Herbal Bytes all herbs
Valerian as an Herb
(Valeriana officinalis)
Valerian is the root of a perennial member of the valerian family found in eastern, southeastern, and eastcentral Europe, to south Sweden and the southern Alps. It escaped from cultivation in the northeastern United States and is commercially grown in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere.
Valerian, not a major medicinal plant of the ancient classical authors, was best known to them as a diuretic and treatment for menstrual difficulties.
Medicinal Uses for Valerian
The Greek physician Galen used it for epilepsy in children and adults. An Italian nobleman, Fabio Colonna, born in 1567, suffered from epilepsy and found Galen's reference. He took valerian himself and claimed it completely restored his health. His words stimulated interest in the plant as a sedative.
Use of valerian to relieve spasms and as a sleep aid evolved in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Valerian was an official remedy in the U. S. Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1936.
Valerian is widely used in Europe as a mild nerve sedative and sleep aid for insomnia, excitability, and exhaustion. Experimental studies have shown that it depresses the central nervous system and relieves muscle spasms.
In the 1980s Swiss researchers studied the effects of valerian water extracts on sleep patterns. The time taken to fall asleep was reduced, especially in older patients and insomniacs. No hangover effect, a common complaint among users of synthetic sedatives, was reported the following morning. German health authorities allow use of valerian in sedative and sleep-inducing preparations for states of excitation and for difficulty in falling asleep due to nervousness.
Infusions
- INFUSION 1: 1 teaspoon root in 1 pint water and steeped for 2 hours; drink cold.
- INFUSION 2: 1 level teaspoonvalerian soaked in 1 cup cold water; cover and place in fridge for 12 to 24 hours; strain and drink 1 hour before bed.
Caution
Some individuals may experience temporary stomach upset. Despite these findings, valerian is generally considered safe.
DISCLAIMER: These pages are presented solely as a source of INFORMATION and ENTERTAINMENT and to provide stern warnings against use where appropriate. No claims are made for any historical herbal treatment. In no way can the information provided here take the place of the standard, legal, medical practice of any country. Some plants are extremely toxic and should be used only by licensed professionals. Some plants used for illness in the past have proven to be ineffective for the problems to which they were applied.