Valerian

Valerian: Nature's tranquilizer

Valerian is a native plant that has been used since ancient times to this day for its sedative and anxiolytic properties.

The plant

Valerian is a weather and disease resistant shrub with a maximum height of no more than 1.5 meters. Its flowers are small pink to white depending on the variety, in an "umbrella" formation at the top of the plant, while the stem is tubular and fluffy. The root, the part of the plant with the main and most important therapeutic properties, is fibrous with a strong aroma. Valerian blooms from May to August. The flowering tops are collected in summer, while the root is collected in autumn from September to October. The main ingredients and active substances are, sugars, starch, resins, essential oil, organic acids, nitrogenous compounds, valeric acid, volatile oil, resin and gum. Its taste is intense, dry and slightly bitter.

Features and benefits

The oils it contains have a similar effect to benzodiazepines, a class of drugs with sedative, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, anesthetic and muscle relaxant properties, which are often used to provide short-term relief in severe anxiety states or insomnia.

In addition to its anxiolytic properties, valerian is also considered useful for arthritis, neuralgia, colitis, hypertension, intestinal colic, rheumatic pains and dysmenorrhea, but also for cramps, migraine, insomnia, toothache and nervous asthma. >.
In addition to its therapeutic use, valerian is also known for its use in perfumery and its cultivation for ornamental purposes due to its beautiful flowers and its resistance to extreme weather conditions.