ACT：草药常用来治疗失眠，但安全和疗效仍需评估

大约三分之一的美国人遭受着长期睡眠不足(chronic sleep deprivation)的痛苦，还有10-15%的美国人患有慢性失眠(hronic insomnia)。睡眠紊乱能够深刻地影响一个人的人生，并且与包括肥胖症、抑郁症、焦虑症和炎症性疾病在内的一系列疾病相关联。根据一项发表在Alternative and Complementary Therapies期刊上的一篇综述性论文，非处方草药(over-the-counter herbal remedy)经常被用来治疗失眠，但是令人吃惊的是，很少人研究过它们的疗效。

人们每晚需要良好的恢复性睡眠来生理健康和心理健康到最佳状态，但是很多因素能够破坏睡眠时间表和危害睡眠质量。在题为“Sleep... Naturally: A Review of the Efficacy of Herbal Remedies for Managing Insomnia”的论文中，作者们开展因特网和电子数据库搜索来找出关于草药疗法方面的文献，其中包括缬草(valerian)、啤酒花(hops)、卡法椒(kava-kava)、洋甘菊(chamomile)和圣约翰草(St. John's wort)在内的草药经常被用来控制失眠。他们发现很少有发表的科学研究报道这些草药的治疗潜力和安全性能，而且一些研究结果要么是不确定的，要么就是自相矛盾的。

论文作者们作出结论，考虑到自然管理策略能够给患有失眠的病人带来益处，人们还需进一步开展研究来评估草药作为治疗试剂的疗法和安全。

本文编译自Efficacy of herbal remedies for managing insomnia

doi: 10.1089/act.2012.18310
PMC:
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Sleep... Naturally: A Review of the Efficacy of Herbal Remedies for Managing Insomnia

Josefine Antoniades, Craig Hassed

Aim: The aim of this article is to review identified literature on the effectiveness of commonly used herbal remedies for insomnia. Methods: A search of the internet and electronic databases was conducted. Results: Fourteen herbal remedies were identified from the initial web search; however, only six of the fourteen websites returned any literature when combining the search terms with insomnia. One hundred and fifty-six articles were found, and 18 articles matched the inclusion criteria, while 138 articles were excluded. The literature found and reviewed by the current authors had investigated valerian (Valeriana officinalis) alone or in combination with other herbs, hops (Humulus lupulus), kavakava (Piper methysticum), chamomile (Matricaria recutita), and St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum). Discussion:Few studies specifically investigate the effect of commonly used herbal remedies on insomnia. Valerian alone, or in combination with other compounds, has received some research attention, whereas other herbal remedies, such as St. John’s wort, chamomile, and kava-kava have received very little attention. Conclusion: It is surprising that herbal remedies used for insomnia and sold as over-the-counter remedies have received very little research attention. Considering the rise in the use of complementary and alternative medications, it would seem appropriate that such preparations were assessed scientifically for therapeutic potential and safety. Additional research is required to provide evidence for the effectiveness and safety of these popular herbal remedies as therapeutic agents for treating insomnia symptoms.