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Herbs

Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
edited December 2018 in Plants
I have read somewhere that Vervain and Rosemary can help to suppress wild frightening nightmares......not for me,i'm just out for the count! But for a friend who suffers from this.
I have plenty of Rosemary,but have never heard of Vervain,does anyone know where I can get seeds?? Or is it a common plant that I would know by another name?
The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Vervain is the common name for Verbena officinalis. 
     :) 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
    I thought that was what the leaves looked like! Thank you Dove! I've still got loads of those in the garden,i wonder if it is a specific one? Or maybe you have to dry the flowers too. I think she'll try anything,she's getting no quality sleep!
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • tessagardenbarmytessagardenbarmy Posts: 346
    Lavender and dried hops can also  help promote restful sleep x
    Just checking does your friend drink green tea or eat copious quantities of cheese as both are known to be nightmare triggers?
  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
    No she's very careful of what she eats and drinks.
    I use lavender a lot,I have bags filled with dried lavender,hanging over my bed,and put a few spots on my pillow.I haven't heard of the hops remedy. It's got so she's frightened to go to bed at night,the doc has given her tablets,which don't work,so I thought the herbs were possibly the way to go now,after all they worked for ailments hundreds of years ago.
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I would recomend asking the doctor before taking anything  herbal, just because it’s from a plant doesn’t make it harmless, digitalis for one. 
    Has she tried a course of  Nightol, not the herbal ones on the shelf but from the pharmacy behind the counter. They will ask her if she’s taking anything else, or about her health in general. 
    We cured my grandsons nightmares with a dream catcher, we convinced him they work and that the Red Indians always use them, it worked for him but he was only a child. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I wonder if learning meditation techniques would help ... another thing I'd think about is hypnosis ... proper medical stuff not sideshow amusement stuff https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hypnotherapy/
    It seems that her sleep pattern is getting stuck in the dream phase and not moving on ... horrid 'cos she's remembering them when she wakes whereas we normally forget most of what we dream. 
    I hope she can find some help ... it's horrid to dread the night and going to bed because of bad dreams.  She has my sympathy. 




    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
    edited December 2018
    Well the ones she's going to try are quite safe,her doctor is aware.
    My OH gargles and then swallows a herb concoction,lemon thyme,rosemary infused with honey that our doctor prescribed for a persistent throat clearing,it works too.
    And yes he's had the usual lung tests that were negative thankfully.

    Yes I wondered about a dream catcher......initially you think, mumbo jumbo,then you think well anything is worth a go!
    Never thought of hypnosis,that could work.

    According to her fitbit she's getting only one hour of proper sleep,so she's sleeping on the sofa in the day for an hour or so,even has the dreams then!
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I'm afraid I'd get rid of the fitbit ... the last thing I would want would be something that tells me how little sleep I'm getting ... that really would raise my anxiety levels.  Is she obsessing about exercise/fitness/sleep etc ... even subconsciously do you think? 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I used to have nightmares about one specific thing, I placed certain items that reminded me of the nightmare on the bedside table and faced them,  I would wake up having had the dream and instead of getting up I would  look at the items still placed there and try to get into my head that all was well.
    Eventually it worked and I never get them now. 
    I think an hypnotist may help. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    This is an intriguing problem and I expect hypnosis would help and maybe some CBT to manage the fear and change the nightmares.

    I found a "traditional witch" forum post that says this combination below was effective, made up into a sachet and placed under the pillow.  No quantities tho it does say loads of lavender - 

    Lavender petals- sleep, protection, peace

    Primrose petals and/or rosehips

    Rosemary- for protection

    Cinnamon- healing (harmed by these dreams psychologically)

    Clove- for protection, purifying, removing negative forces

    Sage- for purifying and protection, removing negative forces

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
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