Valeriana officinalis

Valeriana officinalis is a perennial flowering plant that produces sweetly scented pink or white flowers all summer long.

Valerian grows very tall, usually between 1–1.5 meters.

It has erect, hollow stems and large, feathery leaves.

The flowers are either pink of white, sweet-smelling and are produced throughout the summer, attracting multitudes of bees and butterflies.

The roots are the most valued part of this plant – they have a strong, somewhat musky odor but that is not all that they have to give.

The crude extract produced by these roots may (or may not) have sedative and anxiolytic effects.

The Tale:

Valerian has been used as a herb in traditional medicine since at least the times of ancient Greece and Rome.

• My personal favorite tale is that, in medieval Sweden, it was sometimes placed in the wedding clothes of a bridegroom to ward off the “envy” of the elves.
• The 17th century astrological botanist (this is the best job title I have ever seen) Nicholas Culpeper thought the plant was “under the influence of Mercury, and therefore hath a warming faculty”. He recommended both herb and root, and said that “the root boiled with liquorice, raisons and aniseed is good for those troubled with cough. Also, it is of special value against the plague, the decoction thereof being drunk and the root smelled. The green herb being bruised and applied to the head taketh away pain and pricking thereof.”

If you are suffering from the plague, Mr Culpeper suggests that some valerian root could help. (Do take that with a grain of scientific salt.)

It is commonly sold in dietary supplement capsules to promote sleep, but there is not much clinical evidence to support it.

Its roots and leaves cause a catnip-like (see our Nepeta department) response in cats.