Stop insomniac medication with the help of plants
updated the 13 August 2015 à 18:14To get rid of sleeping pills once and for all, you can count on some active plants which help to break the habit and limit anxiety.
“To be successful in weaning sleeping pills, the most effective is to combine behavioral therapy, relaxation therapy, acupuncture or hypnosis with a substance that helps to break the habit of the drug,” said Didier Le Bail, naturopath*.
WHICH PLANTS ARE USED TO WEAN SLEEPING PILLS?
The recommended flora is kudzu, a plant from the Chinese pharmacopoeia known for its effectiveness in aiding addictions to alcohol and tobacco. Consumption of 1200-1800mg per day of root powder, in capsules, is recommended. Begin to take kudzu one to two weeks before reducing medications.
Easier to find and best known by French doctors and pharmacists, valerian also aids counseling and limits nighttime awakenings due to anxiety. “It can be associated with Escholtzia for its the sedative effects, with 50ml of standardized plant extracts (EPS) of each, and consume 2 teaspoons, at bedtime,” suggests Alain Giraud, a relaxation therapist trained in herbal medicine**.
In gemmotherapy, linden bud is good medicine for the withdrawal. It’s associated with the fig tree bud for its anxiolytic side. They are used preferably in the form of concentrated macerate in order to consume less alcohol for an equally effective dose. We can then begin to slowly lower the sleeping pills, under the advice of the doctor. “There is no imperative to respect, in terms of time or dosage. It pauses as soon as one does not feel alone, and if one needs to keep a reduced dose for reassurance, why not,” says Dr. Olivier Coste, somnologist.
*Author of Easy and Delicious Recipes with Coconut Oil … for the health of your brain! (ed. Mosaic-Health).
**alain-giraud.com
Maureen Diament and Nur Syazana H.
