Valeriana officinalis is a perennial plant of Europe and North America, certainly known to Dioscorides after whom one of the about 150 species of the genus has been named, and still earlier to Strabo the geographer. Traditionally, the herb has been used chiefly as a sedative, for the relief of anxiety, fatigue, hysteria, insomnia, intestinal cramps and generally nervous tension, while in antiquity it was also used against epilepsy. The chief active components are the esters valepotriates and valeric acid, compounds found exclusively in valerian. Other constituents are choline, flavonoids, sesquiterpenes, volatile oil, glycosides, phytosterols, and several alkaloids like actinidine, chatinine, valerianine and valerine. As in the case of Uva ursi, valerian appears as most effective when all its constituents are present.
- Anti-spasmodic. Modern research has confirmed that valerian is beneficial for intestinal cramps usually associated with nervous conditions. The valepotriates and some other components of the herb have spasmolytic effects on smooth muscles. This is naturally of value in many cases of irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, etc.
- Pain reliever. Pain relief is the frequent accompaniment of sedation and calming of the nerves. Valerian possesses such sedative and nerve calming effects, and as with many other similarly active herbs, it can also relieve pain.
- Relaxant. Research has shown that valepotriates and other valerian components possess relaxing effects. Therefore, the herb has been often used to improve the quality of sleep as well as sleep latency, that is the time required to go to sleep, in both normal and insomnia sufferers, without the frequent side effect of sleeping pills of waking up with somebody else’s drowsy head.
- Sedative. The pungent volatile oil and the valerenic and isovaleric acids have sedative properties acting as suppressants of the central nervous system. The mechanism proposed for this action involves the metabolism of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain.
Caution. Use water-soluble extracts, and do not use with prescribed sedatives and other tranquilizers.