Valerian Is Effective Both Short Term & Long Term

You already know that valerian works when it comes to helping you sleep. But you may be surprised both how well it works and how fast!

A recent double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that taking 200mg of valerian extract, standardized for 2% valerenic acid significantly improved total scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index as well as time taken to fall asleep, sleep time, sleep efficiency, daytime drowsiness and refreshed feeling upon waking when people with mild insomnia took it for 8 weeks. The valerian also improved anxiety and was safe (Adv Ther. 2023 Oct 30;41(1):246–261).

Now, a reanalysis of the same study has added an exciting new detail. The valerian not only worked well, it worked fast. Taking valerian helped on the very first night.

The new analysis found that on the very first night taking the valerian, actual sleep time improved significantly from 306.09 minutes to 328.93 minutes. In the placebo group, it went from 339.8 minutes to a significantly worse 300.53. The difference represents a significant advantage for the valerian.

The two studies demonstrate that valerian works very well and very safely both after a single dose and in the long run: a significant development in both valerian and sleep research.

Adv Complement Alt Med 2024;doi:10.31031/ACAM.2024.08.000688.

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For much more on preventing and treating insomnia naturally, see our book The Family Naturopathic Encyclopedia.

For much more on valerian, see our book Healthy Herbs: Your Everyday Guide to Medicinal Herbs and Their Use.

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