From Ancient remedy to modern solution: Does valerian root help you sleep better?
What is Valerian?
No, it’s not a slightly dodgy name for a Roman general ( is it?).
Valerian root is a plant extract from the pink or white flowering Valeriana officinalis plant. It has been used for hundreds of years in India, China and Japan as an herbal sedative and sleep aid, and even dates back to Greek and Roman times as a treatment for insomnia, migraines, and tiredness.
How is it used for sleep?
The roots are dried and converted into pills, teas, and tinctures which you can find in many shops.
Valerian contains an array of compounds - and as it stands we do not really know which ones affect us. It may be that it is a combination of the compounds that bind together to give a sleep-promoting effect. One theory goes that it’s antioxidant properties along with valerenic and isovaleric acid react with the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). GABA regulates nerve impulses in the brain and nervous system and valerian is proposed to enhance GABA’s calming effect and aid both sleep and relaxation.
So , does valerian work for sleep?
The evidence for valerian is a mixed bag with research ranging from beneficial to no different to placebo. A 2006 meta-analysis of 27 studies revealed that valerian may improve sleep quality. However, it found that most of these studies had significant problems around dosage, preparations, length of treatment, definitions, and measurement of sleep quality. Findings were also contradictory and there was clear evidence of publication bias.
But that was 18 years ago – what about now?
Fair point! Another 2020 meta-analysis came to many of same conclusions. Among the problems that led to inconsistent outcomes were routine issues with the quality of the studies and the quality of the valerian extract used (a common issue when it comes to research around herbal extracts generally). It also noted that, when combined with other herbs, it could have ‘therapeutic benefits’. It concluded that it could be safe and effective at ‘promoting sleep.’
A very recent 2024 study compared valerian to placebo in a small sample (72 people) measuring both objective (wrist actigraphy) and subjective (a validated sleep questionnaire) sleep improvements. This study found that valerian helped improve the time it took to get to sleep and total time asleep in young adults with ‘mild’ insomnia, and is potentially a promising step forward. However, another 2024 umbrella review (a review of reviews!) concluded that valerian is not effective for insomnia and appears to have some limited efficacy with our subjective judgements of improved sleep quality (i.e. whether we think it has helped or not) but this has yet to be confirmed with objective measurements.
So – do some get the sleep boost because they think it is helping, rather than it actually helping?
“I think therefore I am?” so it’s true? Valerian supplements help sleep then?
The romantic in me wants the Ancients to have been right all along, and the 2020 meta-analysis concludes that it could promote sleep.
But.
As both that and the 2024 review says, we need much better studies and the most recent review limits valerian’s efficacy to the appearance of improvement. Some may say that this is fine – if I think it works then to all intents and purposes it works, my sleep is better so hey-ho!
Maybe.
Or if it’s down to the ritual of taking something before bed that I think may help me, a pill or a tea, and it helps me then – ho-hey?
And part of me says “That’s great, go for it.” If you are using it occasionally and you feel it helps, that’s all good as it’s generally considered safe* (see below).
But.
To date there just aren’t sufficient high-quality studies to indicate that valerian is actually effective at promoting good sleep. The studies we do have give inconsistent findings and are not of generally good quality and the current consensus is that it does not promote better sleep.
My other reservations with valerian are twofold (as with almost all sleep supplements)
1. Valerian is not regulated, so supplements and teas all come with varying levels of quality and strength so it is difficult to know what and how much you are taking and therefore you don’t know the risk of an adverse reaction
2. Valerian is no substitute for applying consistently good sleep habits, and relying on valerian may simply maintain poor sleep or create other sleep issues
And if I want to take it?
The choice is yours, obviously.
* Valerian is generally considered safe with the following caveats.
- it has not been evaluated for pregnancy or those under 3 years old
- it could cause adverse reactions for those already taking other medications, supplements (like melatonin or St. John’s wort and others), sedatives like benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax etc.) alcohol or antihistamines
- there is no research on taking valerian for more than 28 days, so we do not know if the same rules apply and if it is safe beyond that
Added to this is there is no RDA for valerian.
Many studies for insomnia have generally used between 300mg to 600mg about 2 hours before sleep time - but this does not mean this is what you should take! There is no standard and we all respond differently to different doses. We simply do not know what your response will be at any given dose.
So, if you are interested in taking it, talk to your doctor first.