How much should you take?
Determining the appropriate dose of kava kava or valerian root on the packages at the pharmacy or healthfood store can be complicated enough to keep you awake at night. There are no standards for labeling herbal preparations; many of the labels can be quite confusing (and dare I say, misleading?).
When looking for a kava product, make sure that the capsule contains a "standardized kava extract". Most standardized extracts of kava kava contain approximately 30% kavalactones, the active ingredients in kava. The recommended dose of kavalactones is 60-200 milligrams daily, usually taken twice a day. So, if the package states that a capsule contains 300 milligrams of kava kava standardized to 30% kavalactones, it actually only contains 100 milligrams of the active ingredient. (Hint: multiply 300 milligrams by 30% or 0.3 to get 100 milligrams of kavalactones.) Fortunately, a capsule that contains 100 milligrams of kavalactones is just about right.
When choosing valerian root, look for a capsule that contains at least 500 milligrams of valerian. Two of these capsules should be taken simultaneously for insomnia relief. Valerian root is perhaps more commonly combined with other herbs for sleep than is kava kava. Usually, if you look for a capsule that contains the right amount of valerian root, the rest of the ingredients are in much smaller amounts. While the other herbal ingredients may or may not be effective for sleep, they likely can't hurt either.
I encourage you to experiment with various products to see which one works best for you. None of the herbal remedies is intended to be used every night indefinitely but rather for the occasional night when sleep escapes you. If you have a severe problem with insomnia, I suggest you see your healthcare provider for additional advice. Happy sleeping!
Christine Traxler MD christraxler@msn.com
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