SUGGESTED BUT UNPROVEN USES: ANXIETY, HEADACHES, DEPRESSION, MENOPAUSAL
SYMPTOMS, SEDATION, IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT, AND TREMBLING
DRUG INTERACTIONS
SIDE EFFECTS
CONCLUSION
DOSAGE
RESEARCH
Valerian, Valeriana officinalis, is a plant native to Europe and Asia; it is also found in North
America. 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. Valerian is commonly referred to as all-heal
or garden heliotrope.
Valerian is an odoriferous, popular European botanical medicine used for its mild sedative
and tranquilizing properties. The German Commission E recommends 2 to 3 g of the dried
root one or more times a day for “restlessness and nervous disturbance of sleep.”
Valerian has long been used for sleep disorders and anxiety.
EFFICACY: SLEEP DISORDERS: Research suggests that valerian may be helpful for sleep
disorders, but there is not enough evidence from well-designed studies to confirm this.
Three of the eight sources discussing valerian decline to recommend its use for sleep
disorders, citing inadequate evidence, despite its traditional use in the United States,
