Mixing relaxation herbs - any tips/things to be wary of, or avoid?

[gtarman]

Hey all. So in my pursuit of sedation and sleep I'm thinking of trying out some new plants, and in mixing certain plants together in the hope of compounding their effects (because, of the ones I've tried, most on their own don't really pack enough of a punch).

So I'm thinking of mixing a tea, out of:

Skullcap

Passionflower

Chamomile

Mulungu

...possibly also some Valerian.

Mulungu is the only one of the lot that I haven't tried yet, so I think I'm gonna try that on it's own first and then perhaps try mixing all of the above together and drinking a tea of the mix. Just wondering if anyone with experience mixing herbs can tell me if there's anything I should watch out for, or if there's a particular method to choosing plants that complement eachother etc.

Cheers

Gman

Edited August 24, 2014 by gtarman

[Foo]

Goods mix. I recommend hops in combo with any of those.

While fresh is best. Ive had some decent sedation with dried ones from online.

Also cali poppy is very good for sedation.

Are you smoking or making tea from these? Ive always favored tea with all of the above.

Interested to hear how the mulungu goes, never tried it myself.

[Yawning Man]

I've found Californian popp y to be an awesome herb to relax with. Also helps with sleep. Yeah I use herbs as tea because the smoke is just to harsh.

The happy herbs store have a products called mellow yellow. That stuff is amazing. 15-20 mins after having some I'm fighting to stay awake.

They also list the ingredients so you could try and make your own if you wanted to.

Cheers

[rigger]

Hey Mate,

I have used Mulungu, at first I was convinced it was working but over time I found it had little effect despite making strong tea. This doesn't mean it won't work for you. I have had no luck with lemon balm, hops, California poopy or valerian. Chamomile can be helpful if anxiety is the issue.

regarding your sleep some people find a relaxation sounds played through a phone/headphones helpful. You tube has heaps. streams, waves, rain, wind whichever you find soothing. It can sometimes help relax the mind more than dead silence.

Good luck Gtarman. I have suffered from insomnia for 23 years. it can be difficult to manage at times.

[☽Ţ ҉ĥϋηϠ₡яღ☯ॐ€ðяئॐ♡Pϟiℓℴϟℴ]

i smoked a bay leaf once.. bout knocked me the fk out,, wdn do it again..

beware of japanese honey suckle ... learned that one the hard way too

[planthelper]

g man, in the other tread you say it's terminal insomnia, that would mean you have, less a problem falling asleep, than staying asleep for more than 5h.

this means, imho, that nothing of the above will help, because the effects of those herbs, would have worn off, during your 5h of sleep.

I think you have bipolar, it perfectly fits your symtoms.

treat the bipolar with herbs or pharmas....

[gtarman]

Cheers PH. I'm quite sure that I don't have bipolar though...I've been tested for it a couple times and the docs said that I definitely didn't have it. Plus I'd probably have many other symptoms than this if that were the case. And even these symptoms have only been a more recent development that correspond quite closely with a recent ambush of stressors in my life.

My interests in sedation and with the above is just to combat the stress which I'm pretty sure is the culprit here. If I go to bed calm and relaxed....the thing with sleep for me is once I get good quality sleep going, it tends to keep going. But when the baseline is stressed I'm noticing that my body just opts for the bare minimum of sleep because it's in survival mode and it doesn't think sleep is a priority beyond the bare minimum.

[LokStok]

ok, so in the OP your talking about wanting sedation & sleep, but if if you want a herbal to deal with stress (baseline) perhaps look at a good adaptogen. ie. a strong Krishna Tulsi strain, grow it and make tea from the fresh leaves & flowers.

[Anodyne]

Some of the actives in valerian are quite volatile, so it's best to avoid heat for a stronger brew. Maybe make a tea outta the other stuff, then add valerian after it cools, then strain?

Or just prepare it separately - a longer soak is probably better (I've seen recommendations for overnight or longer), but I find 20-30min in cool water works just fine (note: this is using dried ground root).

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

You can add valerian to a nice shamboiling session to enhance the body stone. I find it doesn't go much on it's own tho..!

[C_T]

for sleep you want a hypnotic not a sedative.

for things like restless legs or other movement disorders that wake you up, medicine uses sedatives.

but sedatives also depress your breathing, which may give rise to more sleep disorders.

[gtarman]

*strangles everybody*

I know the difference between a sedative and a hypnotic. Geez can't a guy self-medicate around here

[gtarman]

Sorry. I shouldn't strangle anybody really...lack of sleep. But yeah I think the whole "adaptogen" thing is hogwash, while I'm being a blunt prick.

[LokStok]

Sorry. I shouldn't strangle anybody really...lack of sleep. But yeah I think the whole "adaptogen" thing is hogwash, while I'm being a blunt prick.

well, you should just stick to your guns on that then, no matter what the cost.

[etherealdrifter]

*strangles everybody*

I know the difference between a sedative and a hypnotic. Geez can't a guy self-medicate around here

well, you should just stick to your guns on that then, no matter what the cost.

to possess the ability to agree to disagree is quite a noble quality.......logical thought and expression of a sound argument would never see the time of day otherwise.hopefully borne of this would be a useful outcome for the op.

[lofty86]

try drinking some fresh Amarillo hops, dont waste your time smoking it- does nothing, but 5grms in a tea gets me pretty slugish. and be carefull with that mellow yellow from happy herb shop yawning man, i know they say its "all natural" and list supposed ingredients but as some may recall there "all natural" party pill neon was pulled for containing synthetic cannabinoids and there "all natural" cherry pop was nothing more than cherry flavoured dry cough forte medicine with a little caffiene thrown in. dont get me wrong they have some great natural products to, but id take any label from that franchise with a grain of salt lol