Insomnia

Mango: eat mango at night followed by milk — this brings on good sleep. Note: do not eat mango on an empty stomach. Pomegranate: boil 30g washed fresh leaves in half a litre of water until reduced by half, strain, add an equal amount of warm milk and drink — it clears physical and mental fatigue and brings good sleep. Warm milk with nutmeg and ghee before bed — mix 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder in warm milk with a dab of ghee. Sesame oil massage on the head and feet calms the nervous system. Dates soaked in milk are nourishing.

A pinch of nutmeg in warm milk an hour before sleep.

A teaspoon of poppy seeds ground into warm milk at bedtime.

Two strands of saffron in warm milk quietens a restless mind.

boil 30g washed fresh leaves in half a litre of water until reduced by half, strain, add an equal amount of warm milk and drink — it clears physical and mental fatigue and brings good sleep.

A cup of warm cow milk at bedtime, boiled and taken slowly — never with salt or sour food in the same hour.

A tablespoon of black sesame seeds, lightly roasted and chewed well, or ground with jaggery into a small ladoo — one a day.

Two or three khajoor soaked overnight in water or milk, eaten in the morning with the soaking milk.

1 tsp warm cow ghee, taken on an empty stomach or stirred into warm milk at night, carries the other herbs deeper into the tissues.

1/2 tsp ashwagandha boiled in milk, an hour before bed — it works by lowering cortisol, so it settles sleep over two weeks, not on the first night. Avoid in pregnancy, and in thyroid disease without advice.

A cup steeped 5 minutes, 45 minutes before bed — mild enough to take nightly, unlike a sleeping pill. Avoid if marigold or ragweed sets you off.