage 3, and brain waves specific to stage 3 help regulate those bursts. Stage 3 NREM sleep is needed in order to wake up feeling rested. Without enough stage 3 sleep, a tired and drained feeling happens even if you slept for a long time. That’s why the body automatically tries to get as much stage 3 sleep into the sleep cycle as early as possible. Because stage 3 NREM sleep is so deep, it’s hard to wake someone up from it. If they do wake up, they’ll probably have “sleep inertia,” a state of confusion or “mental fog” that lasts about 30 minutes.

·        Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep: is the stage of sleep where most dreams happen. Its name comes from how the eyes move behind the eyelids while dreaming. During REM sleep, brain activity looks very similar to brain activity during the waking hours. REM sleep makes up about 25% of total sleep time, and the first REM cycle of a sleep period is typically the shortest, around 10 minutes. Each one that follows is longer than the last, and can be up to an hour.

Sleep Disorders: are conditions that disrupt sleep or wakefulness.

·        Central disorders such as narcolepsy.

·        Circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders such as jet lag or shift work sleep disorder.

·        Insomnia which disrupts how we feel and function.

·        Parasomnias such as walking, talking, or physical movements during sleep.

·        Sleep-disordered breathing such as sleep apnea.

·        Sleep-related movement disorders like restless leg syndrome.

Sleep Disorders of Stages 1 and 2 NREM Sleep:

·        Sleep myoclonus such as starts or twitches.

·        Exploding head syndrome (EHS) hearing sudden and loud noises during sleep.

·        Bruxism or teeth grinding.

·        Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD).

Sleep Disorders of Stage 3 NREM Sleep:

·        Night terrors.

·        Somnambulism or sleepwalking.

·        Confusional arousals or partial waking with sleep inertia and brain fog.

·        Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD).

·        Sleep-related eating disorder.

Disorders of REM Sleep:

·        Nightmares and nightmare disorder.

·        REM sleep behavior disorder or acting out dreams during sleep.

·        Hypnagogic Hallucinations:  things are seen, heard, or felt that aren’t there.

·        Hypnopompic Hallucinations: dreamlike and happen between sleep and waking.

Herbal Relaxants Fall into Two Categories:

Herbal Sedatives: calm the central nervous system, slow down brain activity, reduce anxiety and agitation, and alleviate tension by enhancing the effects of neurotransmitters such as GABA and serotonin.

Sedative Herbs:

·        Catnip: a gentle and calming relaxant herb for insomnia that is safe for kids and the elderly. Catnip can be used to ease anxiety associated with restlessness and irritability. When used as a tea or tincture, catnip supports the nervous system and releases tension from the body. To dose as a tincture, use ½ to a gull dropper up to 3 times daily in water. To dose as a tea, drink 1 cup before bedtime.

·        Chamomile: contains apigenin, an antioxidant that promotes sleepiness and reduces insomnia. Do not use in those with a ragweed allergy. Drink 1 cup before bedtime.

·        Hops: contain phytochemicals that have sedative effects, support relaxation, induce sleepiness, and improve sleep quality. Hops should be dosed as 1 dropper of tincture 30 minutes before bedtime.

·        Lavender: a calming herb that contains linalool and camphor that have sedative actions on the brain and nervous system. Lavender can be used to reduce agitation and restlessness, and improve the quality of sleep. It can also be used as aromatherapy without the side effects that prescription sleep medications can cause. Drink 1 cup of lavender tea at bedtime, rub lavender oil on the bottoms of the feet before bedtime, or diffuse lavender oil in a water diffuser during sleep.

·        Lemon Balm: supports the production of the GABA neurotransmitter that helps control the body’s response to stress, and relieves nervousness, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Drink 1 cup of tea before bedtime.

·        Oat Tops: also known as milky oats, oat tops are a very gentle tonic herb that supports the nervous system, reduces fatigue, and helps those who are overworked and rely on caffeine for energy. Drink 1-2 cups per day.

·        Skullcap: a gentle herb that nourishes the nervous system, and relieves occasional tension and stress, ruminating thoughts, and nervousness. It can be used on an as needed basis during daily stressful situations or at night before bed to calm worries.

·        Blue Vervain: Valerian: a nervous system tonic herb that promotes a sense of calm, supports relaxation and restful sleep, and improves sleep quality.

Herbal Hypnotics: are stronger than herbal sedatives, induce a deep and healing state of sleep, have mild muscle relaxing properties, have volatile oils that ease psychological tension, and have a strong alkaloid content that works directly on the nervous system. Some of the most effective hypnotics are illegal including a wide range of opium poppy derivatives. These herbs should always be used within the context of an overall approach to sleep problems involving relaxation techniques, food choices, and lifestyle.

Hypnotic Herbs:

·        California Poppy: rich in calming properties, California poppy has nervous system relaxant, sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, bitter, diuretic, and antispasmodic actions that hasten sleep onset, alleviates nighttime waking, promotes relaxation, and balances GABA and glutamate neurotransmitter activity. Its hypnotic effects are similar to the opium poppy but are milder and non-addictive. Do not use during pregnancy and lactation. Use as a tincture dosed as 10-20 drops in 1-ounce of water 1-3 times daily.

·        Jamaican Dogwood: a nervous system relaxant with sedative, hypnotic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, bitter, and antispasmodic actions that is used for spasm and associated pain of uterus and skeletal muscle, insomnia, dysmenorrhea with associated nervous and/or musculoskeletal tension, migraine headaches and neuralgia. Jamaican dogwood is effective for pain, general distress, inflammatory fever, rheumatism, spasmodic cough, bronchitis, intestinal colic, gall-stone colic, renal colic, labor pains, facial neuralgia, ovarian neuralgia, sleeplessness, delirium, and toothache. It can also be used to ease muscle spasms and cramps of nervous origin.

·        Kava Kava: a potent sedative and sleep-promoting herb with a potential for liver and neurological toxicity with long-term use. It is only recommended for short-term use in cases of generalized anxiety disorder.

·        Wild Lettuce: contains lactucarium, a milky fluid that has sedative and analgesic properties.

·        Passionflower: has antispasmodic, sedative, hypnotic, hypotensive, vasodilator, cardiotonic, bitter, diuretic, anti-depressant, nervine relaxant, anxiolytic, and analgesic actions that relieve general tension and restlessness, supports restful sleep, aids with relaxation, has antispasmodic properties that ease tight and tense muscles, has anodyne properties that alleviate nerve pains, and has gentle sedative properties for those who need extra help winding the body and mind down before bed. Passionflower works against anxiety by naturally promoting GABA, a neurotransmitter responsible for a calm state. One small study found that this herb worked just as well as a benzodiazepine such as Xanax when targeting anxiety, only it did not have the negative side effects associated with the pharmaceutical.

·        Valerian: a nervous system relaxant with hypnotic, hypotensive, anxiolytic, analgesic, antibiotic, expectorant, bitter, carminative, sedative, paradoxical stimulant, antispasmodic, and emmenagogue actions that is one of the most relaxing nervines available for herbal medicine. Valerian can be used safely to reduce tension, anxiety, and overexcitable states, aid in insomnia, and produce a natural healing sleep. As an antispasmodic, valerian has a muscle relaxing effect on smooth and skeletal muscles, and will aid in the relief of cramping, neuralgias and intestinal colic, and as a pain reliever, it is used for pain associated with tension, such as in migraines. Valerian carries no risk of dependency and does not affect mental concentration.