| Valerian |
| Parts Used
The root |
|
| Common Uses |
 |
Eases insomnia |
|
Reduces restlessness |
|
Relieves anxiety |
|
Acts as muscle relaxant |
|
|
How Valerian Works
Valerian has a mild sedating effect on the central nervous
system. It is able to calm without the side effects of comparable orthodox drugs. |
It relaxes muscles
and reduces anxiety allowing you to fall asleep more easily. You are then able to sleep
more soundly and awaken without the groggy morning-after feeling of standard prescription
sedatives. |
| Valerian’s ability to relax muscles makes
it potentially useful to treat menstrual cramps and other types of muscle spasms. |
|
Side
effects
A mild short-lived stomach upset has been reported by a small
percentage of people. Some experience headaches if Valerian is taken for more than 2
– 3 weeks without a break. No other side effects are known. |
|
Safety Concerns
If you are taking sedative drugs or anti-depressants you
should consult your physician before taking Valerian. |
| The German Commission E Monograph
lists no contraindications on its use during pregnancy or lactation. |
|
History
of Valerian
Valerian has a place in legend as the herb that the Pied Piper of Hamelin carried to
attract the rats away from the town and towards the river. Its distinctive smell is also
said to intoxicate cats much like catnip. |
Valerian has been
used for medicinal purposes since the time of the ancient Greeks. Then it was prescribed
for a variety of problems including nausea, digestive complaints and liver problems. It
was the Greek physician Galen (131 – 201 A.D.) who first used Valerian to treat
insomnia. |
| In the Middle Ages it was widely
used to treat hysteria, headaches, epilepsy and most problems effecting the nerves. |
| Until the 1940’s medical
textbooks in both the United States and Britain listed Valerian. Today in Germany,
Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy it is an approved over-the-counter treatment for
insomnia. |
