Depending where you live, Passiflora incarnata, native to the US, will grow in very cold climates. However, a warning. It is an aggressive weedy species that when you try to control it, will resist. We even have it coming up through driveways made of asphalt. This is the species often used for treating anxiety, insomnia, etc. And fascinating that people put it under their pillows. There are many pillow plants, so to speak across cultures, that are said to have interesting effects.
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Hmmm I must see whether it could perhaps grow at our herb field in Scotland - perhaps try a pot in the polytunnel to get to know it first. Thank you for the warning - noted!
Yes lots of pillow plants but the first time I have heard of Passiflora used in this way. Always learning…!
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Fascinating !! Never heard of the juice being used before but if it works for people, what a delicious way to encourage sleep! 
Google seems to agree about its potential effectiveness, and I’m sure it depends on the individual. Perhaps @MJB could weigh in as to whether certain cultures can be more prone to experiencing effects having evolved alongside these types of plant practices?
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Yes indeed, the fruits of the passion flower can aid with sleep–and dreams!
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So good to see you here @MJB !
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with all of us. Incredibly fascinating and interesting 
I’ve heard of the traditional medicine markets in the Amazon and always wondered how much of that would actually work and how much of it would be placebo effects. Any ideas? Is it pretty much all proper medicine?
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Could you share more about your experience experimenting with natural remedies still used in the places you have visited? Out of curiosity: are they having deep knowledge on the use of fungi as well?
thank you for sharing!
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Happy to do so–thanks for asking. There are thought to be 30,000 plants (out of a total of 400,000 flowering plants) that are used by traditional cultures for healing. And then there are fungi. I’ve not written much about fungi. Our group has written a number of books on the useful plants of different areas, for example, Ethnobotany of Palau, volumes 1 and 2 (available on Amazon) and Messages from the Gods, a book on the useful plants of Belize, also available on Amazon. Each of these discusses the uses of plants, including for medicines, within their cultural context, with is an important element of looking at other tradition’s healing practices. There are others, for example, 21st Century Herbal, which focuses more on the commercially available herbs and how to prepare them. Is that helpful or would you like specific links?
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Indeed, some of the plants have been studied in a Western clinical setting while others have centuries of indigenous scientific experimentation behind their uses. There is also the mind body effect, which you might refer to as placebo, but really it is not always that. It’s the body and the mind working in tandem–and people can get better when they harness these two elements. Western science may refer to these as placebo, but in the end, the result is a positive one for health!
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@MJB Thank you for your comments! 
very refreshing to see indigenous practice taken seriously. I grew up in the Amazon and experienced it first hand as part of my everyday life, but when I moved to the UK and the theme came up in conversation, I felt a general skepticism towards it.
I’m not against western medicine at all, I also grew up with a medical doctor at home who always welcomed the use of both indigenous and western medicine, and he also had strong religious beliefs. So I find especially interesting what you said about the mind and body working together towards healing. I’d love to read more about that, any recommendations? Books, videos, podcasts etc? Thank you in advance!
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What an interesting background you have! Perhaps you would find the “Body of Wonder” podcast by Drs. Andrew Weil and Victoria Maizes. I suspect you would enjoy these.
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Really intreasting to read all of the above, ill be looking on amazon for a new bed time book.
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I know a Malaysian ethnobotanist who specialises in toxicology (!)
I find an oatflower, lavender and limeflower tea helpful taken with with valerian tablets helpful. I also do a yoga nidra routine (a kind of dozing yoga) but it’s all a bit hit and miss…
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It’s so great to have here in the treehouse @dfp! How long have you been using these herbals teas and medicines for and what started you on that journey?
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The valerian root 2000mg tablets I have only taken about 8 days. I’ve tried ‘sleepy’ teas over several years. I’m one of those people who falls asleep fairly easily but has poor quality. Lockdown and Corona anxiety have made it worse. I tend to wake with a mild headache, feeling poorly rested. Wearing a band which tracks sleep shows a lack of continuous deep sleep and poor breathing, tho I’m not a known snorer. The band puts me continuously in the lowest quartile of users. When I get someone else to wear it they’re in the top quartile, so I know it’s working. I don’t fret about the measurements, I’m interested.
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I’m a typographer/designer and it’s an arabesque, or printer’s flower. Many of these designs were first seen in fonts in the 17th century but have a much more ancient lineage…
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Beautiful! Thanks for sharing 
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Try something with valerian root!
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All fascinating thankyou!so this is where the journalling,routine of pod use ,thought patterns etc come in with the valerian and sofi,were working the mind woth the body,not just popping a pill and touching wood we will fall asleep xx
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And there is one more part to that equation which came out in discussion with our beloved @stephendahmermd … the caring and compassionate community in which we are engaged … apparently this completes the ecosystem of combining all the therapies under sofi … let’s see xx 
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