Carvalho DP, Peters VM, Dias AF, Dutra SCPL, Guerra MO. Valerian treatment during the postpartum period alters breast milk composition and impairs long-term memory in female rat offspring. Braz J Med Biol Res 2021;54(11):e10192. View abstract.

Bent S, Patterson M, Garvin D. Valerian for sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Alternative Therapies 2001;7:S4. Valerian may cause vivid dreams because it contains essential oil and compounds called iridoid glycosides. These compounds stimulate opioid receptors and serotonin production in your brain, producing relaxing and anti-depressive effects ( 6). Cavadas, C., Araujo, I., Cotrim, M. D., Amaral, T., Cunha, A. P., Macedo, T., and Ribeiro, C. F. In vitro study on the interaction of Valeriana officinalis L. extracts and their amino acids on GABAA receptor in rat brain. Arzneimittelforschung. 1995;45(7):753-755. View abstract. The NIH also noted a clinical trial in which 121 people with insomnia taking 600 mg of dried valerian root had decreased symptoms of insomnia compared to the placebo after 28 days of treatment. Jenabi E, Shobeiri F, Hazavehei SMM, Roshanaei G. The effect of valerian on the severity and frequency of hot flashes: a triple-blind randomized clinical trial. Women Health. 2017 Feb 16:1-8. View abstract.You can use valerian orally as a capsule, as a powder, tea, tincture, tablets, or in a bath. There are lots of valerian products on the market, but the amount of valerian root extract in them tends to vary a lot. Valerian plant Sateia MJ, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the pharmacologic treatment of chronic insomnia in adults: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine Clinical Practice Guideline. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2017;13:307. After you take valerian, the unique substances and enzymes within the plant will work by binding to your GABA receptors. This should help you to feel calmer and more prepared for sleep. For instance, in one study from 2009, women with insomnia took 300mg of valerian extract 30 minutes before going to bed and reported no significant improvements into the quality of their sleep. Kohnen R, Oswald WD. The effects of valerian, propranolol, and their combination on activation, performance, and mood of healthy volunteers under social stress conditions. Pharmacopsychiatry 1988;21:447-8. View abstract.

Hellum BH, Hu Z, Nilsen OG. The induction of CYP1A2, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 by six trade herbal products in cultured primary human hepatocytes. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2007 Jan;100:23-30. View abstract. Lacher SK, Mayer R, Sichardt K, et al. Interaction of valerian extracts of different polarity with adenosine receptors: identification of isovaltrate as an inverse agonist at A1 receptors. Biochem Pharmacol 2007;73(2):248-58. View abstract. These materials are put into capsules or tablets, whereas teas and tinctures are usually prepared with just dried roots. 2 What is valerian used for? When it comes to figuring out how to take valerian for sleep, there are a lot of factors you’ll need to figure out through simple trial and error. The best time to take a valerian root dosage for sleep is anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours before you go bed. There’s a lot of room for experimentation there.Vassiliadis, T., Anagnostis, P., Patsiaoura, K., Giouleme, O., Katsinelos, P., Mpoumponaris, A., and Eugenidis, N. Valeriana hepatotoxicity. Sleep Med 2009;10(8):935. View abstract. Valerian might cause sleepiness. Alprazolam also causes sleepiness. Taking valerian along with alprazolam might cause too much sleepiness. Waldschutz, R. and Klein, P. The homeopathic preparation Neurexan vs. valerian for the treatment of insomnia: an observational study. ScientificWorldJournal. 2008;8:411-420. View abstract. Circosta C, De Pasquale R, Samperi S, et al. Biological and analytical characterization of two extracts from Valeriana officinalis. J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 Jun 13;112:361-7. View abstract. Kia YH, Alexander S, Dowling D, Standish R. A case of steroid-responsive valerian-associated hepatitis. Intern Med J. 2016 Jan;46(1):118-9. View abstract.