Valerian Root
Valeriana officinalis
Traditional sleep herb with inconsistent data.
Mixed evidence
🌙Sleep & Mood
Evidence tier
Mixed
Research weight
Citations
15 verified / 15
Classification
Sleep & Mood
❝
What the evidence says. Conflicting results across studies; benefit uncertain.
What is Valerian Root?
Valerian Root (Valeriana officinalis) is a sleep and mood supplement used for possible faster sleep onset. NutriDex grades the human evidence as Mixed. Valerian is a long-used herbal sleep aid thought to act on GABA signaling. Some trials report modestly improved subjective sleep quality, but results are inconsistent and objective sleep measures often show no significant change. Variable extract standardization contributes to the mixed picture. It may help some people fall asleep but should not be expected to work reliably.
Purported Benefits
✓Possible faster sleep onset
✓Mild anxiety relief
Dosing & Compounds
Typical Dose
300–600 mg extract 30–60 min before bed.
Active Compounds
Safety & Cautions
Generally safe short-term. Drowsiness, vivid dreams, rare liver concerns. Avoid with sedatives/alcohol. Educational only — always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Valerian Root with any medicine.
Valerian Root drug interactions
Known or theoretical interactions between Valerian Root and common medications — educational, not exhaustive. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before combining Valerian Root with any medicine.
Caution
Benzodiazepines, opioids, alcohol
Additive drowsiness and sedation; can impair alertness and raise fall/accident risk.
Valerian has CNS-depressant (GABAergic) effects that add to other sedating drugs. NIH ODS — Valerian
Key Studies ★ 15 studies
systematic review (umbrella)
Hrastelj & Robertson 2024 umbrella review
✓ PubMed
Umbrella review of systematic reviews concluded evidence that valerian improves insomnia is weak and inconsistent, with no reliable objective benefit and frequent risk-of-bias/heterogeneity concerns.
meta-analysis of RCTs
Valerian for Insomnia meta-analysis 2023 (Current Sleep Medicine Reports)
✓ Full text
Meta-analysis of 21 RCTs (n=1433) found valerian's only significant objective effect was increased NREM stage-3 duration, with limited and inconsistent improvement in other sleep parameters.
Meta-analysis
Valerian Meta-analysis 2023
✓ Source
A meta-analysis of 21 randomized controlled trials (1,433 participants) found valerian produced small-to-moderate improvements in subjective sleep quality and self-reported duration, but the only significant objective effect was an increase in NREM stage 3 sleep length, with no significant effect on objective sleep latency.
systematic review and meta-analysis
Shinjyo 2020 systematic review & meta-analysis
✓ PubMed
Systematic review/meta-analysis of 60 valerian studies concluded that whole-root preparations may improve subjective sleep quality and anxiety, while inconsistent product standardization and study quality likely explain conflicting prior results.
Meta-analysis
Bent 2006 meta-analysis
✓ PubMed
Possible subjective sleep improvement; inconsistent objective data.
Cochrane systematic review
Miyasaka 2006 Cochrane review (valerian for anxiety)
✓ PubMed
Cochrane systematic review identified only one small 4-week RCT (n=36) in generalized anxiety disorder and concluded evidence is insufficient to determine valerian's efficacy or safety for anxiety disorders.
randomized controlled trial
Chandra Shekhar 2024 RCT (Advances in Therapy)
✓ PubMed
In 80 adults with sleep complaints, 8 weeks of standardized Valeriana officinalis extract significantly improved overall subjective sleep quality (PSQI) versus placebo.
RCT
Schicktanz (Ze 91019 valerian-hops) 2025
✓ PubMed
Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled feasibility trial (n=40, 21-day treatment) of a valerian-hops extract combination (Ze 91019) in occasional insomnia: significantly increased nightly sleep duration (+21.7 min/day, p=0.019; +48.7 min on shortest night) measured by Fitbit, without significant effects on daytime cognition; well tolerated.
RCT
Gutierrez-Romero 2024
✓ PubMed
Randomized placebo-controlled trial (n=64, 6 weeks) of an L-theanine + lemon balm/valerian/saffron nutraceutical combination in adults with impaired sleep (PSQI>=5): no significant benefit over placebo on actigraphy sleep efficiency, total sleep time, WASO, or PSQI (all p>0.3) — a negative result tempering combination-product claims.
RCT
Zare Elmi 2021
✓ PubMed
Triple-blind placebo-controlled RCT (n=72) in post-CABG surgery patients: 530 mg valerian root extract nightly for 30 nights significantly improved overall sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency and daytime dysfunction (PSQI, p<=0.025) vs placebo, with no adverse effect on coagulation (PT/PTT).
randomized controlled trial
Mirabi & Mojab 2017 RCT (hot flashes)
✓ PubMed
In a triple-blind RCT of 60 postmenopausal women, valerian 530 mg twice daily for 2 months significantly reduced hot flash severity (p=.020) and frequency (p=.033) versus placebo.
government toxicology database
LiverTox (NIDDK/NIH) — Valerian
✓ Full text
NIH's LiverTox database reports valerian is a very rare cause of clinically apparent, idiosyncratic liver injury, with onset typically 3–12 weeks after starting and a hepatocellular or mixed enzyme pattern.
government/authoritative body
NCCIH (NIH) — Valerian: Usefulness and Safety
✓ Source
NIH's National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states clinical evidence for valerian in treating insomnia is inconclusive, and notes the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's 2017 guideline recommends against using valerian for chronic insomnia in adults.
Study
Fernández-San-Martín 2010
✓ PubMed
Mixed results across trials of varying quality.
Study
Taibi 2007
✓ PubMed
No objective sleep benefit in older women with insomnia.