How to drink valerian correctly at home

Valerian: release forms

The pharmacological industry offers valerian preparations in several forms:

Valerian extract tablets (200 mg per package). The active ingredient is thick valerian extract. They contain essential oils, starch, sugar, gelatin, chatinin, microelements (calcium stearate, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium carbonate).
Alcohol tincture of valerian roots (25 ml in a glass bottle) is a transparent red-brown liquid with a bittersweet odor. To produce the tincture, 70% alcohol is used. For 1 part of crushed roots of a medicinal plant there are 5 parts of alcohol.
Capsules (a type of tablet) 200–350 mg per package.

Who is valerian contraindicated for?

Preparations containing valerian may be unsafe for certain categories of people:

For patients with glomerulonephritis and enterocolitis.
Patients with glucose-galactose (monosaccharide) malabsorption.
Elderly and elderly people with problems with blood vessels and blood pressure (hypertension, hypotension). The risk of a crisis (heart attack, stroke) may increase.
Those who have problems with carbohydrate metabolism (intolerance to fructose, lactose, sucrose).

Taking valerian as a remedy for insomnia may be contraindicated for persons with individual intolerance to the components of the drug.

Some people may experience skin rashes, digestive problems (including nausea) and other allergic reactions. Therefore, it is advisable to take minimal doses of the medicine at first. And only if the body’s reactions are normal, start taking the recommended number of drops (tablets).

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Side effects and overdose

With long-term use and overdose, a reaction from the central nervous system is observed: lethargy, apathy, lethargy, drowsiness, absent-mindedness, decreased performance.

We are talking about pill poisoning if the patient has:

nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders;
depression of the functions of the central nervous system, weakness, fainting, overexcitation, tremors of the limbs, dilated pupils;
A normal dose of medication lowers blood pressure, and an excess of it causes it to rise.

The answer to the question of how much valerian you can drink at a time is not relevant, since the drug has a cumulative effect and in order to get a stable effect, it must be taken in courses.

The standard dose, 2-3 tablets, can be increased to 4-5, but if you want to achieve a quick effect, you should pay attention to other sedatives. The effect provided is individual and depends on the susceptibility of the nervous system.

In case of an overdose of alcohol tincture, severe headaches, migraines, bradycardia, and sleep disturbances are added to the listed symptoms.

The consequences of increasing the recommended dosage appear after 1-2 hours. The main danger is ethyl alcohol, but the lethal dose is quite large - about 2 liters of the finished tincture.

How much to drink for an overdose

Many patients are interested in whether it is possible to die from an overdose of valerian and what dose is considered fatal. No deaths caused by sedative poisoning were recorded. The dose at which dangerous complications arise has not been established. The amount of the drug that causes poisoning depends on the patient’s age, the functioning of the nervous system and the presence of chronic disorders. Negative consequences occur with prolonged use of more than 1000 mg of extract per day.

Contraindications

Valerian tincture is an herbal remedy and is available without a prescription, but its use is not completely safe. You may be allergic to the extract. Therefore, before use, it is recommended to apply a few drops of the drug to the elbow or hand and monitor the reaction after 10 minutes. In addition to allergies, contraindications to treatment with valerian are:

pregnancy and lactation;
children under 3 years of age (up to 12 years only with a doctor’s permission);
inflammation of the large and small intestine;
liver failure;
bleeding disorders;
ethanol intolerance;
atherosclerosis;
fructose intolerance;
depression;
epilepsy.

It is also not recommended to use the tincture in combination with certain antibiotics. Prescribed with caution for older people, especially those who have suffered a stroke.

What does valerian help with, and how long does it take to act?

Valerian is considered a mild sedative and medicinal drug. It causes relaxation of smooth muscles, slight clouding, which sometimes causes sleep, and peace of mind. We will describe in more detail below how long it takes for valerian to act on each organ.

You already know what valerian helps with. And to its credit, it can indeed largely replace potent drugs and strong painkillers, which are not yet urgently needed.

Depending on the purpose for which you are taking the drug, the period of its effect on eliminating the cause of anxiety and stress can vary from 10 minutes to 1 hour. Like any medicine, valerian has its contraindications. More about them later.

Valerian is not available for newborns, so it is not advisable to reduce the dose of existing tablets or drops in particular. Children over 4 years of age can be given the drug only with a doctor's prescription. It may seem too mild to adults, but this does not mean that it has the same effect on a child.

Children can take valerian in tablets according to the instructions. A small amount will help your child cope with stage fright, before a competition, etc. However, it is better not to practice this method of calming all the time.

Most likely, this concept should be understood not as an allergy to valerian, but to its components that are included in the composition. As a rule, it can happen in a child, but it should be accurately diagnosed as follows:

The first to react to gastrointestinal poisoning.
If the tablets dissolve, dermatitis and redness will appear on the skin.
It can sometimes be itchy, always different.

