I am coming down with a headcold. When this happens, I usually have trouble sleeping for the first few days. I decided yesterday to try and do something about it. One of my brother-in-laws is a big fan of Valerian root, an herbal sedative, so I thought I would research it. I am very skeptical of “herbal” remedies in general, but there have been some respectable western trials with plenty of data listing possible drawbacks, so I read them and concluded that at worst it was unlikely to do me serious harm. Comes with the standard sedative warnings: No other sedatives, no drinking or driving, don't give to children or take while pregnant. Check. So at 9:30 last night I took a 450mg capsule, which is a bit less than the trial dosage of 600mg. By 12:30 I felt as if I had had two bedtime cups of coffee. I think I fell asleep at 3. There is a minority of people who react as if they have taken a stimulant, and sadly I am one of these. O well. Sleepytime tea for me.
Do beware of “herbal” remedies in general. There are many that have no western data, just relying on anecdotal eastern data. The husband of the gal that cuts my hair is selling a coffee with Ganoderma Lucidum extract in it. Eastern medicine loves this mushroom derivative, but western medicine hasn't really tested it yet so I'm going to pass.
1 comment:
I, too, have been skeptical of herbal remedies. I have also, however, been skeptical of the true healing power of over the counter drugs. Using your herbal remedy experience as an example - remedies (herbal or otherwise) work differently for different people - remedies touted as great for everyone don't necessarily work for everyone - they work for the majority of those who take them. In high school, I was stricken by a serious bout of bronchial pneumonia. My doctor prescribed for me a rather expensive cough suppresant containing codeine. It turned out that codeine, along with many other pain-releaving drugs, have little effect on me. What did work to suppress my coughing was an over the counter drug called dalsym (which, by the way, tastes horrible).
There is one "herbal supplement" that I will say works for me. Like my father, I have a hard time sleeping at night, but instead of taking sleeping pills to help me rest at night, I take a melotonin tablet. Instead of waking up three or more times per night, I wake up once or twice, and I'm more refreshed in the morning than if I didn't take it (and I can really tell on mornings when I didn't take it the night before).
Wifey has caught a bad cold from her co-workers, and I've started taking Airborne to keep from getting the same illness. I've used it before, and it really helps to stave off the cold before it gets a chance to set in.
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