THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP

VALERIAN: A NATURAL SLEEP AID AND PEACE-MAKER

Sleep problems and nervous disorders: the pitfalls of the pharmaceutical

approach
Anxiety disorders and insomnia often go hand in hand.i Anxiety disorders afflict one in five
people worldwide at some point or other in their lives, while it is speculated that insomnia
affects between 9 and 15% of people globally.ii The American Academy of Sleep Medicine
points out that, among adults in the U.S., 30 to 35% suffer brief episodes of insomnia, 15 to
20% have short-term insomnia, and 10% have a chronic insomnia disorder. The symptoms are
broad and debilitating: fatigue, inability to maintain focus and concentration, poor memory,
mood disturbance, daytime sleepiness, low motivation or energy, and proneness to errors and
accidents.iii Also, research suggests that there is a correlation between insomnia and other
more serious health risks, including anxiety disorders and other psychological problems, as well
as hypertension and decreased immune function.iv,v

Comprehensive reviews have shown that a therapy based on pharmaceutical drugs that reduce
anxiety and aid sleep (e.g. benzodiazepines and other drugs) is associated with a significantly
increased risk of mortality.vi,vii This is not to mention the dangers posed by dependence and
side-effects like gastrointestinal upset, vertigo, and fatigue.viii

A better, more natural solution

Research shows that, for problems of anxiety and insomnia, herbs offer an effective, time-
honoured solution that is both safer and non-addictive.ix,x,xi

A perennial plant native to Europe and Asia, Valerian is a classic nerve-calming herb.xii The use
of its pungently odoriferous root can be traced back to classical antiquity. In the time of the
Roman Empire, we find Galen, for example, prescribing it for insomnia.xiii Closer to our own day,
valerian was widely employed by the Eclectics—physicians of the 19th and early 20th centuries
who tended to rely on herbal therapies--for treating nervousness, restlessness and anxiety as
well as insomnia.xiv,xv

In a double-blind trial of 48 adults, valerian was found to reduce anxiety without ancillary
sedation,xvi while another clinical trial that used a standardized valerian preparation showed an
anxiety-reducing effect similar to the drug, diazepam.xvii As well, several studies present
compelling evidence of the effectiveness of valerian in the treatment of insomnia.xviii These
include a clinical trial with 202 patients that found valerian and oxazepam, a standard
benzodiazepine tranquilizer, to be equally efficacious.xix It is thought that valerian’s mechanism
of action is through what are known as GABA neurotransmitters, which regulate motor
function, vision, and other cortical activities, as well as controlling anxiety.xx

The name “valerian” comes the Latin verb valere, which means “to be strong or in good
health.” A charming recipe from the fourteenth century illustrates quite nicely valerian’s
calming virtues, which are the central facet of its healing strength. It goes like this: “If men
begin a fight and you want to stop them, give them a valerian potion and peace will be made
immediately.”xxi

i
J Sarris et al, “Plant-Based Medicines for Anxiety Disorders, Part 1,” CNS Drugs 2013; 27: 207-219.
ii
L Liu et al, “Herbal Medicine for Anxiety, Depression and Insomnia,” Current Neuropharmacology 2015; 12: 481-
493.
iii
Thomas M Heffron, “Insomnia Awareness Day facts and stats,” Sleep Education: A sleep health information
resource by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine 2014 March; accessed online at:
http://www.sleepeducation.org/news/2014/03/10/insomnia-awareness-day-facts-and-stats
iv
DJ Taylor et al, “Insomnia as a health risk factor,” Behavioural Sleep Medicine 2003; 1(4): 227-47.
v
Heffron, op.cit.
vi
S Weich et al, “Effect of anxiolytic and hypnotic drug prescriptions on mortality hazards: retrospective cohort
study,” BMJ 2014 March; 348.
vii
AK Parsaik et al, “Mortality associated with anxiolytic and hypnotic drugs—A systematic review and meta-
analysis,” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2016 June; 50(6): 520-33.
viii
K Abascal and E Yarnell, “Nervine Herbs for Treating Anxiety,” Alternative and Complementary Therapies 2004
December; 309-315.
ix
J Sarris, op. cit.
x
J Sarris et al, “Plant-Based Medicines for Anxiety Disorders, Part 2: A Review of Clinical Studies With Supporting
Preclinical Evidence,” CNS Drugs 2013; 27: 301-319.
xi
L Liu, op. cit.
xii
M Hattesohl et al, “Extracts of Valeriana officinalis L. s.l. show anxiolytic and antidepressant effects but neither
sedative nor myorelaxant properties,” Phytomedicine 2008 January; 15(1-2): 2-15.
xiii
Mark Blumenthal et al, eds, “Valerian Root,” Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs, Newton,
MA: Integrative Medicine Communications, 2000, pp. 394-400.
xiv
Finley Ellingwood, The American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy, Portland, OR: Eclectic
Medical Publications; 1985. Reprinted from original 1919 edition, p. 125.
xv
WH Cook, The Physio-medical Dispensatory, 1869, Scanned version copyright Henrietta Kress, 2001. Accessed
from: http://tinyurl.com/2jr2vo
xvi
R Kohnen and WD Oswald, “The effects of valerian, propranolol, and their combination on activation,
performance, and mood of healthy volunteers under social stress conditions,” Pharmopsychiatry 1988 November;
21(6): 447-8.
xvii
R Andreatini et al, “Effect of valepotriates (valerian extract) in generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized
placebo-controlled pilot study,” Phytotherapy Research 2002 November; 16(7): 650-4.
xviii
“Valeriana officinalis,” Alternative Medicine Review 2004; 9(4): 438-441.
xix
G Ziegler et al., Eur J Med Res 2002;7(11):480-6.
xx
HA Hamid et al, “Indole Alkaloids from Plants as Potential Leads for Antidepressant Drugs: A Mini Review,”
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2017 February; 8(96): 1-7.
xxi
Mrs. M. Grieve, A Modern Herbal, entry for “Valerian” accessed at:
https://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/v/valeri01.html