Can These Medicine-Food Homologous Raw Materials Actually Improve Sleep? An Analysis of 17 Common Health Food Raw Materials and Their Efficacy

According to relevant regulations, a variety of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) such as Gastrodia elata, Schisandra chinensis, and Acanthopanax senticosus can be used as raw materials for health foods. Modern research has confirmed that due to their unique active ingredients, these raw materials all possess certain sedative and hypnotic effects, providing natural support for improving sleep. Below is a detailed interpretation of 17 common health food raw materials that help improve sleep and their efficacy mechanisms:

1. Gastrodia elata

The main active ingredient of Gastrodia elata is gastrodin, along with other bioactive components such as gastrodigenin, vanillin, vanillyl alcohol, sesquiterpenes, and purines. Experimental studies have found that intraperitoneal injection of gastrodin or gavage of ultrafine Gastrodia elata powder in mice can effectively improve sleep, and its sedative and hypnotic effects have been scientifically verified.

2. Schisandra chinensis

Schisandra chinensis is rich in lignans, polysaccharides, volatile oils, organic acids, and other nutrients, among which lignans are the core active components responsible for its hypnotic effect. Relevant literature reports indicate that Schisandra chinensis freeze-dried powder can improve sleep in Drosophila melanogaster, showing obvious dose-effect and time-effect relationship characteristics; in addition, the aqueous decoction of Schisandra chinensis can effectively prolong the total sleep time and stage Ⅱ slow-wave sleep duration of rats.

3. Acanthopanax senticosus

Acanthopanax senticosus has a rich chemical composition, mainly including glycosides, polysaccharides, and flavonoids, as well as coumarins, fatty acids, volatile oils, amino acids, and various trace elements. Studies have shown that both the aqueous extract of Acanthopanax senticosus roots and the acanthopanax saponins extracted from it can improve sleep in rats, making it a natural sedative and sleep-aiding raw material.

4. Platycladus orientalis seed (Bi Ziren)

Platycladus orientalis seed contains bi ziren saponins, volatile oils, and other components, and its seeds are also rich in cedrol, sitosterol, and diterpenoids. Experimental data show that both bi ziren saponins and bi ziren oil exert significant sedative and hypnotic effects on experimental animals, making it a traditional TCM ingredient for soothing the nerves and aiding sleep.

5. Pearl

Pearl contains various amino acids, trace elements, taurine, small-molecule bioactive peptides, porphyrins, and other active components. Literature records indicate that ultrafine pearl powder can significantly improve sleep in mice, and its multiple nutrients work synergistically to exert sedative and tranquilizing effects.

6. Polygonum multiflorum vine (Shou Wu Teng)

The main active extracts of Polygonum multiflorum vine include polygoni multiflori caulis glycoside, polygoni multiflori caulis anthraquinone, and polygoni multiflori caulis flavonoid, all of which have sleep-improving effects. Among them, polygoni multiflori caulis glycoside has the most prominent sleep-aiding efficacy, serving as the key component for the tranquilizing effect of Polygonum multiflorum vine.

7. Equisetum hyemale (Mu Zei)

Equisetum hyemale contains flavonoids, volatile oils, phenolic acids, and other active components. Relevant literature reports that the ethanol extract of Equisetum hyemale has obvious sedative and hypnotic effects on mice, and its natural active components can effectively regulate the central nervous system to help improve sleep status.

8. Polygala tenuifolia (Yuan Zhi)

The main component of Polygala tenuifolia is saponins, and more than 80 types of saponins have been isolated so far. Studies have confirmed that polygala saponins have significant sedative and hypnotic effects, and their tranquilizing efficacy remains unaffected after honey-roasting under different conditions, still exerting stable sleep-aiding effects.

