REST FOR THE WEARY: KAVA EXTRACT FOUND TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR SLEEPING PROBLEMS

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Nearly half of all Americans have trouble sleeping. This lack of sleep costs $150 billion a year in higher stress and reduced workplace productivity, according to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders (1).

Alternative medicine has achieved some success with herbs in helping regulate sleep. Valerian has exhibited extremely low numbers of adverse events during the treatment periods and proven very effective in improving sleep structure (3). If you choose not to take Valerian Root, recent research has shown Kava extract to be helpful in improving sleep.

A new study published in the journal of affective disorders (3) investigated the efficacy and safety of kava special extract WS ((R)) 1490 in patients with sleep disturbances. The researchers had 61 patients take 200 mg WS((R)) 1490 or placebo over a period of 4 weeks. Researchers measured the efficacy of kava with questionnaires.

What the researchers found was a "significant" difference, in favor of kava over placebo, in sleep quality of the subjects from their questionnaire answers. Along with the favorable effects of kava, safety and tolerability were good, with no drug-related adverse events reported. This led the researchers to conclude that "sleep disturbances�can be effectively and safely treated with kava extract WS((R)) 1490."

References:

1. CNN website "Lack of sleep America's top health problem, doctors say" released March 17, 1997.

2. Lehrl S. Clinical efficacy of kava extract WS((R)) 1490 in sleep disturbances associated with anxiety disorders. Results of a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. Journal of Affective Disorders 2004; 78(2): 101-10

3. Donath F. Critical evaluation of the effect of valerian extract on sleep structure and sleep quality. Pharmacopsychiatry 2000 Mar; 33(2):47-53

Submitted by Greg Arnold, February 3, 2004, Abstracted from "Kava extract shows anxiety-related sleep disorder benefits" in Medwire's 1/29/04 newsletter

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