Napiers - Herb and Plant Remidies

Do you ever long for a good night’s sleep?

There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to sleep at night.  Most people will have periods in their life when they find sleep difficult, but for others it can turn into a long and stressful nightly battle and I want to share with you some of my top recommendations for helping break that cycle.

Before you start taking remedies for sleep problems I always recommend a few simple, practical steps to check off your list.

In winter it is important to make sure that your bedroom is not too warm at night. Getting too hot in bed may be causing you to wake up in the night.  Try turning off the radiators in the bedroom.  In the summer months lighter mornings trigger early wakening and it is important to make sure your bedroom is dark enough. Try a black out blind and heavy curtains, or if this is not possible use an eye mask.

If you find that all of this fails and you are still waking early then I recommend taking a nightly dose of Passiflora capsules for five consecutive nights to try and re-establish your sleep pattern. The common name passionflower comes from the supposed resemblance in the centre of the blossoms to the Crown of Thorns. As with many plants passionflower has been used medicinally for centuries.

Passionflower is considered to be mildly sedative, helping the body to relax. When people are stressed and tense, they often hold the tension in their shoulders, resulting in neck and shoulder pains, and here Passionflower can really help out.  I also recommend it to help manage restless leg syndrome.

In my practice I use it wherever there is stress and anxiety. Some problems such as menopause always have an element of stress involved, and menopause patients respond well to Passionflower.

Passionflower is the main ingredient of Sweet Dreams which is my sleep mix formulation. It’s an easy to use formula and a great alternative to capsules and tablets.

I find chamomile also works effectively as a bedtime tea for sleep. a cup of chamomile tea will help promote relaxation and help with sleep that night.

I also recommend using a lavender pillow inside your pillowcase; the lovely, calming scent of Lavender has a direct effect on your nervous system, aiding relaxation.

Wishing you the best of natural health

(posted Dec 2009)

Why is Echinacea so special?

Echinacea is possibly one of the best-known medicinal plants in the UK. From its humble origins in Eastern and mid-North America, this plant with its beautiful purple flowers has travelled and become an important part of all herbal dispensaries.

The story goes that the American Indians observed that Echinacea was effective against the bite of a rattlesnake, and that it is was eaten by elk that were sick or wounded. It was widely used by the American Indians and was adopted by the settlers. By the 1930s it had become a popular remedy in European herbal medicine.

Like many plant drugs, the medicinal actions of Echinacea can’t be attributed to one specific constituent, but rather to the complex interactions between all the ingredients.

The popularity of Echinacea has meant that it is one plant that has undergone a number of clinical trials. Echinacea has been shown to protect against a number of viruses and to improve the outcome when used to treat colds and flu. In 2007 a meta-analysis of 14 different clinical trials was published in The Lancet and it concluded that Echinacea reduced both the length and incidence of the common cold.

I am delighted to tell you that  Napiers new highly concentrated and potent Elixir of Echinacea is now available as a  Licensed Remedy. I have been using this formula with my patients and the combination of practitioner strength Echinacea with Indigo and Fumitory make this an important winter remedy. This traditional blend gives us the best practice of blending of herbs to create a synergistic formula that acts on the whole person. Practicing herbalists always use blends of herbs, and in my experience this is an exceptional formula.

I use Echinacea to treat all types of infection, especially where there is a bacterial or fungal element, for example in upper respiratory infections, where there is a possible bacterial infection. I have prescribed it for patients with sinus infections, catarrh, inner ear infections and bronchitis as well as to help boost immunity.

I also use Echinacea as a preventive measure when there are colds or a winter flu bug doing the rounds. I recommend patients and their families take it regularly as it does seem to help reduce susceptibility to infection.

I am also really delighted to tell you that at Napiers we are celebrating 150 years of herbal health!

We opened our first shop and clinic, in Bristo Place Edinburgh on 25 May 1860. In celebration we have put together a range of our herbal inspired treats in beautiful anniversary gift boxes to share the pleasure of giving.  We think they are fabulous, we hope you do too!

Wishing you the best of natural health   Dee

(posted Dec 2009)