Valerian Root Standardized 500 Mg

Valerian grows all over Europe as well as in areas as diverse as the Andes and South Africa. In the US, valerian grows along the roadsides throughout New England. It is a tall gangly plant with white or pink flat top flower clusters. The knobby, entangled root is the part of the plant that is used as a remedy.

Few herbs have such a well established history of use in cultures throughout the world as valerian. In India, China, Europe and North America, native people have used it as tea for relaxation for many centuries. The name valerian is derived from the Latin root word meaning to be ‘in health’. The root has a strong, distinctive aromatic odor. Some people find it attractive and others offensive.

The Greek physician Dioscorides wrote in the first century about this root, referring to it as Phu, which has the same root word as our expression, “pew!” Cats are extremely attracted to this plant, even more so than catnip. William Cullen, a famous 18th Century English physician, suggested that the quality of valerian found in apothecary shops could be tested by how cats reacted to it.