Valerian

What is Valerian? This medicinal perennial plant grows the wet regions of mountains. It is also known as Valerian because of the smell similar to that of mice urine. Its fresh sprout is food as it is and its root is used as the ingredient of oriental medicine for mental anxiety, nervous breakdown, physical impurity, stomach cramps and bruise.  From the ancient Greek and Roman period, it was used for nerve stability and sound sleep, relieving stress related symptoms. In the 2nd century, the records say that Galen gave the Valerian prescription for insomnia. Since the 16thcentury in Europe, it has been widely used as a relaxing agent for nervousness, pain ache, and heart acceleration. During the World War II, it was also used to relive the stress from the raid. A scientific study on Valerian started from 1970s and in 1985, the German committee certified Valerian as a sleeping pill. From the aspects of pharmacology, as the Valerian root has the effect of relaxing(sedative) and anti-anxiety(anxiolytic), it has been used for relax agent, anti-spasm agent, migraine healing agent and pain reliever.  Most of scientific studies on Valerian are about the interaction of GABA neurotransmission receptor system. The barium tranquilizers are combined with GABA receptor in brain. Valerian is thought to have similar activity.

Effect of Valerian

1. Helpful for insomnia and sleep disorder improvement
In most cases, Valerian is used for the treatment of insomnia, especially for the insomnia caused by menopause. Like other healing agents used for insomnia, it helps relieve anxiety and sleeping disorder. Even in the morning after the intake, there is no adverse effect s such as dim feeling.

2. Relieves anxiety and stress 
It relaxes and relives the tension for people who are exposed to highly stressful environment.

3. Muscle relaxing activity is useful for neurological stomachache and stomach spasm, and also helps prevent them caused by irritable bowel syndrome and colon bacillus.

Related Articles

1. Therapy for insomniacs: effectiveness and tolerance of valerian preparations [translated from German] (Vorbach EU, Gortelmeyer R, Bruning J., Psychopharmakotherapie. 1996;3:109-115.)

: Clinical trials with the patients with sleeping disorders caused by emotion, showed the increased sleeping quality in the group of the intake of Valerian extract. 

2. An aqueous extract of valerian reduces latency to fall asleep in man (Leathwook PD, Chauffard F, Planta Med 1985 Apr;(2):144-8)

: Clinical study with the patient with light insomnia showed that the extract of Valerian reduced latency to fall asleep and increased the sleeping satisfaction level.

3. Anxiolytic effects of a combination of Melissa officinalis and Valeriana officinalis during laboratory induced stress. (Kennedy DO, Little W, Haskell CF, et al., Phytother Res. 2006;20:96-102.)

: Clinical study showed the anxiolytic effects of a combination of lemon balm and the extract of Valerian during the laboratory induced stress environment 

4. Effects of valerian on the severity and systemic manifestations of dysmenorrhea (Mirabi P, Dolatian M, et al., Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2011 Dec;155(3)285-8)

: Effects of Valerian are effective on menstrual pain due to the muscle relaxing and spasm relieving activity.