To determine intoxication, do not eat or drink anything 40 minutes before taking the tablets. And after absorption, consume the products within 50 minutes. If you have an allergy, then valerian is contraindicated.

Many people are interested in how to take tablets and the drug in liquid form (in drops). Does Valerian before or after meals help better? For good digestibility, valerian is drunk on an empty stomach before bed - when you need to fall asleep, calm your nerves

Its effect will be stronger and longer lasting.

The effect of valerian on the human body: does it help with insomnia?

Preparations based on valerian normalize a person’s emotional background, relieve anxiety, and relieve the psyche of stress accumulated during the day. Providing a gentle relaxing effect on the smooth muscles of the organs and gastrointestinal tract, these natural remedies help relax the nervous system and inhibit excited foci in the cerebral cortex.

Note! Medicinal substances that include valerian cannot compare in speed of action on the body with synthetic sleeping pills. The use of valerian in this capacity should be long-term and regular.

Clinical studies have shown that taking valerian preparations for 2–4 weeks in doses of up to 200 mg daily can improve the duration and quality of sleep phases and make the sleeping behavior more calm.

Procurement of raw materials

Valerian rhizomes are dug up in early September, washed and dried. For the preparation of medicines, valerian roots older than two years are used.

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By this period, the plant accumulates the largest amount of unique healing components.

When dried, valerian roots acquire a specific aroma unique to this plant, due to the content of bornyl isovaleric acid in the plant.

Valerian officinalis - what it is, what it looks like

The main pharmacological properties of valerian are sedative and hypnotic, and to a slightly lesser extent hypotensive, antispasmodic and choleretic.

In traditional medicine, valerian is most often prescribed as a mild sedative and hypnotic. It is used to reduce stress, psycho-emotional tension and anxiety. It is also recommended to take the medicine for episodic or chronic insomnia and other sleep disorders, such as inability to fall asleep, falling asleep too long, frequent awakenings at night and a feeling of dissatisfaction with sleep.

Insomnia and unexplained anxiety are some of the main indications for taking valerian tablets

Due to its hypotensive effect, as well as its effect on the coronary vessels and heart, valerian is recommended to drink for hypertension, coronary circulatory disorders and some other diseases of the cardiovascular system, in particular bradycardia and tachycardia.

Since valerian tablets also act as a mild antispasmodic, they are used for pathologies of the digestive tract accompanied by spastic pain. The choleretic property makes it advisable to prescribe them for certain diseases of the liver and bile ducts.

Sometimes valerian is also recommended to be taken for menopause, headaches, cramps and some other symptoms.

Most often, valerian is prescribed in complex therapy for mild or chronic diseases, since it is not effective enough for complex diseases with severe symptoms. In the treatment of serious diseases it is used as an adjuvant.

Who hasn't heard about valerian at least once in their life? This is what people call valerian officinalis and preparations made from it. Even the ancient Greeks claimed that the root of this plant clears the mind and strengthens the soul. Modern doctors prescribe valerian as a mild sedative.

Valerian officinalis is a perennial herbaceous plant with a thick, hollow rhizome and inflorescences of lilac or pinkish flowers. It grows in moist soil near rivers, lakes and swamps almost everywhere. It is difficult and unnecessary to prepare medicinal raw materials of valerian without accurate knowledge about it. The pharmaceutical industry produces a huge list of drugs of various forms and purposes using herbs, extracts and extracts from it.

The most famous preparations from this herb are valerian tincture and valerian extract tablets. In addition, it is used in the popular sedatives Novopassit, Persen, Valocordin and Corvalol.

2. Anxious state.

3. Sleep disorder due to nervous tension.

Valerian tablets and tincture are taken as prescribed by the doctor in accordance with the form and complexity of the disease. In difficult cases, valerian extracts are used as an additional treatment. However, it cannot be considered obsolete. Time-tested valerian extract is still widely used in medicine. Pharmaceutical drugs are dispensed without a doctor's prescription.

In ordinary cases, when you need to calm down, for example, before an important event, you can take 2 tablets of the drug with water. You can feel the effect no later than half an hour. Valerian does not cause drowsiness and, therefore, is not dangerous in professions involving risk. It is not contraindicated for children either.

Valerian-based medications are taken before bedtime.

You can use a decoction of the roots, brewing half a teaspoon in a glass of boiling water, leave for 20 minutes.
Take a third of a glass before bed.
Children need to reduce the dose by half.

It is not customary to count the volume of valerian tincture in spoons.

Pharmacy tincture is taken 30 drops diluted in half a glass of water.
The tincture has an unpleasant taste and a pungent odor.
You can add honey or berry syrup when taking.

Valerian-based preparations are considered harmless due to their natural composition. Unlike many pharmaceuticals with this spectrum of action, they do not contain narcotics. This means that getting used to them is impossible. The duration of taking valerian preparations is dictated by necessity. Both one-time use during difficult situations requiring nervous tension, and long-term use until complete recovery are possible.

