Hidden depths of a natural sleep aid

+Natural health
In print

Hidden depths of a natural sleep aid

Valerian Photo: Rosser1954

Pharmacist and medical herbalist Phil Rasmussen looks at recent studies supporting the use of valerian to prevent cognitive decline, plus early studies looking at treating depression and headaches

Think valerian, think sleep aid. Valerian is found in a wide range of herbal sleep tonics and many patients swear by them. The roots of the Europe
References
  1. Dorn M. Efficacy and tolerability of Baldrian versus oxazepam in non-organic and non-psychiatric insomniacs: a randomised, double-blind, clinical, comparative study (article in German). Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd 2000;7(2):79–84.

  1. Poyares DR, Guilleminault C, Ohavon MM, et al. Can valerian improve the sleep of insomniacs after benzodiazepine withdrawal? Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2002;26(3):539–45.

  1. Ziegler G, Ploch M, Miettinen-Baumann A, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of valerian extract LI 156 compared with oxazepam in the treatment of non-organic insomnia--a randomized, double-blind, comparative clinical study. Eur J Med Res 2002;7(11):480–86.

  1. Taavoni S, Ekbatani N, Kashaniyan M, et al. Effect of valerian on sleep quality in postmenopausal women: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Menopause 2011;18(9):951–55.

  1. Farah GJ, Danieletto-Zanna CF, Luppi CR, et al. Assessment of Valeriana officinalis l. (valerian) for conscious sedation of patients during the extraction of impacted mandibular third molars: A randomized, split-mouth, double-blind, crossover study. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2019;77(9):1796.

  1. Gunja N. In the Zzz zone: the effects of Z-drugs on human performance and driving. J Med Toxicol 2013;9(2):163–71.

  1. Stranks EK, Crowe SF. The acute cognitive effects of zopiclone, zolpidem, zaleplon, and eszopiclone: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2014;36(7):691–700.

  1. Hallam KT, Olver JS, McGrath C, et al. Comparative cognitive and psychomotor effects of single doses of Valeriana officianalis and triazolam in healthy volunteers. Hum Psychopharmacol 2003;18(8):619–25.

  1. Thomas K, Canedo J, Perry PJ, et al. Effects of valerian on subjective sedation, field sobriety testing and driving simulator performance. Accid Anal Prev 2016;92:240–44.

  1. Malva JO, Santos S, Macedo T. Neuroprotective properties of Valeriana officinalis extracts. Neurotox Res 2004;6(2):131–40.

  1. Madureira de Oliviera D, Barreto G, De Andrade DVG, et al. Cytoprotective effect of Valeriana officinalis extract on an in vitro experimental model of Parkinson disease. Neurochem Res 2009;34(2):215–20.

  1. Yoo DY, Jung HY, Nam SM, et al. Valeriana officinalis extracts ameliorate neuronal damage by suppressing lipid peroxidation in the gerbil hippocampus following transient cerebral ischemia. J Med Food 2015;18(6):642–47.

  1. Amaral de Brito AP, Galvão de Melo IMDS, El-Bachá RS, et al. Valeriana officinalis counteracts rotenone effects on spreading depression in the rat brain in vivo and protects against rotenone cytotoxicity toward rat glioma C6 cells in vitro. Front Neurosci 2020;14:759.

  1. Sridharan S , Mohankumar K, Jeepipalli SPK, et al. Neuroprotective effect of Valeriana wallichii rhizome extract against the neurotoxin MPTP in C57BL/6 mice. Neurotoxicology 2015;51:172–83.

  1. Wang Q, Wang C, Yueming Zuo Y, et al. Compounds from the roots and rhizomes of Valeriana amurensis protect against neurotoxicity in PC12 cells. Molecules 2012;17(12):15013–21.

  1. Xu J, Li Y, Guo Y, et al. Isolation, structural elucidation, and neuroprotective effects of iridoids from Valeriana jatamansi. Chem Biodivers 2012;9(7):1382.

  1. Nam SM, Choi JH, Yoo DY, et al. Valeriana officinalis extract and its main component, valerenic acid, ameliorate D-galactose-induced reductions in memory, cell proliferation, and neuroblast differentiation by reducing corticosterone levels and lipid peroxidation. Exp Gerontol 2013;48(11):1369–77.

  1. Samaei A, Nobahar M, Hydarinia-Naieni Z, et al. Effect of valerian on cognitive disorders and electroencephalography in hemodialysis patients: a randomized, cross over, double-blind clinical trial. BMC Nephrol 2018;19(1):379.

  1. Hassani S, Alipour A, Khezri HD, et al. Can Valeriana officinalis root extract prevent early postoperative cognitive dysfunction after CABG surgery? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2015;232(5):843–50.

  1. Ngcobo NN, Tomita A, Ramlall S. Subjective and objective cognition 6-week post-coronary artery bypass graft surgery: A descriptive pilot study. S Afr J Psychiatr 2020;26:1470.

  1. Erken E, Altunoren O, Senel ME, et al. Impaired cognition in hemodialysis patients: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and important clues for testing. Clin Nephrol 2019;91(5):275–83.

  1. Hattesohl M, Feistel B, Sievers H, et al. Extracts of Valeriana officinalis L. s.l. show anxiolytic and antidepressant effects but neither sedative nor myorelaxant properties. Phytomedicine 2008;15(1–2):2–15.

  1. Muller D, Pfeil T, von den Driesch V. Treating depression comorbid with anxiety--results of an open, practice-oriented study with St John's wort WS 5572 and valerian extract in high doses. Phytomedicine 2003;10(Suppl 4):25–30.

  1. Weiss RF. Herbal Medicine. Volker Fintelmann; 1988.

  1. Barker J. The Medicinal Flora of Britain and Northwestern Europe. West Wickham, Kent, UK: Winter Press; 2001.

  1. Azizi H, Shojaii A, Hashem-Dabaghian F, et al. Effects of Valeriana officinalis (Valerian) on tension-type headache: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. Avicenna J Phytomed 2020;10(3):297–304.