The health benefits of Valerian Root (Valeriana officinalis) are numerous and it can ease, relieve and cure many different problems and ailments.
Valerian root has many medicinal properties which include:
- Aromatic
- Stimulant
- Tonic
- Anodyne (painkiller)
- Antispasmodic (suppresses muscle spasms)
- Nervine
- Emmenagogue (stimulates blood flow in the pelvic and uterus area)
The root is what’s used and where the medicinal benefits come from. It’s good for both men and women, old and young too.
What Does It Help With?
Valerian is an excellent nerve tonic which makes it very quieting and soothing. Because of this it is great for anytime you are on edge or highly emotional. This makes it beneficial for when you are feeling anxious, angry or nervous.
Because it is a emmenagogue and increases the blood flow to your uterus and pelvic area it can be helpful to promote menstruation.
It can also help with colic (excessive crying in a baby), low fevers, breaking up colds, and bladder stones.
It has tremendous healing effects for stomach ulcers and very good for the prevention of fermentation and gas.
You can also use it externally. This makes it effective for sores in your mouth and pimples, acne and blemishes.
It relieves palpations in the heart as well. Because it is antispasmodic it can help with muscle spasms in any part of your body.
It also can help with:
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Improving circulation
- Headaches
- Hysteria
- Concentration problems
How To Use And Different Ways To Take It
There are many ways to take this herb and different ways to prepare it. You can either buy the root and make the solutions yourself (which I’ll show you how to easily in a few seconds) or you can buy the solution already made (like extracts, tea bags, capsules, powder).
Gathering the root yourself is possible, but you must make sure you know exactly what you’re looking for and how to prepare it.
Here are a few easy ways to prepare the root for maximum benefit:
Tincture: Tincture is a very concentrated extract of the herb in liquid form. You can usually use tinctures as a liniment to rub on the skin, but for a valerian tincture, it is best to add one or two teaspoons to a glass of water.
Extract: Extract is a highly concentrated liquid form of an herb and is 10 times stronger than a tincture. This is a very popular way of taking herbs and can be easily bought online (same with the tincture) and act faster than teas, capsules or powdered herbs. Take about 6 to 8 drops worth (this is equal to a teaspoon of the tincture version).
Teas: Take about 1 teaspoon of the dried herbs, or 3 teaspoons of the freshly crushed herb to one cup of boiling water. Pour the cup of boiling water over the herb and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes.
To make the tea stronger use more herb but don’t steep for longer because it will make the tea bitter tasting. Add milk and cream to improve the taste.
Don’t keep in the refrigerator for more than a week. You can also buy tea bags, although some feel the bag filters out the delicate flavor of the herb. Try both and see which you like best.
If you take the tea bag route, place tea bag in cup then put boiling water into the cup. Cover and let steep for 3 to 5 minutes and make sure not to use aluminum pans.
Powdered: You can mix powdered Valerian in either hot or cold water; hot water takes effect quicker than cold. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the powder to 1/4 glass of water. Follow this by drinking a full glass of water. This is the recommended dose for the day.
Capsules: You can buy either powdered or capsule easily enough online or at a herb store. Take 1 to 2 a day.
Common Names of Root
You may also hear or see Valeria as:
- Enlgish Valeria
- German Valeria
- Great Wild Valeria
- Vermont Valeria
- Vandal root
- All-heal
- Setwall
- American English Valerian
Some Cautions
The FDA lists this herb as completely safe but you should still take some precautions.
This is a pretty powerful herb so don’t take longer than a couple weeks or you might get some side effects from poisoning.
Never boil this root and don’t prepare it with aluminum cooking utensils. Also, don’t take drugs with any herb, as the two don’t work well together.
If you have a sensitive stomach you can take small teaspoons of the tea every 15 minutes until you can take the full amount. You can also add the powdered version to foods like mashed potatoes, mashed vegetables or ground up sweet fruits like figs or dates.
You can add a little honey or malted sugar to the tea for children so it tastes better. Don’t use refined sugars or sugar substitutes
Herbs Are The Way To Go
Herbs may not have instant results like so many drugs but they are BY FAR the superior choice when treating an illness or sickness.
Every drug you take has chemicals in it that has an effect on your body which moves you farther and farther from ideal health. There are generally no side effects from herbs as long as you don’t abuse them.
Just read the dangers on the average aspirin bottle or listen for them when a commercial comes on. Some pills make the condition they are trying to fix even worst!
There is an herb for any ailment and they are more readily available now than any other time in history. They are very easy to buy and use.
Here’s a great place to buy organic, cut Valerian Root.
I hope you enjoyed this article and if you have any experiences with Valerian root comment below about it. Also comment if you have questions, opinions or need something clarified.
Please share on social media for friends and family to see.
Thanks for reading!
This review on valerian root was thorough and knowledgeable. I particularly liked how you gave the various different methods of use with it as that ensures the benefit of more people from this post. I have to agree with you that herbs are the way to go to treat illness and stress. I have used valerian root a few times with great results!
Glad to hear you’ve gotten good results from valerian root in the past. It’s one of the most common and used herbs for some many different things. Thanks for commenting!
This is thr first I have heard of this herbal root. Based on your article, it seems a very viable option for a number of maladies and offers health benefits with lots of ways to use it (you mention 7, I imagine there are more)…
I have migrated over the years to using a number of fresh herbs and vegetables offering huge health benefits with regular use. Thes inlude the big three I like to call them: Onions, Garlic, and Ginger…
Conversely, I have cut my meat consumption way down, and added more legumes into my diet. There is some very good studied out there on Blue Zones that you may want to have a look at…
Basically these are areas of the globe where people live longer than average. There are some commonalities in their lifestyle and eating habits. I do not know if this Valerian root is a part of the common foods/herbs, but I would not be surprised…This sounds like a winner!
