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Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)

Specific Recommendations:

• Valerian root at Amazon.com

News & Research:

• Valerian may ease menopausal sleep woes - msnbc.com, 8/30/11 - "For the new study, researchers in Iran randomly assigned 100 postmenopausal women with insomnia to take either two valerian capsules or inactive placebo capsules every day for a month ... Overall, the study found, 30 percent of the women assigned to valerian reported an improvement in their sleep quality -- which includes factors like how long it takes to fall asleep at night and how often a person wakes up overnight ... In contrast, only four percent of women taking the placebo reported better sleep ... Women in this study reported no side effects ... Women in the current study took two valerian capsules a day, each containing 530 milligrams of valerian root extract. Both the valerian and placebo capsules they used were made specifically for the study ... A recent report by ConsumerLab.com, an independent testing company, found that of nine valerian supplements sold in the U.S., five had lower amounts of the herb than indicated on the packaging. That included one product with no valerian in it at all"
• Herbal With Valerian Helps Treat Sleep-Onset Insomnia - Clinical Psychiatry News, 5/03 - "Those who took the supplement experienced a significant decrease in subjective sleep latency from baseline of 12.61 minutes, according to daily sleep diaries. Patients taking the placebo experienced an average increase of 7.98 minutes in subjective sleep latency ... Blissful Sleep contains 160 mg of valerian and smaller amounts of Rosa centifolia, Nardostachys jatamansi, Tinospora cordifolia, Withania somnifera, Piper nigrum, Alpinia galangal, Convolvulus pluricalis, and Glycyrrhiza glabra"
• Valerian-Lemon Balm An Effective Combo - Nutrition Science News, 6/01
• Valerian Root Is a Safe Sedative - Nutrition Science News, 11/00
• Commission E Monograph: Valerian Root - Nutrition Science News, 11/99

Abstracts:

• Effect of Valerian/Hop Mixture on Sleep-Related Behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster - Biol Pharm Bull. 2017;40(7):1101-1110 - "Xanthohumol (Cascade: 827.49 µg/g, Hallertau: 763.60 µg/g, Saaz: 186.93 µg/g) ... This study demonstrates that a Valerian/Cascade mixture extract improves sleep-related behaviors, including sleeping time, by modulating GABAergic/serotonergic signaling" - See valerian root at Amazon.com and xanthohumol at Amazon.com.
• Effect of Valerian in Preventing Neuropsychiatric Adverse Effects of Efavirenz in HIV-Positive Patients: A Pilot Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial - Ann Pharmacother. 2017 Jun;51(6):457-464 - "Several neuropsychiatric adverse effects of efavirenz are known. Preventing these adverse effects may improve patients' adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) ... Patients received valerian (530 mg) or placebo nightly 1 hour before sleep for 4 weeks ... In the first 4 weeks of ART including efavirenz, valerian significantly improved sleep and anxiety in HIV-positive patients. Valerian may be considered as a potential option in preventing neuropsychiatric adverse effects of efavirenz in HIV-positive patients" - See Valerian Nighttime at Amazon.com.
• Effect of valerian on sleep quality in postmenopausal women: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial - Menopause. 2011 Jul 14 - "About 50% of postmenopausal women experience sleep disturbances such as insomnia ... A randomized, triple-blind, controlled trial design was used for this study. Participants consisted of 100 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 60 years who were experiencing insomnia. A demographic data form and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to collect data. The women were randomly divided into two groups. Each group received either 530 mg of concentrated valerian extract or a placebo twice a day for 4 weeks. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data ... A statistically significant change was reported in the quality of sleep of the intervention group in comparison with the placebo group (P < 0.001). Also, 30% of the participants in the intervention group and 4% in the placebo group showed an improvement in the quality of sleep" - Note:  My sleep combo is two Nature's Way, Valerian Nighttime, Odor Free, 100 Tablets, one Jarrow Formulas, Theanine 200, 200 mg, 60 Capsules and three Source Naturals, Melatonin, Peppermint Flavored Sublingual, 1 mg, 300 Tablets.
• Does valerian improve sleepiness and symptom severity in people with restless legs syndrome? - Altern Ther Health Med. 2009 Mar-Apr;15(2):22-8 - "The results of this study suggest that the use of 800 mg of valerian for 8 weeks improves symptoms of RLS and decreases daytime sleepiness in patients that report an Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score of 10 or greater. Valerian may be an alternative treatment for the symptom management ofRLS with positive health outcomes and improved quality of life"