Valeriana officinalis.Valerian and Medical Attributes.Valerian Root Extract.

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Medical Attributes of Valerian.Valeriana officinalis.

Valerian Root Extract INCI Name Valeriana Officinalis Extract EINECS ELINCS No.232-501-7 CAS 8057-49-6 Valerienic acid 109-52-4 photo picture image Valeriana officinalis, commonly called valerian, is a perennial herb of the Valerianaceae. Its habitats include marshy thickets, and borders of ditches and rivers of Europe and North America. Valerian can be identified by its unpleasant odor and pinkish-colored flowers that grow from a rhizome. Historically called the wild nard, valenan was originally used as a stimulant, and valued for its odor and food flavoring charactenstics. During the 200-year period from 1733-1936, valerian was one of the six most prescribed medicines in European and American medicine. It was used as a antispasmodic to treat hysteria and nervous afflictions, an emmenagogue, a carminative, and a diuretic, among other uses. Mention of valerian can be found in drug books from the late 1600s to the 20th century.

 In the 20th century, valerian is well known for its sedative and restorative affects on the nervous system, and is widely used in herbal and allopathic medicines. The root ofthe Valeriana officinalis has been used safely and effectively as a sedative and sleep aid for several thousand years, and is widely supported by modern research as a mild sedative for the central nervous system. On June 7, 1994, the European-American Phytomedicines Coalition (EAPC) filed a citizen's petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for valerian to be sold as a over-the-counter (OTC) drug for use as a nighttime sleeping aid. The petition argues that unlike prescription drugs that reduce REM sleep and cause drowsiness, valerian is not a hypnotic agent or psychotropic tranquilizer and has been proven to be effective as a mild sedative and sleep-aid without side effects and limitations. Included in the petition is reference to the marketing of valerian in Europe for many centuries and in the U.S. as an prescription drug until.

 The rhizome of valerian contains a vanety of compounds including valepotriates, valeric acid, and volatile oils. These compounds affect brain receptors for the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
 Valerian Root Extract INCI Name Valeriana Officinalis Extract EINECS ELINCS No.232-501-7 CAS 8057-49-6 Valerienic acid 109-52-4 photo picture image

 Extracts from the rhizome of valerian have been found to inhibit the uptake and stimulate the release of GABA using the [3H] muscimol binding technique on synaptic membranes isolated from rat brain cortices. The release of [3H] GABA is caused by the reversal of the GABA carrier, independent of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity and the membrane potential of the brain cortex. The use of Valeriana officinalis on the central nervous system of mice has been shown to produce sedative activity at high dosage, anxiolytic activity at low dosage, and weak anticonvulsive properties.

 Valerian has many useful properties including being a hypotensive, a carminative, a emmenagogue, an anti-spasmodic, and a nervine relaxant. Valerian influences the cerebro-spinal system and has a sedative effect for conditions such as St. Vitus's dance, neuralgic pains, and insomnia by allaying pain and promoting sleep without the aftereffects of narcotics .

 Tests on the physiological effects of valerian as a mild sedative have confirmed through superficial and deep electro-encephalograms (EEG) that those who took valerian fell asleep more quickly, woke up less often, and experienced relatively no drowsiness. Subjective evaluations on valerian have reported significant decreases in the time it takes to fall asleep, improvement in the quality of sleep, and unaffected night awakenings, dream recall, and somnolence .

 Valerian has been shown to have no detected developmental effects on offspring, after treatment of mothers during pregnancy . In addition, the effects of valepotriates did not change the average estral cycle length or phases during the administration period, nor did it effect the fertility index.

 Clinical studies of valerian have included studies utilizing the Semliki Forest virus (SFV) expression system, which concluded that Valeriana officinalis does not inhibit in vitro [3H]naloxone binding to the mu-opioid receptors, which may be a possible mechanism for its anti-anxiety effects. The neurotropic activity of valerian has been confirmed through pharmacological assessment during central nervous system ischemia in frogs, without ethanol driving-off, which is associated with volatilization of ethanol oil, the active factor in tincture of valerian. Other studies have shown that valerian may possess some level of antifungal properties. In addition, a variety of valerian known as Valeriana officinalis var latifolia (VOL), which relieves smooth muscle spasms and vasodilatation, has been indicated to be effective in the remission of angina symptoms, decreasing frequency of attacks and shortening duration of angina, restoring blood supply to ischemic myocardium, and lowering plasma lipids without toxic action.

 Commonly sold in drug stores, markets, and apothecaries throughout Europe, valerian has become highly recommended by herbalists, naturopathic doctors, and chiropracters for mild tension and insomnia even in the U.S.. Although valerian has not yet become an over-the-counter drug in the U.S., its usefulness as a sleep-aid has been well documented and its popularity is growing. As more research is conducted on the many beneficial properties of valerian, it may soon find its way into the mainstream of U.S. medications as a safe and effective alternative to treating many ailments including insomnia and angina.

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last edit date:7th,May.2009.