Valerian - Valeriana officinalis overview
|
|
a Valerian plant
|
Valerian aka Common Valerian, Garden Heliotrope, Althea, Great Wild Valerian, Amantilla, Setwall, Phu, Setewale, Capon's Tail
Valeriana officinalis
Family: VALERIANACEAE
The principle part used is the root.
Valerian
[1] has a tranquilizing effect similar to Valium, a well known
antidepressant drug, and is known to be very relaxing to the whole system without the side effects. It increases Serotonin levels, targets brain centres with a suppressing and balancing action to the autonomic nervous system.
Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, Stress and Worry respond to Valerian and is one of our favourite herbs used for these ailments.
Valerian is a very strong, antianxiety and antidepression herb. Its active ingredients, miepotriates, bind to benzodiazepine receptor sites in the brain, a mechanism similar to the action of drugs such as Valium.
Valerian seems to be more beneficial to the nervous system than Valium, and it does not cause dependence or becoming tolerant to the herb or have side effects if taken as directed.
Valerian Flowers
|
Studies show that Valerian improves the quality of sleep and calms the whole system. It induces sleep as reliably as strong pharmaceutical drugs without causing side effects of a morning hangover.
Valerian is stronger-acting than Passionflower which is another one of our favourite herbs and is a herb that even if you have a headache will help you go to sleep.
Valerian - Valeriana officinalis uses
|
|
Another natural antidepressant with tranquilising effects which increases Serotonin levels. If Valerian is used in large doses it can have mild side effects including headaches, excitability and insomnia so make sure you use this herb as directed by a Professional Natural
Health Practitioner.
Valerian is known to increase the effects of sedative drugs if taken with them. Some people may have a "paradoxical reaction" to valerian, feeling anxious and restless after taking it instead of calm and sleepy.
[2]
Discontinue using Valerian if you are experiencing any increased anxiety or an unpleasant restlessness as this can happen in a very small percentage of the population. This mostly happens when people do not abide by the directions thinking more is better and in most cases this is not so
[3] .
Known for its antispasmodic and sedative qualities Valerian can relax the ureter enough to allow a small kidney stone to pass.
- Abdominal Cramps
- Acne
- After pain
- Alcoholism
- Anxiety
- Bed Wetting
- Blood Pressure (high)
- Breathlessness
- Childhood Diseases
- Colds
- Colic
- Convulsions
- Cramps
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Digestive Disorders
- Endometriosis pain
- Epilepsy
|
- Fever
- Flatulence
- Gas
- Giddiness
- Gum Diseases
- Headaches
- Heart tonic
- Heartburn
- High Blood Pressure
- Hyperactivity
- Hypochondria
- Hypoglycemia
- Hysteria
- Insomnia
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Kidney Stones
- Lumbago
- Measles
|
- Menopause
- Menstruation (increased)
- Migraine Headache
- Muscle Spasms
- Nervous Disorders
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Pain
- Paralysis
- Palpitations
- Rheumatism
- Scarlet fever
- Shock
- Smoking Addiction
- Stress
- St Vitus’ Dance
- Ulcers
- Worry
- Wounds
|
Contra-indications: Do not take in conjunction with sedative or prescription drugs or if you are pregnant.
Is it Safe for me to take Valerian - Valeriana officinalis Tincture?
If you have any concerns or apprehensions please use our
free Herbal Tincture enquiry service so that we can make sure that what you want is completely safe for your situation or condition.
We especially encourage you to
get in touch if you have any of the following health problems or conditions:
- An enlarged prostate gland
- Are preganant or breast-feeding
- Blood clotting problems
- Cancer
- Diabetes
|
|
- Epilepsy
- Glaucoma
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Immune system problems
|
|
- Liver problems
- Psychiatric problems
- Parkinson's disease
- Stroke
- Thyroid problems
|
You have two options when you purchase Valerian tincture:
- For external use which you can apply externally to the soles of your feet or topically on an external condition - you can purchase these without a consultation.
- For internal use. If you wish to take it internally because of the potency of these tinctures you need to be sure they will not cause complications with an existing health condition or prescribed drugs you may be taking.
Valerian tincture
|
If you are in any doubt about the possibility Valerian tincture causing complications with prescription drugs or a medical condition you may have please get in touch so that we can advise you on the suitability of a particular tincture.
Especially if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.
You can have an online consultation or visit our clinic for a thorough consultation if you wish to purchase our potent tinctures for internal use.
There are fewer concerns when using Valerian tincture externally and our many years of experience has shown that the tincture is just as effective being applied into the soles of the feet or applied
topically
on external conditions where they will be absorbed into your system.
Our clients who have come for a consultation use the same tincture internally and we recommend they take half an eyedropper (about 1.5ml) of herbal tincture in a small glass of water three times per day for adults and a quarter of an eyedropper in a small glass of water for children.
Valerian tincture is a potent liquid extract made from organic Valerian. It is a concentrated way of getting herbal medicine into your body easily especially applying them to the soles of your feet. Once a tincture is prepared, it has an extremely long shelf life. Tinctures should be kept in a cool, dark cupboard to maintain their potency.
