Ingredients · Herb
Valerian Root
Valeriana officinalis · Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle family)
What it’s like, and how to use it
- 212°F / 100°C
- Steep 10–15 minutes COVERED
- Use 1–2 tsp per 8oz
- Strong taste
- blend with chamomile and lavender
- Give it 2–4 weeks of nightly use for full effect
How to use it
Strictly a medicinal tea herb — the flavor is too strong and distinctive for culinary use. Valerian root tea (standalone or blended with chamomile, lavender, and lemon balm to mask the taste). Valerian tincture in herbal formulas. Not used in food preparation.
With food
Not a culinary herb. Best paired with honey and chamomile in tea form to make the flavor more approachable. Some people add it to bedtime golden milk.
With spices
Cinnamon (warming sweetness, and it covers a great deal). Lavender flower (a second calming tradition alongside it). Nutmeg, a pinch (a traditional bedtime addition; keep it under half a gram). Vanilla bean (palatability rescue, which valerian genuinely needs).
With tea
Chamomile (the classic duo — apigenin BDZ-site complements valerian's beta-subunit modulation). Passionflower (fast onset + slow build = both immediate and sustained sleep support). Lavender (triple-pathway sleep architecture). Lemon Balm (the full European sleep formula with chamomile and passionflower).
Its story
Where it comes from
Native to Europe and parts of Asia. The name may derive from Latin 'valere' (to be strong/healthy). Major cultivation in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and Eastern Europe. The dried root has a distinctive pungent smell (from isovaleric acid) that cats find irresistible — it's sometimes called 'cat valerian.' Wild-harvested European valerian is considered higher quality than cultivated Asian varieties.
What happened
Hippocrates described valerian. Galen wrote about it. During the Second World War it was used in Britain to relieve the stress of air raids. Germany's Commission E recognises it for sleep disturbance and nervousness. The Pied Piper of Hamelin is sometimes read as a valerian seller, since the root attracts rats as well as cats. European phytotherapy has studied valerian more extensively than almost any other herb.
Good for
What the research looked at
Traditionally used in Herbal Medicine as a sleep aid, to help promote sleep — and one of the most studied herbs in European phytotherapy, with over two hundred clinical studies.
Also traditionally used as a calmative for restlessness.
It builds: the tradition and the research both describe two to four weeks of consistent use rather than a single cup.
Naturally caffeine-free — and it smells like old socks, which everyone should be warned about before opening the bag.
What’s in the leaf
Valerenic acid (0.49–6.0 mg/g root — beta-2/beta-3 GABA-A PAM + 5-HT5a partial agonist; lipophilic, tea delivers ~2–4 mg per cup vs 2.4–4.8 mg in standardized extracts). Isovaleric acid (the characteristic pungent smell). Valepotriates (heat-labile — effectively absent from tea). Linarin (water-soluble flavonoid — may contribute to calming). Endogenous GABA (present in the root).
These teas are foods, sold as such. Nothing on this page is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
On the shelf with it
Sold on its own, and in these blends.
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Valerian Root, Organic
Regular price From $10.00 CADRegular price -
Ayurvedic Slumber
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Sold outSweet Dreams, Organic
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