Yellow anemone (Californian) is native to California and is distributed along the west coast of the United States to the south of that country. Yellow anemone has been used in traditional Native American medicine as a sedative, pain reliever, and treatment for various mental and physical disorders, including insomnia, anxiety and nervous tension, bedwetting (incontinence), especially in children. California anemone is a member of the anemone family, and while it contains some sedative alkaloids, it does not contain any actual narcotics.

The alkaloids in this plant do not have narcotic and addictive effects, but by interacting with opioid receptors (?-opioid), they have sedative and hypnotic effects. Yellow anemone extract acts as an inhibitor of the enzymatic breakdown of catecholamines as well as the synthesis of adrenaline. This extract also greatly shortens the lag phase in phenolase catalysis, probably due to their O-diphenol content. In addition, yellow anemone extract has an inhibitory effect on dopamine beta hydroxylase, monoamine oxidase (MAO-B) and diamine oxidase, which can explain the anti-anxiety and insomnia properties of this plant.