9. Eucommia ulmoides (Du Zhong)

The chemical composition of Eucommia ulmoides includes eucommia gum, eucommioside, eucommiol, phenols, organic acids, flavonoids, etc. Experiments have found that the ethyl acetate fraction, water-saturated n-butanol fraction, and aqueous layer eluted fraction of Eucommia ulmoides all have sleep-improving effects on mice, among which the ethyl acetate fraction shows the most prominent sleep-aiding effect.

10. Salvia miltiorrhiza (Dan Shen)

The chemical components of Salvia miltiorrhiza can be divided into two categories: fat-soluble and water-soluble. The fat-soluble components are mainly tanshinones (such as tanshinone I, tanshinone Ⅱα, tanshinone Ⅱβ), while the water-soluble components are dominated by phenolic acids (such as danshensu, protocatechualdehyde). Studies have shown that the aqueous extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza has obvious sedative and hypnotic effects, and its multiple active components work synergistically to effectively improve sleep quality.

11. Astragalus membranaceus (Huang Qi)

Astragalus membranaceus mainly contains saponins and flavonoids, including astragaloside, soyasaponin, various glucosides, formononetin, calycosin, etc. Literature reports indicate that the aqueous extract of Astragalus membranaceus has a certain sedative and hypnotic effect on mice, making it a natural raw material with both qi-tonifying and tranquilizing effects.

12. Rehmannia glutinosa (Shu Di Huang)

Rehmannia glutinosa contains a small amount of iridoids (such as leonuride, aucubin), monoterpenes (such as scorzonerin A, B, C), as well as rich amino acids, carbohydrates, and other nutrients. Experimental studies have confirmed that both the decoction of Rehmannia glutinosa and the Rehmannia glutinosa polysaccharides extracted from it have obvious sedative and hypnotic effects on mice, effectively prolonging sleep duration.

13. Centella asiatica (Ji Xue Cao)

The main active components of Centella asiatica include triterpenoid saponins (such as madecassoside, asiaticoside), polyacetylenic olefins (such as C19H28O3, C16H21O2), volatile oils (such as caryophyllene, longifolene), etc. Relevant literature records that asiaticoside has obvious sedative and hypnotic effects on mice, serving as a natural sleep-aiding active component.

14. Platycladus orientalis leaf (Ce Bai Ye)

Platycladus orientalis leaf contains volatile oils (such as thujene, thujone), flavonoids (such as myricetin, quercetin), and other components. Studies have found that the volatile components of Platycladus orientalis leaf not only exert sedative and hypnotic effects on experimental animals but also have a certain sedative and tranquilizing effect on the human body, helping to improve sleep status.

15. Paeonia suffruticosa bark (Mu Dan Pi)

The main components of Paeonia suffruticosa bark include paeonol, paeonoside, paeoniflorin, etc. Literature reports indicate that Paeonia suffruticosa bark extract, paeonol, and total paeonol glycosides all have certain sedative and hypnotic effects, and their active components can help improve sleep quality by regulating central nervous system function.

16. Ligustrum lucidum fruit (Nv Zhen Zi)

Ligustrum lucidum fruit is rich in oleanolic acid, rhodioloside, flavonoids, polysaccharides, volatile oils, and various trace elements. Relevant studies have confirmed that Ligustrum lucidum fruit has obvious sedative and hypnotic effects on mice, and its multiple nutrients work synergistically to exert stable sleep-aiding effects.

17. Panax ginseng (Ren Shen)

Ginsenosides are the main active components of Panax ginseng. Panax ginseng exhibits bidirectional regulation of central nervous system function, a characteristic closely related to the mechanism of action of different ginsenoside components. Specifically, ginsenoside Rb group has sedative effects, ginsenoside Rg group has excitatory effects, and the mixture of Rb and Rc exerts tranquilizing and analgesic effects. Rational use of Panax ginseng can assist in improving sleep.

Reference: Zhan Hao, Wu Feng, Chen Liang'en, Ge Hua, Zhang Qingjun, Zhao Andong. Research Progress on Traditional Chinese Medicine-based Health Foods and Medicinal Diets for Improving Sleep.