Latin name : Valeriana officinalis French name : Valériane Extracted from : Roots
When general calm and deep peacefulness is needed for nerves, heart, fears and emotions, you need to call the one specialist for everything at once rather than several different plants : Valerian.
Disturbed night and light sleep go away after just 3 weeks of regular use of valerian oil.
To use in combination with Peppermint oil when it's too hot.
Cats: after moving out, cats need some time to acclimatise to their new environment. Locking a cat in during this period is the only way to keep him there. But after a month, one or two days before you let him out again, put a few drops of valerian oil in various places in the house. The cat will then think that a rival is trying to steal its territory and will want to remain the master if the place. The cat settles in easily and valerian ahas once again showed its power: you can sleep better now, the cat won't run away.
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The plant, its legends and its botany
It's always a pleasure to come across Valerian during walks in the woods. This great and noble white flower looks so proud! She thrones where she grows. It is always most touching to see her on her own, because she invariably chooses a
piece of paradise where she will overcome her vassal, other plants and
flowers.
Upright like justice and balanced like a scale, it barely swings. Yet
its stem are long and lead to a collection of flowers resembling
umbels (it is not yet an umbelliferous but valerianacea): they are
corymbs. The flowers are tubes exploding their stamens out in the world.
The corymbs seem to be delicately coloured in pink which emphasises their lines. Indeed, if the flowers have almost white petals, they are frankly pinkwhen they are closed and often even pinker towards the stalk. Between these contrasts and subtle layer of stamens, it gives us a flower made of cloud. We would like to sleep in a sleeping bag made of small cumulus flowers like hers.
Its
finely divided leaves (seven to twenty-one leaflets: they are odd
because a leaflet is still in the end) and and its characteristic smell make Valerian easily recognisable. And if you're not sure, you can always look for a root and inhale it, as it has the exact same smell as the essential oil. Unless it's the other way round... but do it without hurting the plant which is also protected, and banned from gathering.
The scent of its roots was used, according to the legend, by the flute player who came to Hamelin in June 1284. He rid the town of rats that had spread the plague by playing the flute. He also would have used valerian to attract rats and have them follow him down to the river where they drowned. (Rats with Toxoplasma gondii reverse their aversion of
cat urine into attraction.) Science of the ancients before chemistry ...
This smell has impressive effects on other animals, starting with cats. See below.
Valerian has somehow fallen out of fashion. And if we can understand the reasons for its disuse, we can also understand why it tends to show the tip of its roots again. Using it had three problems.
Firstly, it takes three weeksfor it to work on sleep and it has rarely been given that much time patiently.
Secondly, the plant root may make one a little nauseous. (There is no problem with the essential oil because the responsible components are absent.)
Thirdly, paradoxical effects of Valerian (contrary to the desired effects) were common when used in tablets. Indeed, the first reaction is digestive due to a lack of intestinal enzymes able to digest valerian in some people. This does not occur when you rub essential oil on the skin.
The
use of essential oil earlier in history, instead of the ingestion of
powdered root, may have changed the history of literature: Valerian is
the key to two of the novels of Agatha Christie.
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Energetic properties
Helps to sleep better and fall asleep more easily when there are too many things in mind at the same time. Encourages to feel deep inner calm night and day. Unravels internal tension. Reduces anxiety. Helps to accept incarnation, life and substance. Valerian comes from the Latin name "valere" meaning "to be fit", which shows clearly the plant's properties. Gives people who work backstage with modesty more strength, and calms the others down. Valerian diffuses its sedative effects only after 10 to 14 days of regular use.
Not recommendedincasesofhypotension. High doses (very unphysiological)depressingfor thecentral nervous system. Prefer external use to avoidparadoxical effects. Keepchildren outof reach. Children,pregnantwomen:only on prescription ofa professional. Donotuseregularly on ateenagergoing through puberty. Nauseous effectofValerianduetomissingcomponentsof theessential oil. Addiction(sameasbenzodiazepines) issometimes quoted as aside effect of long-term use as asedative(GABA receptors). Suspectedandprobablepotentiationof benzodiazepines. May haveasensitising effectonskin. Warning:drowsinessifhigh doses anddaytime use.