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It is known that the drug in tablets:

has a sedative effect,
eliminates increased anxiety,
makes it easier to fall asleep,
improves sleep quality.

This is what happens in the body under the influence of active phyto-substances:

inhibition of certain centers of the nervous system,
vasodilatation,
slow heartbeat,
relaxation of muscles in the digestive and urinary system.

With long courses, in addition to the listed actions, the following are observed:

copious secretion of bile,
drop in blood pressure.

When a herbal preparation is taken orally, a sedative effect is observed, which is usually moderate. The tablets help you fall asleep easily.

Observing patients taking valerian, one can notice a slow increase in the sedative effect, over time it manifests itself stably.

Herbalist Dr. Varro Tyler claims that valerian is the most effective of all herbs for its calming properties. The evidence for its effectiveness and safety is so compelling that a group of European herbal medicine manufacturers have applied to the Food and Drug Administration for permission to sell valerian over the counter as a relaxing and mildly sedative "sleeping aid." action. More than 200 studies on this topic have been published in the scientific literature (mainly in Europe) over the past thirty years.

Valerian is a well-tested sleeping pill. At least six rigorous clinical trials conducted in Europe show that valerian can help you fall asleep faster, lengthen sleep, reduce nighttime awakenings, and significantly improve sleep quality in both normal sleepers and insomniacs.

A classic study involving 128 volunteers was conducted at Nestlé research laboratories in Switzerland in the mid-1980s. Subjects took either valerian extract or a placebo for three evenings. Valerian was a winner: 37 percent of subjects taking it reported falling asleep faster, compared with 23 percent of the placebo group.

One double-blind trial conducted in Sweden produced the same results. 44 percent of people who suffered from sleep disorders experienced “perfect” sleep after taking a drug containing 400 mg of valerian. 89 percent of subjects experienced improved sleep.

Valerian therapy, studies show, is safe for the health of most people. Studies do not show valerian's ability to cause or promote cancer when used correctly.

Links to studies:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24837473
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25093031

Valerian also has no effect on reaction time, alertness, or concentration, depending on whether it is taken in the morning or evening.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10599933

Valerian, when used correctly, does not cause addiction or withdrawal symptoms. Side effects from valerian are rare. Usually this is a headache, abdominal pain, dizziness, and even less often drowsiness. But valerian should not be used by children under three years of age, pregnant women, or people with liver disease without consulting a doctor, since the risks of valerian therapy in these groups of people have not been assessed in studies.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10030529
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9819073
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9818800

With regular use of valerian, it is necessary to be tested for the liver enzyme ALT once every 3 months to exclude a rare but possible complication of the liver.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9820254

Although the ability of valerian to accelerate the growth of cancer tumors has not been proven in studies (possibly due to the presence of other cancer-protective components in its composition), valerian does not cause adverse changes in DNA and does not interfere with the treatment of cancer in cancer patients who take valerian to improve sleep.

However, do not forget that valerian acts on GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid). And activation of GABA by other substances in other studies more often still stimulates oncopromotion (the ability to accelerate the growth of cancerous tumors) in some tissues. Therefore, until long-term studies of valerian on cancer safety are available, it is not recommended to use valerian on a regular basis throughout life.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16835836
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17942900
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24395782
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3370009
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25012653

The rhizomes and roots of valerian, namely they are used as raw materials in the pharmaceutical industry, contain essential oil, acids, tannins, and glycosides. The essential oil has a distinct characteristic odor.

How long and how often can you drink valerian

Upset, stress, or unpleasant news cause a negative response from the body: the pulse quickens, blood pressure rises, and a person finds himself in a state that prevents him from making adequate decisions. Anxiety, panic or, on the contrary, apathy and lethargy appear.

To pull yourself together and return to normal life, you need to take sedatives. Medicines with valerian are the first thing that comes to mind. They can be purchased at a pharmacy without a doctor's prescription, and their low cost makes them accessible and popular.

Essential oils and alkaloids contained in the rhizome and roots of valerian officinalis increase inhibition in the nervous system, reduce reflex excitability, promoting calm, falling asleep and restful sleep.

Valerian in tablets has an antispasmodic effect, dilates coronary blood vessels, and reduces heart rate.

The excitability of the nervous system is reduced, and it ensures restful sleep. The effect of the drug is stable.

In addition, valerian has a choleretic effect and promotes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. As a rule, it is necessary to take the drug in courses.

Dosage

A single dose is 1 tablet, 3 times a day on an empty stomach. Take the tablets with a sufficient amount of water. How many days to take the medicine and the need to increase the dosage is determined by the doctor.

During pregnancy and nursing mothers, the drug is prescribed by a specialist; there are no strict contraindications, but self-medication must be treated with great caution.

A child over one year old may be prescribed valerian tablets with the permission of a neurologist or pediatrician, in cases where the expected benefit outweighs the potential harm.