Valerian is a very common herb and you can find information about it all over the nternet, and I’ll be writing about it more on this website. IT can help women greatly and has some nice benefits for men too. Thanks for commenting!
Thank you for opening my eyes to the health benefits of valerian root. I am in a similar kind of niche but did not even think of including this in my natural weight loss site. It is a very informative post. It is also really well laid out and so easily readable to what I assume is any standard of reader which I guess is just what you were aiming for!?
Great post and keep up the good work, great
Si
Thanks and I’m glad to hear you offer natural weight loss tips to your readers. THat’s very improtant for people to know about
You’ve covered the benefits of the Valerian root thoroughly. I’m very much interested in natural herbs and this is an interesting read but, I’m not sure if this is strictly for women or if men can use this product also. I know I would like to know who benefits from the product upfront before I read all of the research that has been done.
That’s a really good point and I should add who it helps. It works for both men and women, young and old btw. I’ll make sure to add that tomorrow. Thanks for commenting
What a thorough post. I am a huge tea drinker and have seen Valerian tea a couple times while browsing the tea aisle. I never purchased it because I never knew exactly what Valerian was.
I think I will pick it up next time to try it. Is the root itself easy to find? Or is it best to just pick up the tea? I always prefer making my own if possible.
You can easily buy the root online in a few different forms. I should have links to a good online store in the next few days
Hey Dylan, I wanted to stop in an tell you how much I enjoyed your article on the health benefits of Valerian root, and the 7 easy ways to take it. I did not know you could use this to calm nerves and anxiety. For someone looking for an all natural way to relieve stress, this seems like a great answer. I will be sure to share with others. Thanks, Adam
Thanks for the commenting Adam. I’m glad you found some use in thsi article and are willing to share
The exotic stuff out there such as this valerian roots can be labeled as one of the better stuff. The health benefit of this root is so much than other non-exotic consumables out there. Some of the nutrient that they provide will build up your body immunity. Nevertheless, it helps to stay healthy and away from the doctor.
Not too long ago herbs were the main medicine of the world. They ahve so many benefits and once people realize the horrible side effects of chemcial medicines they’ll become popular again.
Plants are just the most amazing thing on earth.
I love the way you wrote this article. I used to take Valerian root before taking plane, i used to get stressed and nervous and Valerian root was calming me down and even make me enjoy the flight.
Which one of the 7 ways you report is the most effective on your opinion?
Thanks a lot
Power to plants!!
Plants really area amazing. And tbh, it really depends on you. If you like teas and make tea everyday, then the tea or infusion is the way to go. If you aren’t a big tea person, you can just take the capsule or extract or add the powder to water. Experiemnt with it and find out which is best for yourself and situation.
I had no idea about valerian root until I read through this post. What a great article on it and it was thoroughly informative and very useful to see about the different uses this root has and some ways that you can use/take it. Thank you very much for writing and providing this article, was a real eye-opener.
Thanks for the commen
I love the valerian root because it is a herbal remedy which calms you down and can be an emotional stabiliser. With so many prescription drugs, why not take a herbal remedy first to see it is effective for yourself. I have been advised that valerion root should only be used in major depression, do you agree
It can be used for more than major depression. You must give yourself breaks after a few weeks of use, it’s a potent herb
I love how your post provided an exhaustive and in-depth approach to Valerian root which is perfect for me, as I’ve just started to make a complete shift in my lifestyle. I’ve thrown out all the toxic and chemical products in my home in an attempt to go all-natural for my health and the planet. Given that, I’ve just started reading up on the many kinds of wonderful herbs and their benefits, and I’m so glad I came across yours and found another herb that looks like it needs to be an essential part of my home. I’m going to try this Nighty Night tea as a natural alternative to Nyquil. Thank you so much for sharing.
Congrats on making the change to natural health. That is definitely the way to go. You should certainly try a tea with Valerian in it, it will calm your nerves tremendously and give you a really good night’s sleep. Don’t use for more than a few weeks at a time without giving yourself breaks, it’s a powerful herb.
I will be definitely purchasing some of this. I truly believe in herbs more than pharmaceutical drugs, many of these pharmaceutical drugs derive from plants like this yet have been tampered with.
I loved this and will be bookmarking your site and buying some of this in the future, thank you for showing me this new herb!
I agree with you. There’s a natural cure for everything. And keep reading, I’m sure you’ll find more sueful infromation!
Awesome article. I like all the science behind it as to why it’s good for the body. So i have a few friends and family members who’ve gone vegan and they talk about a huge difference of feeling healthy and stuff like that, so I really like what you are doing with your site and all . Keep up the good work!
Thanks a lot. Valerian is a really cool herb with a lot of great benefits.
Great post, this is the first time i have came across Valerian Root. The benefits from this little root are remarkable. I’m yet to try the tea but not really a fan of bitter tasting drinks. But the benefits do seem to out weigh the taste.
As always well informed article, can’t wait to read future articles.
This really is a great herb that is well known for insomnia and other nervous issues. You can mask the taste with honey or you can take it in extract form. Thanks for commenting Vinnie!
I really do believe in the power of the herbs that just produce naturally from our beautiful world.
I tried Valerian at a time when sleeping patterns were out of sync and was pleasantly surprised with its effects in that it did work very well for me. I also experienced less acne which was of huge benefit for my confidence.
I would definitely recommend trying it. But as you state don’t leave it to steep too long it is very bitter.
Thanks for your very informative website.
I will be visiting again.
This is my first time coming acros valerian root and I didn’t know it has so many health benefits. I am suffering from insomnia for some time due to work and personal stress and have been looking into products that can help me and I think I will give valerian root a try!