Valerian Root

[JonnyM]

anyone ever used this stuff and felt anything?

Apparently it has some affinity for the GABA-A (benzodiazepine) receptor...

but I ate like 10 of the 2120mg pills and didn't feel a damn thing.


So what is the word fellow o-philes.

Worthless?

Useful?

[Shadowsblaze]

What is that chemical supposed to do.

[nick]

Isn't valerian marketed as a valium substitute?

Never did anything for me.

[Mallinckrodt]

I have gotten some mild sedating effects from strong valerian tea. I used it for a while after I stopped smoking weed too. . .in extract form. That was the best way I've found to take it. I never really found any sort of anti-anxiety properties from it, just a good bit of help sleeping when I needed it.

It did give me some real vivid dreams too. Also, the shit stinks. Something like dirty feet or wet socks or something.

[Jega001]

I’ve used it before as a sedative when I needed some sleep but had absolutely nothing else. It’s moderately effective for this through in my opinion its effectiveness varies from person to person. It has some purported moderate affinity for the GABAa receptor though I have yet to see any conclusive evidence published in a scientific journal to corroborate this definitively through it is commonly accepted. There is also a theory that one of the chemicals contained in the Valerian herb acts as an agonist for the adenosine A1 receptor which if true would give a lot of credence to valerian being useful as a mild sedative. In my opinion any anxiolytic activity is unfounded though at least as far as my own uses with the herb have shown.

[Princess]

I've used it to help with sleep. It's been a while-- I don't remember "feeling" anything from it, but it did help me sleep better.

[JonnyM]

so no one here has gotten anxiolytic effects from them?!?!

I didn't think it would do much anyhow.

[trainwrecker]

As with many herbal supplements potency varies from pill to pill, bottle to bottle. I've used to to sleep while trying to detox once and it worked wonders for the first few nights, as good as a benzo. As the wd progressed and I took more it had much less effect.

It does effect different people very differently though, my wife took it and was wired all night like she was on tweak.

[Mallinckrodt]

so no one here has gotten anxiolytic effects from them?!?!

I didn't think it would do much anyhow.


I wouldn't exactly call it anxiolytic. . .I mean, I haven't ever felt as good and carefree as after a good dose of Xanax, but when I was really having trouble sleeping after giving up THC it sure calmed me down good enough at night.

I don't see it doing the trick for someone in a full blown panic attack, but just the relief of being able to sleep was enough to relieve some anxiety for me. Try a good extract if you want to really feel it. . .and take at least 3 times the recommended dose.

[Ickyuck]

I;ve used the tea for sleeping problems. Yeah I remember feeling, actually, pretty funky ...

I consider it useful, I've recommended it to people..

[SeVeN]

so no one here has gotten anxiolytic effects from them?!?!

I didn't think it would do much anyhow.

Pretty much doesn't do too much. But when I was not using anything for a while I used FRESH Valerian from an herb shop and did notice its effects. They were very mild to say the least.

[taj]

I don't see it doing the trick for someone in a full blown panic attack, but just the relief of being able to sleep was enough to relieve some anxiety for me. Try a good extract if you want to really feel it. . .and take at least 3 times the recommended dose.

+1

I take it sometimes when I am having anxiety or before bed, I think it's been effective for me. I recommend it to people as well. I had a friend that feels as if it's comparable to about 5 mg of valium. I also agree with what Mallinckrodt says, definitely get the extract and take about 2 or 3 times more than directed.


It does taste kind of strong ,and not very pleasant, but I put a couple of full dropper fulls underneath my tongue and follow with a water chaser. Back before I was taking opiates, I used to drink the tea before bed, and I always thought it really calmed and relaxed me. Actually, I usually take valerian and also kava kava extract when going through withdrawals too, not sure if it helps, but I figure when I'm feeling like that, it couldn't hurt.


There is a local small herb farm/supplier that I get mine from that may also make the effects better/stronger than commercially prepared formulas. Perhaps it's because it's made in small batches using organic locally grown herbs. Although you never know, could just be a placebo effect..

[rosebud]

I actually think it can make you feel something if you get it in a good tincture. It would make me kind of almost have those narc-sleeps with warm, fuzzy dreams. But, only with a really good tinture from a reputable herb company (I can give you some brand names if you want-there are a couple of really stellar companies that make good product). In pill form-nada. Never did a thing.

[LongKissGoodNite]

Valerian root never really worked well for me. If you're looking for something natural try melatonin. I've come to understand that it's a chemical that your body produces to indicate / induce sleep, so by taking it you are turning up the body's own natural "sleep volume knob".

I've heard that it's available by prescription only in some countries in europe and elsewhere, but in the US its available in health food stores or where other vitamins/supplements are sold. Anyway it works really well, but just like anything else when you take it all the time I believe your body stops producing its own so you might have some kind of rebound syndrome when you discontinue after a long run.

[Paregoric Kid]

it might boost benzos. definitely works better when used with kava. valerian contains the opioid hesperidin.

[underide]

valerian root seemed useless even during benzo wd for me.

I literally ate about a dozen of v.root pills and i don't remember them helping much.
But then again i think i have pretty damn weird physical/neuro-biological make up, cause i remember my mother always eating them whenever she was stressed

[lotus]

i used to use this to help me stop grinding my teeth in my sleep...........if i wasn't on drugs, it put me to sleep (it was tincture, not caps).

got it from a little shop tho, where everything was hand made by the people who own 'd it - when they went belly up, and i had to switch to whatever commercial stuff there was, it did nothing.

[Narkotikon]

I tried it back in 2005 I think. I didn't think it did anything either. Took handfulls of it, and just ended up with an upset stomach. Pretty worthless IMO. You're better off using Benadryl for an OTC sleep aid / anxiolytic.

[Ludakris]

Given I have a zero benzo tolerance and rarely take them (1-4 times a year) I've noticed some similar effects resembling that of valium...extremely mild mind you. I too have found it to be a little more pronounced when mixed with really good kava.

Though, I have found that you do need to find both good quality valerian and kava to make it worth your time and money.

[Mustelid]

I suggested valerian to a friend who was going through benzo w/d. She said it helped take the edge off of the withdrawals.

She thinks I'm a herbal medicine genius now, heh. I'm just glad it can provide some relief to some people.

[30_Units]

When I was kicking benzos, I'd bought some of the tea to brew up, and I used about four bags for every cup, and it didn't help at all. Granted I had a pretty stupid sized benzo habit, and bagged-tea is usually ages weaker than fresh collected plant material. I might feel differently if I grew some, but commercially prepared stuff really let me down.