Discovering Valeriana
- #gianandreaguidetti
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Valeriana: Who Is She?
The queen of herbal remedies is here, captivating and more hypnotic than a cat's padded paw, so much so that she enchants cats themselves. Who is she? Her name is Valeriana (Valeriana officinalis), and she's an angiosperm, a perennial flowering plant whose root, or rhizome, contains highly effective essential oils, alkaloids, and flavonoids. The fresh root is odorless, but once dried, isovaleric acid is released.
She owes her name to the Latin word "valere," which means "to be strong," "to be worth," or "to be in good health." But valeriana is also known as Cat's Herb (not to be confused with the equally well-known Catnip), precisely because of her ability to charm and fascinate felines. So, a strong superhero, yet at the same time, a persuasive one.
Superpowers
When should you call on Valeriana for help? In cases of anxiety and nervousness, palpitations, convulsions, insomnia, stress, migraines, gastric and colonic spasms, motor agitation, and heart pain due to nervous agitation. In short, when the situation gets critical and you're struggling to manage it, that's when you need her.
Valeriana intervenes with her superpowers, initiating a spasmolytic and hypnotic, calming, and sedative action. Gentle and persuasive, she reduces aggression and helps make dogs docile. Her abilities are such that this plant—no, this phyto-hero—has been included in official pharmacopoeias for the preparation of medicines.
Where to Find Her
What better place to rest, awaiting action, than in petfood or supplements and formulated for all anxiety-related issues, to maintain a dog's physical and mental balance, this diet do without valeriana.
Her Accomplishments
Valeriana is among the most talked-about and observed plants over the years, leaving numerous traces throughout history, along with the studies that have featured her as a protagonist.
Her first official documented appearance dates back to the 10th century. From then on, scholars couldn't help but discuss her. Let's pretend to gather the luminaries of the field here, by our side, and give them a voice once more, in a timeless interview:
Saint Hildegard: "I recommend it as a tranquilizer and sleeping aid."
Pliny the Elder: "In my time, I recommended it as an antispasmodic, analgesic, and a remedy against epilepsy."
Cazin: "Let's not forget its use for lean diabetes!"
Dioscorides: "I would like to highlight its diuretic function to you all, and also invite you to consider it as an antidote against poisons."
Galen: "Shall we discuss its usefulness as a decongestant?"
Scopoli, Chomel, Sauvages (in unison): "We cured many cases of epilepsy with its root!"
Aliberto: "But of course. Since the time when Fabio Colonna, afflicted by severe epilepsy, made such successful use of valeriana on himself, this plant has been religiously regarded as the sovereign specific for this function."
However, valeriana has often let actions speak louder than words. When the first colonists arrived in America, they discovered that valeriana was given to many tribes, who used its powdered roots to heal wounds. During World War I, it was used for nervous exhaustion caused by artillery bombardments.
Her first official honor came in 1820 when she entered the USA pharmacopoeia as a tranquilizer. Never satisfied with bringing her charm into history and among people, valeriana finally allowed her virtues to be celebrated even in fairy tales and fables. No less than the Brothers Grimm, in The Pied Piper of Hamelin, featured her, where the protagonist enchanted mice and children thanks to his flute and valeriana.
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