Natural Remedies for Insomnia

I recently read a newspaper article discussing natural remedies for insomnia.

The article included several different recommendations: melatonin, valerian and hops. It went on to discuss each of the recommendations individually. I had no problem with the actual recommendations, although I have no personal experience with melatonin, so I do not recommend it's use. I use and recommend valerian and hops for occasional insomnia, and find them quite helpful. See my post at The Herbal List for more about Valerian and Hops.

I did have a problem when the article writer described melatonin as an" herbal remedy." While both valerian and hops are herbal remedies, melatonin is not. Melatonin is in fact a hormone, naturally produced in the pineal gland, which regulates the wake/sleep cycle, among other things. This is what makes it helpful in cases of insomnia. It is generally available as a synthetic supplement, sometimes derived from pineal glands of beef cattle.

While melatonin may be found in plants, it is at very low concentrations. There is no melatonin herb.