If you are on any prescribed medication we strongly advise you to use our free Herbal Tincture enquiry service to make sure that the medication and potent Valerian tincture are compatible.
making medicine for internal use
|
How to Use Valerian Tincture internally
How do I prepare my Valerian Tincture?
Just add the recommended dosage - which is usually 1.5ml or one eyedropperfull - to a glass of drinking water or any other cold drink.
Then drink it.
When should I drink my Valerian Tincture?
For best absorption, consume herbal tinctures 30 minutes or more before meals or drinking other liquids to avoid diluting it while it is in your digestive tract.
How to Use our Tinctures externally
how to apply a tincture to the soles of your feet
|
If you are treating an external condition - such as a skin infection - then simply apply the tincture directly to the site using the eyedropper or a suitable swab.
If you are treating an internal condition then the best way to get the tincture into your body is through the soles of your feet. The skin is a highly absorptive organ and the feet have the reflexology facility which helps get the healing properties of the herbs right to the place inside you where they will do the most good.
If you don't have someone to do it for you, the easiest way we've found is to apply it sitting down. Rest one foot on your other leg's thigh (use a towel to make sure the tincture doesn't drip on your furniture or clothes), squirt a small amount of tincture onto the palm of one hand (about 1.5ml or half an eyedropper), rub it gently into the sole of your foot. In most cases you will find it has been absorbed within 30 seconds or so - you'll know when your foot feels dry. Then do the same to your other foot and the treatment is complete.
Valerian - Valeriana officinalis history
Valerian has been used as a medicinal herb since at least the time of ancient Greece and Rome
[1] . Hippocrates described its properties, and Galen later prescribed it as a remedy for insomnia.
Valerian was first named after Valerius, who first used it in medicine, while others derive the name from the Latin Valere (to be in health) for its medicinal qualities.
[11]
Valerian has been used for many centuries to treat any condition that has associated pain, including menstruation pain and endometriosis as it acts as a mild sedative which relieves cramping.
There is evidence it was widely used in many Anglo-Saxon home remedies and in the Middel Ages it was carried in clothing as a moth repellent.
[12]
a botanical illustration of Valerian
|
Nicholas Culpeper
[13][14][15], the famous 17th century herbalist joins with many old writers to recommend the use both of herb and root, reminding us that it is 'under the influence of Mercury, and therefore hath a warming faculty�.
During World War II, air-raids caused many symptoms of nervous disability in the civilian population and Valerian was prescribed and proved excellent, helping to prevent or minimize symptoms.
Oil of Valerian was employed to a considerable extent on the continent as a popular remedy for cholera.
You may be familiar with the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin: Modern versions of this legend suggest that the rats were charmed by his music, but earlier accounts suggest that his success primarily was due to many pieces of valerian root which were in his pockets.
Cats are attracted to valerian, which can induce a state of ecstasy in them. Rats, too, are attracted by it, and it was used in the past as bait by rat-catchers.
In medieval Sweden, it was sometimes placed in the wedding clothes of the groom to ward off the "envy" of the elves.[2] In the sixteenth century the Anabaptist reformer Pilgram Marpeck prescribed valerian tea for a sick woman.
Native to Europe and Asia it grows well in the USA and Australia and comprises 150 species growing in temperate parts of the world.
England, Russia, Saxony, Holland and the United States cultivate Valerian for alternatives to benzodiazepine drugs.
Valeriana officinalisL VALERIANACEAE
Valerian Common Valerian/Garden Heliotrope
Several different species of Valeriana have been used in European medicine of which V. officinalis L, V. celtica L, V. dioica L and V. phu L, were the most important. The latter species was probably the herb known as Phu to the ancients while V. celtica was referred to as Nardus celticus.
Valeriana officinalis was particularly promoted by the Arab physicians and the name Valeriana first appears in the tenth century. Tincture of Valerian was employed in the First World War to treat shellshock, and the rhizome and roots are still retained in several national pharmacopoeias. The root was once included in various recipes and was also used to scent linen.
Description Glabrous perennial 20-150 cm tall, on aromatic root-stock. Stems lightly grooved. Leaves pinnate to 20 cm long, leaflets either entire or toothed, lanceolate. Flowers white or pinkish, small, in terminal inflorescence appearing mid-summer to early autumn.
Distribution Native to Europe and west Asia ; naturalized in North America. In grassland, ditches, damp meadowland, close to streams, on nutrient-rich soils to 2000 m altitude.
Cultivation Wild. Propagated by division of root-stock in spring or autumn, or from seed sown in spring.
Constituents Essential oil (to 1 %) comprising various components (which include monoterpene valepotriates) and which in combination are sedative and antispasmodic.
Uses (dried root-stock) Sedative; stomachic; antispasmodic; carminative. Of benefit in the treatment of a wide range of nervous disorders and intestinal colic. Used in combination with other remedies in the treatment of hypertension. Useful in insomnia and migraine, nervous exhaustion and anxiety states. The root was once used, in small quantities, as a culinary flavouring.
Contra- indications The drug should not be taken in large doses for an extended period of time.
|