Valerian & Lavender Goodnight Balm 45ml

Valerian & Lavender Goodnight 45ml balms

Valerian has been used medicinally since the times of early Greece and Rome. Historically, valerian was used to treat insomnia, migraine, fatigue, and stomach cramps. Today, valerian is promoted for insomnia, anxiety, depression, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), menopause symptoms, and headaches.

Valerian is an herb that’s commonly used as an ingredient in sleep aid supplements. It may also help you relax, as well as help reduce mood symptoms like anxiety.

If you have sleep issues, you might have already tried natural sleep aids, including herbal supplements.

Valerian root is often referred to as “nature’s Valium,” and people have used it since the Middle Ages to treat sleep disorders such as insomnia.

Valeriana officinalis, commonly known as valerian, is an herb native to Asia and Europe that now grows wild in many other areas of the world, including the United States and Canada. People have used this perennial plant as a natural medicine since as far back as the time of ancient Greece and Rome.

Unlike the plant’s delicately scented flowers, valerian roots have a very strong odor that many people find unpleasant.

The roots, rhizomes (underground stems), and stolons (horizontal stems) of valerian are used to make dietary supplements such as capsules and tablets, as well as teas and tinctures.

How does valerian affect the body?

Scientists aren’t exactly sure how valerian works in the body.

However, research suggests its activity is related to the independent and synergistic actions of compounds found in the plant, including 

• valepotriates
• monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and carboxylic compounds
• lignans
• flavonoids
• low levels of  gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

Certain compounds in valerian, called valerenic acid and valerenol, can act on GABA receptors in the body.

GABA is a chemical messenger that helps regulate nerve impulses in your nervous system.

It’s one of the main neurotransmitters responsible for sleep regulation, and increasing the amount of GABA available in your body has sedative effects.

Valerenic acid and valerenol can modulate GABA receptors and increase the amount of GABA available in the central nervous system. What’s more, research has shown that valerenic acid inhibits an enzyme that destroys GABA.

Compounds in valerian may also interact with receptors for  serotonin  and adenosine, chemicals that play important roles in the regulation of sleep and mood.

Additionally, preliminary research suggests that valepotriates — the compounds that give valerian its characteristic pungent smell — have anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects in the body.