Utilized since ancient Greece and Rome, valerian root was recommended by Hippocrates and Galen for insomnia and anxiety, later earning the medieval name "All-Heal" and even being used during World War I to treat shell shock and nervous stress.

Sedative, anxiolytic, nervine relaxant, antispasmodic, and hypotensive.

Valerenic acid, valepotriates, volatile oils (such as valeranone and bornyl acetate), and various flavonoids.

The dried roots and rhizomes.

Can cause daytime drowsiness or a "hangover" effect, occasionally triggers a paradoxical stimulating effect in some individuals, and should not be combined with alcohol, barbiturates, or other CNS depressants.

Widely used as a natural sleep aid to combat insomnia, a calming remedy for nervous tension and anxiety, a muscle relaxant to soothe menstrual cramps and digestive spasms, and a mild hypotensive to lower stress-related blood pressure