Valerian
A root from European herbal practice, taken above all for sleep.
- Sleep
- Nerves and tension
- Hot flushes
A plain-English overview, not advice. Written from published reviews and trials and from what people say in public forums.
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On this page
What is valerian?
Valerian is the root of Valeriana officinalis, a flowering plant long used in European herbal practice. The dried root and rhizome are either milled to a powder or steeped in a solvent to draw out a concentrated extract, then sold as capsules, tablets, drops or tea. Traditionally it has been taken for sleeplessness and anxiety, and also for digestive and urinary complaints. It is one of the most widely used herbal products in Europe, and the same plant is sold in one country as a food supplement and in the next as a traditional herbal medicine, an inconsistency that reviewers of the European market have written about at length.
Why do people take valerian?
Sleep
The thinking. Sleep is the reason most people buy valerian, as a capsule or a cup of the tea in the hour before bed. Researchers describe it as the herbal product people turn to most often when they are sleeping badly, and the idea is that it settles things enough for sleep to come on by itself.
What research has found. Three placebo-controlled trials measured sleep by questionnaire, one of them also by wrist monitor and overnight recording, in adults with sleep complaints, in people recovering from heart surgery, and in adults starting an HIV medicine known to unsettle sleep and mood; all three came out ahead of placebo. Two reviews of the wider literature, the larger gathering 60 studies and nearly 6,900 people, found that the results do not line up: sleep as people rate it improves more readily than the objectively measured side, which one review put down to how much the extracts themselves vary. Studies here point in different directions, so this one is still being worked out; the dose, how long people took it and who took part all seem to matter.
Nerves and tension
The thinking. The second reason people reach for valerian is nerves: a wound-up evening, a head that will not switch off, or a capsule taken before something stressful. It is the same reputation for calm that makes it a bedtime herb, and researchers list it among the plants used for sedation and for easing anxiety.
What research has found. Two small trials scored anxiety questionnaires, and they do not agree. In the first, 64 adults under psychological stress took 100 mg of the extract three times a day, or a placebo, for four weeks: both groups improved, and the difference between them was not statistically significant. In the second, where valerian was given before a routine tooth extraction, anxiety scores fell over the course of the appointment in the valerian group and did not in the placebo group. The studies disagree, so this is unsettled: dose, duration and who took part all seem to shift the result.
Hot flushes
The thinking. Around the menopause valerian is taken for hot flushes and the broken nights that come with them. Part of the reason it is tried here is that it is described as a phytoestrogenic herb, a plant carrying compounds that behave a little like oestrogen, and part of it is that same reputation for calm.
What research has found. One trial in 60 postmenopausal women aged 45 to 55 gave 530 mg twice a day, or a matching placebo, for two months, and scored flushes on a standard menopause index. Severity came out lower than placebo after one month and again after two, and the flushes were less frequent by the second month. Few studies have measured this yet, so there is little to go on either way.
What does valerian do in the body?
Valerian is not a nutrient the body runs short of. It is a root carrying a mixture of active compounds, and the reviews are candid that no single one of them accounts for what it does. Some of those compounds are unstable, which is why reviewers keep pressing for tighter rules on how extracts are made, tested and stored.
That mixture is also why one capsule of valerian is not quite like another. The root’s constituents run from water-loving to oil-loving, so the solvent used to draw them out decides what ends up in the capsule; one review of pooled trials suggested the steadiest results came from the whole root and rhizome. As for what the body does with it, the clearest measurement here is an indirect one: a four-week trial recorded changes in the brain’s electrical rhythms at the scalp, more of one band at the front of the head and less of another, and those changes tracked the anxiety scores. Reviews also note that it can add to the effect of medicines that slow the nervous system.
What do people say about taking valerian?
These are anecdotes people have shared, not evidence.
What people like
- Sleep is overwhelmingly what people say they take it for, and those it suits describe dropping off more easily rather than being knocked out.
- Very commonly the effect is called gentle, and that mildness is often the reason people chose it ahead of something stronger.
- Some describe a quieter head at bedtime, less going over the day, rather than feeling heavy-eyed or sedated.
- A few who stuck with nightly tablets for a fortnight say they gained roughly an extra hour of sleep.
Common complaints
- Vivid, strange or unsettling dreams are the complaint that comes up most often, especially with the teas, and several people stop because of them.
