Note: Dietary supplements are intended to supplement the diet. They are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure disease. In some cases, dietary supplements may have unwanted effects, especially if taken before surgery or with other dietary supplements or medicines, or if you have certain health conditions. Also, supplements are not regulated with the same degree of oversight as medications. Products vary greatly in terms of accuracy of labels, presence of contaminants, and the validity of claims on the label. Work with your health care provider to determine how best to achieve optimal health.

Botanical medicine (herbalism or herbal medicine) has been practiced for millennia in many different cultures, with the earliest documented use of herbal medicine being 5000 years ago in China and India.¹ As with any type of medicine, both risks and benefits exist.

In contrast to synthetic medications which usually contain one or perhaps two active ingredients, herbal treatments usually contain dozens or hundreds of bioactive compounds that may serve to modify the response or to reduce toxicity. This is one reason that clinical trials that isolate one putative active ingredient of an herbal treatment often find it to be ineffective. In contrast to drugs, herbals treatments are generally gentle and exert biological effects over longer periods of time than typical drug treatments do. Therefore, short randomized controlled trials (RCT’s) of herbal remedies, adapted from clinical trial methodology for drugs, are also often negative. Despite these issues, 80% of the total world population, and 95% of the developing world, uses herbal medicines.² Whether they are guided by folk knowledge or have consulted an herbalist, they are often forced to evaluate a bewildering number of products, claims and labels without the benefit of any professional advice, especially in the US. The intent of this tool is to help clinicians have enough background to offer such advice when it comes to supplements that support healthy energy levels and high quality sleep.

Nervines

“Nervine” is the term used in botanical or herbal medicine for herbs that are believed to act on the nervous system. Nervines are most often consumed in the form of a tea, although other formulations (e.g. tinctures) are also available. Nervines can be classified as nervine stimulants, nervine relaxants, and nervine tonics.