Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)

Once called “all heal”, valerian has been treasured since medieval times. Through the centuries, valerian has been used for insomnia, migraines, aches, sores, and colds.

Today, valerian oil is often used for its anti-bacterial and sedative properties, as well as to aid with sleeping.

Valerian’s scent (which is distinctive and not the prettiest smelling) is often used to help with meditation, and for its calming, relaxing, and balancing properties. Valerian blends well with cedarwood, lavender, patchouli, petitgrain, pine, and rosemary.

Historical uses of Valerian

Valerian has been used as a medicinal herb since at least the time of ancient Greece and Rome. Its therapeutic uses were described by Hippocrates, and in the 2nd century, Galen prescribed valerian for insomnia [1,2]. In the 16th century, it was used to treat nervousness, trembling, headaches, and heart palpitations [3]. In the mid-19th century, valerian was considered a stimulant that caused some of the same complaints it is thought to treat and was generally held in low esteem as a medicinal herb [4]. During World War II, it was used in England to relieve the stress of air raids [5].

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Further reading:

Sleep Disorders and Essential Oils

Preventing Breast Cancer – lack of night darkness connection

How does valerian work?

Many chemical constituents of valerian have been identified, but it is not known which may be responsible for its sleep-promoting effects in animals and in in vitro studies. It is likely that there is no single active compound and that valerian’s effects result from multiple constituents acting independently or synergistically.

Two categories of constituents have been proposed as the major source of valerian’s sedative effects. The first category comprises the major constituents of its volatile oil including valerenic acid and its derivatives, which have demonstrated sedative properties in animal studies [6,20]. However, valerian extracts with very little of these components also have sedative properties, making it probable that other components are responsible for these effects or that multiple constituents contribute to them [21]. The second category comprises the iridoids, which include the valepotriates. Valepotriates and their derivatives are active as sedatives in vivo but are unstable and break down during storage or in an aqueous environment, making their activity difficult to assess [6,22].

A possible mechanism by which a valerian extract may cause sedation is by increasing the amount of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter) available in the synaptic cleft. Results from an in vitro study using synaptosomes suggest that a valerian extract may cause GABA to be released from brain nerve endings and then block GABA from being taken back into nerve cells [23]. In addition, valerenic acid inhibits an enzyme that destroys GABA [reviewed in 24]. Valerian extracts contain GABA in quantities sufficient to cause a sedative effect, but whether GABA can cross the blood-brain barrier to contribute to valerian’s sedative effects is not known. Glutamine is present in aqueous but not in alcohol extracts and may cross the blood-brain barrier and be converted to GABA [25]. Levels of these constituents vary significantly among plants depending on when the plants are harvested, resulting in marked variability in the amounts found in valerian preparations [26]. Read more…

 

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1. Wichtl M, ed.: Valerianae radix. In: Bisset NG, trans-ed. Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals: A Handbook for Practice on a Scientific Basis. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1994: 513-516.

2. Turner W: Of Valerianae. In: Chapman GTL, McCombie F, Wesencraft A, eds. A New Herbal, Parts II and III. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995: 464-466, 499-500, 764-765. [Republication of parts II and III of A New Herbal, by William Turner, originally published in 1562 and 1568, respectively.]

3. Culpeper N: Garden valerian. In: Culpeper’s Complete Herbal. New York: W. Foulsham, 1994: 295-297. [Republication of The English Physitian, by Nicholas Culpeper, originally published in 1652.]

4. Pereira J: Valeriana officinalis: common valerian. In: Carson J, ed. The Elements of Materia Medica and Therapeutics. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Blanchard and Lea, 1854: 609-616.

5. Grieve M: Valerian. In: A Modern Herbal. New York: Hafner Press, 1974: 824-830.

6. Hendriks H, Bos R, Allersma DP, Malingre M, Koster AS: Pharmacological screening of valerenal and some other components of essential oil of Valeriana officinalis. Planta Medica 42: 62-68, 1981 [PubMed abstract]

20. Hendriks H, Bos R, Woerdenbag HJ, Koster AS. Central nervous depressant activity of valerenic acid in the mouse. Planta Medica 1: 28-31, 1985. [PubMed abstract]

22. Bos R, Woerdenbag HJ, Hendriks H, et al.: Analytical aspects of phytotherapeutic valerian preparations. Phytochemical Analysis 7: 143-151, 1996.

23. Santos MS, Ferreira F, Cunha AP, Carvalho AP, Macedo T: An aqueous extract of valerian influences the transport of GABA in synaptosomes. Planta Medica 60: 278-279, 1994. [PubMed abstract]

24. Morazzoni P, Bombardelli E: Valeriana officinalis: traditional use and recent evaluation of activity. Fitoterapia 66: 99-112, 1995.

25. Cavadas C, Araujo I, Cotrim MD, et al.: In vitro study on the interaction of Valeriana officinalis L. extracts and their amino acids on GABAA receptor in rat brain. Arzneimittel-Forschung Drug Research 45: 753-755, 1995. [PubMed abstract]

26. Bos R, Woerdenbag HJ, van Putten FMS, Hendriks H, Scheffer JJC: Seasonal variation of the essential oil, valerenic acid and derivatives, and valepotriates in Valeriana officinalis roots and rhizomes, and the selection of plants suitable for phytomedicines. Planta Medica 64:143-147, 1998. [PubMed abstract]

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