- Feeling groggy the following day, or lethargic when it is taken too early, is a regular report.
- Some notice nothing at all, and others say it gets them off to sleep but does not keep them asleep.
- The taste of the tea is often called rank, and a minority found shop-bought forms weaker than one made up for them.
How people take it
- Bedtime is the usual pattern: tablets or capsules, or a cup or two of the tea in the hour before bed.
- People commonly say it takes about a fortnight of nightly use before anything changes, and describe it as building up.
- It is very often taken alongside other calming habits, with chamomile in the daytime, lavender on the pillow, or magnesium.
- A minority take it only on bad nights or before something stressful, and some split smaller amounts through the day.
- Blends that pair it with hops or other calming herbs are common, and a few prefer a preparation made by a herbalist.
Read from these public discussions:
- Any one else tried Valerian-hops? (Mumsnet, 2009)
- Valerian for Anxiety? (Mumsnet, 2013)
- Valerian (Mumsnet, 2017)
- Has anyone used Valerian root for anxiety/insomnia? (Mumsnet, 2019)
- Night time herbal tea and upsetting dreams (Mumsnet, 2023)
- What natural products help you sleep? (Mumsnet, 2024)
What forms of valerian are there?
| Form | What’s different | Per serving, on products we list |
|---|---|---|
| Valerian root | Dried root and rhizome, sold milled as a powder or concentrated into an extract; labels may state valerenic acid. | 150 mg |
What else is worth knowing about valerian?
- Labels give the amount per serving, and a serving may be more than one capsule; extracts are concentrated to different strengths, and some labels state a percentage of valerenic acid.
- The trials here used 100 mg three times a day at one end and 530 mg twice a day at the other, over four weeks to two months. Each was small, between about 50 and 80 people, and several were run in hospital settings rather than among people sleeping badly at home.
- No severe side effects were reported in the review covering 60 studies of people aged 7 to 80, an umbrella review described the safety record as good, and the eight-week sleep trial found nothing of concern; separately, a reference review records rare cases of liver injury.
- One review of valerian’s potential to interact with medicines found nothing of clinical relevance, including with the liver enzymes that process drugs, while a more recent review notes that it can add to the effect of medicines that slow the nervous system.
If you take medication, are pregnant, or have a health condition, check with a pharmacist or GP first.
The research behind this page (14 studies)
- Does valerian work for insomnia? An umbrella review of the evidence. (2024, systematic review)
- Valerian Root in Treating Sleep Problems and Associated Disorders-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (2020, meta-analysis)
- Standardized Extract of Valeriana officinalis Improves Overall Sleep Quality in Human Subjects with Sleep Complaints: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Clinical Study. (2024, randomised trial)
- Efficacy of Valerian Extract on Sleep Quality after Coronary Artery bypass Graft Surgery: A Triple-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. (2021, randomised trial)
- Effect of Valerian in Preventing Neuropsychiatric Adverse Effects of Efavirenz in HIV-Positive Patients: A Pilot Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. (2017, randomised trial)
- Effects of Passiflora incarnata and Valeriana officinalis in the control of anxiety due to tooth extraction: a randomized controlled clinical trial. (2024, randomised trial)
- Valerian extract alters functional brain connectivity: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. (2019, randomised trial)
- The effect of Valerian on the severity and frequency of hot flashes: A triple-blind randomized clinical trial. (2018, randomised trial)
- Medicinal plants and their preparations in the European market: Why has the harmonization failed? The cases of St. John's wort, valerian, ginkgo, ginseng, and green tea. (2021, review)
- Assessment of genotoxicity of herbal medicinal products: application of the "bracketing and matrixing" concept using the example of Valerianae radix (valerian root). (2014, review)
- Saffron, passionflower, valerian and sage for mental health. (2013, review)
- Valerian: no evidence for clinically relevant interactions. (2014, review)
- Valerian (2012, review)
- Neuroprotective and Neuromodulatory Potential of <i>Valeriana officinalis</i>, <i>Passiflora incarnata</i>, and <i>Ginkgo biloba</i>: Efficacy, Safety, and Regulatory Aspects. (2026, review)
How much does valerian cost?
That depends on the form and the pack, so we work out the price of the same dose of every valerian product we can find and rank them.