🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Image: Sleep disorders can trigger various diseases
Many people believe snoring indicates deep, sound sleep, but few realize that approximately 3,000 deaths worldwide are linked to snoring annually. Studies also show that patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) experiencing over 20 apneas per hour have an eight-year mortality rate approaching 40%.
Most people spend over one-third of their lives sleeping. However, due to modern work stress, many suffer from sleep disorders—abnormalities in sleep quantity, quality, or clinical symptoms during sleep, such as reduced sleep, excessive sleep, sleepwalking, etc.
In mainland China, the prevalence of OSAS, primarily characterized by snoring, is 4%, rising to 20–40% among those over 65. The ultimate consequence of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, which ranks first among global causes of death.
Can lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents
According to Professor Chen Baoyuan from the Sleep Disorder Diagnosis and Treatment Center at Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, healthy individuals exhibit a “spoon-shaped” blood pressure curve during sleep—blood pressure gradually drops as sleep begins and returns to daytime levels upon waking. Recent findings reveal that in a significant portion of people, nighttime blood pressure fails to decrease and instead rises. Chronic sleep-related hypertension causes thickening of vascular smooth muscle, eventually developing into “sleep hypertension.” Clinical studies show these patients commonly present with nocturnal dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breath, frequent urination, and recurring nightmares. Excessively high blood pressure can trigger acute heart failure in cardiac patients, potentially leading to fatal cerebrovascular events. He further noted that the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) remains unclear in current medicine. However, surveys indicate higher incidence among males, middle-aged and elderly individuals, and obese persons. Irregular lifestyles, overeating, excessive alcohol and tobacco use are also contributing factors to snoring.
Sleep is a vital means of balancing yin and yang in the body and the best remedy for fatigue and overcoming sub-health. According to TCM, nighttime yin predominance induces sleep (falling asleep), while daytime yang dominance promotes wakefulness (awakening). Therefore, one should go to bed before midnight, entering optimal sleep state by the “Zi Hour” (midnight). Per the theory in the *Huangdi Neijing*, the midnight hour marks the convergence of yin and yang, the moment of water-fire harmony, known as “He Yin”—the time of peak yin energy in a day. Since yin governs stillness, staying up late excessively is discouraged; early bedtime is advised.
Western sleep aids have side effects
Commonly used medications for insomnia include barbiturates (first-generation), benzodiazepines (second-generation), and non-benzodiazepines (third-generation). However, these drugs have varying drawbacks and often cause dependency and significant side effects, making long-term use inadvisable. In recent years, herbal remedies for sleep disorders have gained popularity. Commonly used herbs include valerian, ginseng, hops, St. John’s wort, and scutellaria. However, due to unclear active components and unclear pharmacological mechanisms, their international promotion has been hindered.
At the recent “5th International Life Sciences Symposium,” researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Amoy Pharmaceutical Company announced they successfully isolated a sleep-enhancing compound named ECBRC (Essential Compound for Brain Regulation) from herbs using advanced DNA sequencing technology, and verified its physiological mechanism.
Professor Chen Xiaozhang, director of the Epithelial Cell Biology Research Center at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, stated that ECBRC’s therapeutic effect on insomnia has undergone rigorous, scientific validation—a promising step toward modernization of traditional Chinese medicine.