Donum ∞ Dei

😴 Medicinal Plants for Sleep Problems

Herbal sleep remedies work differently from synthetic ones: they do not force sleep but lower the inner tension that sleeplessness grows from. That is why valerian only takes effect after two to four weeks of regular use — a single cup on a bad evening achieves little. Lemon balm, hops, lavender and passionflower belong to the same group.

31 plants from our database are traditionally associated with Sleep Problems – each with a profile, active compounds, safety notes and sources. Poisonous and legally controlled species are deliberately left out of this list; they remain reachable through the search and the plant index.

These plants are traditionally used for the listed conditions. Not medical advice — consult a doctor or pharmacist for persistent symptoms.

Photo of Lavandula angustifolia
Lavandula angustifolia
Lavandula angustifolia

Calming tea for restlessness and mild difficulty falling asleep.

Photo of Valerian (herb)
Valerian (herb)
Valeriana officinalis

Standardised valerian root dry extract for relief of mild nervous tension and sleeplessness — EMA main indication (well-established use).

Photo of Humulus lupulus
Humulus lupulus
Humulus lupulus

Traditional calming and sleep-aid remedy for nervous restlessness and mild sleep disorders.

Hand-coloured botanical plate of passionflower with flower, tendrils and lobed leaves from Curtis's Botanical Magazine
Passionflower
Passiflora incarnata

Calming tea for nervous restlessness and as a gentle aid to falling asleep.

Photo of Primula veris
Primula veris
Primula veris

Traditional use for nervousness, weather-related headaches and mild sleep onset issues (Commission E gave a negative monograph due to lack of clini…

Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) with leaves and red berries in calyx husks
Ashwagandha
Withania somnifera

A meta-analysis of randomized trials found a small but significant effect on sleep, more pronounced in diagnosed insomnia and use for at least 8 we…

Brilliant orange flowers of the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) with finely divided blue-green foliage.
California poppy
Eschscholzia californica

Traditional tea from the herb to relieve mild symptoms of mental stress and as a gentle sleep aid.

Photo of Galium odoratum
Galium odoratum
Galium odoratum

Infusion of dried herb (1–2 g per cup) for nervousness, sleep disturbances, and tension headaches.

Photo of Hypericum perforatum
Hypericum perforatum
Hypericum perforatum

Traditional use as a supportive treatment for nervous restlessness and associated difficulties in falling asleep.

Photo of Lemon balm
Lemon balm
Melissa officinalis

Classic calming tea — relieves mild stress symptoms, inner restlessness, and aids sleep.

Historic botanical plate of black cohosh (Cimicifuga/Actaea racemosa) showing the rhizome, divided leaves and long white flower raceme, from John Torrey's Flora of the State of New-York (1843)
Black cohosh
Actaea racemosa

Main use: relief of menopausal complaints such as hot flushes, increased sweating, sleep disorders and nervous irritability.

Photo of Lettuce
Lettuce
Lactuca sativa var. crispa

In German and European folk medicine of the 18th and 19th centuries, a mild infusion of the bitter milky sap (lettuce opium, Latin lactucarium) fro…

Photo of Salvia elegans
Salvia elegans
Salvia elegans

In Mexican folk medicine, Salvia elegans (locally 'mirto' / 'mirto de monte') is a classical tea herb for anxiety, nervous restlessness, stress and…

Photo of Aloysia citrodora
Aloysia citrodora
Aloysia citrodora

Infusion of dried leaves (1–2 tbsp per 250 ml boiling water, steep 10 min) for relief of mild symptoms of mental stress, sleep difficulties, and mi…

Photo of Basil
Basil
Ocimum basilicum

Aromatherapeutically, fresh leaves or the essential oil are used for exhaustion, migraine, insomnia and mild respiratory irritation.

Photo of Vanilla planifolia
Vanilla planifolia
Vanilla planifolia

In folk practice, a small piece of vanilla pod or ½ teaspoon of scraped vanilla seed paste is stirred into hot milk or water and drunk as a calming…

Reddish-brown, glossy fan-shaped fruiting body of reishi (Ganoderma lingzhi).
Reishi / Lingzhi
Ganoderma lingzhi

Alcoholic or dual extract (water plus alcohol) of the fruiting body, taken to capture both the water-soluble polysaccharides and the alcohol-solubl…

Photo of Papaver rhoeas
Papaver rhoeas
Papaver rhoeas

Folk medicinal use of common poppy petals as a mild sleep and calming tea.

Photo of Tilia cordata
Tilia cordata
Tilia cordata

Traditional relaxing bath for nervous restlessness and sleep problems.

Photo of Tilia platyphyllos
Tilia platyphyllos
Tilia platyphyllos

Traditional relaxing bath for nervous restlessness and sleep difficulties.

Photo of Dill
Dill
Anethum graveolens

Fresh dill herb in cooking — mildly carminative and known in folk medicine as a gentle nervine with mild sleep-promoting properties.

Photo of Oat
Oat
Avena sativa

Green oat tincture as a traditional nervine tonic — folk use for exhaustion, restlessness, mild sleep disturbance; scientific evidence currently in…

Photo of Crataegus monogyna
Crataegus monogyna
Crataegus monogyna

Folk calming and sleep tea from hawthorn flowers — mild nervine, often blended with lemon balm or valerian.

Photo of Lettuce
Lettuce
Lactuca sativa var. capitata

Lettuce contains small amounts of the sesquiterpene lactones lactucin and lactucopicrin in its milky sap — the same bitter compounds concentrated i…

Photo of catnip
Catnip
Nepeta cataria

Tea from flowering aerial parts has a mildly sedative and nervine action.

Photo of Ocimum tenuiflorum
Ocimum tenuiflorum
Ocimum tenuiflorum

A placebo-controlled double-blind trial (Lopresti et al.

Anise plant with white umbel flowers
Anise
Pimpinella anisum

Folk evening use as mildly calming tea.

Photo of Hyacinthus orientalis
Hyacinthus orientalis
Hyacinthus orientalis

Classic spring ornamental for pot and garden: Hyacinthus orientalis has been the most important fragrant bulb ornamental in Europe since the late 1…

Photo of Onion
Onion
Allium cepa

Freshly cut onion as bedside inhalation for blocked nose and cold: a halved onion on the night-stand is a folk remedy said to ease nocturnal breath…

Photo of Dracaena trifasciata
Dracaena trifasciata
Dracaena trifasciata

When kept as a houseplant, the snake plant filters formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene from indoor air.

Panax ginseng (Asian ginseng) with leaves and red berries
Asian ginseng
Panax ginseng

Asian ginseng is a perennial woodland plant of the ginseng family, native to the shady mountain forests of Korea, north-eastern China and the Russi…

Different concern? All complaints at a glance · all plants

DEENFRESBG