Valerian root
Silver· human dataAlso known as: Valeriana officinalis
A traditional sleep herb with mixed but generally modest evidence.
Valerian is a long-used herbal sleep aid thought to act on GABA pathways. It is one of the most-studied sleep herbs, yet the trial evidence is frustratingly mixed.
Some studies show modest improvements in subjective sleep quality, others no better than placebo, and effects build over days rather than working instantly. Herbal potency varies widely between products, which likely contributes to the inconsistency. Low-risk to trial, with modest expectations.
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Written and reviewed by Mathew Beale, MSc Biotechnology, University of Reading.
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