Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Valeriana officinalis
Family: Caprifoliaceae
Part used: Root
Taste: Bitter, Pungent
Temperature: Warm
Moisture: Dry

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Insufficient data; avoid

While breastfeeding

Avoid during breastfeeding — sedative transfer to infant, limited safety data.

For children

Low dose use considered by some; limited data

Cautions

Paradoxical stimulation in ~5% of people; avoid driving; long-term caution (liver)

General contraindications

Insufficient safety data; avoid

Stewardship

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is cultivated globally; strong-smelling root. Stewardship: a plant with a love-it-or-hate-it scent teaches the principle of individual constitutional response — one person's medicine can be another's irritant.

In the traditional record

Valerian — Valeriana referenced by Dioscorides in De Materia Medica; used in medieval European monasteries as a nerve remedy

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.