Leaves are aromatic when bruised. Strong-smelling roots yield the drug valerian which has been used for many years in herbal medicines for treating a large number of problems including anxiety, restlessness and insomnia. Extracts have also been used in perfumes, herbal teas and for flavoring in a variety of food products. Plants are cultivated in Europe today for producing an over-the-counter tranquilizer. Genus name comes from the medieval Latin name, possibly derived from the Latin word valere meaning to be healthy in reference to the plant's medicinal uses in nervousness and hysteria.
Cottage gardens, borders, herb gardens, cutting gardens or naturalized areas. Good cut flower. Missouri Botanical Garden. Butterfly House. Shaw Nature Reserve. Fruit Gardening Vegetable Gardening. Valeriana officinalis. Leaves Leaves grow opposite and stalked. Habitat Valerian grows in fallow fields, abandoned areas, forest edges, river banks, and in shore meadows. Edible Parts The seeds are edible and the leaves have been used in the past as a condiment. Other Name Garden Heliotrope.
Basic Search. Winter Survival Food Handbook. Learn how to survive on wild edibles during winter. This handbook is a full colour publication, 5. PDF Plant Magazines. In-depth wild edible PDFs. Click here for more. Types of Wild Food. Edible Weeds. You can also cut the flower stalks for vases as they're very decorative and fragrant and make a nice addition to bouquets.
Providing your valerian plant gets sufficient moisture, they are a fairly hardy species that can survive in a variety of temperatures. Valerian is not super-sensitive to bright sunlight and can cope in a full sun position. Selecting somewhere where it has access to afternoon sun in a partial sun situation, however, will help it thrive. Valerian will grow in most soil types and textures as long as there is good drainage, but it prefers a sandy loam. It tends to grow wild in grasslands and meadows.
Clay soils may not have the drainage necessary to keep the plants consistently moist, so adding compost will help.
Valerian needs a consistent amount of light moisture to thrive. Valerian is very cold hardy and will survive harsh winter conditions. The plants die back in winter and emerge again in spring. To prevent the roots of your valerian plants from becoming excessively large it is best to avoid a standard NPK fertilizer and opt for one that is rich in nitrogen.
The best times to harvest the roots of your valerian plant is either in spring or fall as that's when the beneficial compounds are at their peak. After harvesting the roots, wash them well and then spread or hang them to dry in a warm place. A low oven degrees works fine, as does a sunny window ledge in warm weather. Be warned that the roots do have a strong smell while drying, so you may want to open some windows.
The parts used include the root and the rhizomes. Dig plants that are at least two years old in the spring or fall. Be careful not to damage the roots as you dig. Some folks believe that the stronger the smell, the stronger the constituents of the plant, and by damaging the roots, the aromatics may be compromised. To get more root production, deadhead the flowers during the summer. Cats love valerian, so you can expect every feline in close proximity to join you during your harvest.
When you clean the roots, take care not to rub, scrub, or scrape them to avoid damage. This is tricky, but it can be done. Valerian makes a great garden plant. It seems to help nearby plants by stimulating phosphorus and earthworm activity. A decoction made from the roots and sprayed on the ground will attract earthworms.
The mineral-filled leaves can be added to your compost, too. Most of us have heard the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Germany who played his flute and led the rats out of town forever. Many feel the Pied Piper must have been familiar with valerian and put it in his pockets or rubbed himself with it. Rats love the smell, and it may have been the valerian, not the music, that enticed the rats to follow him!
The Nordic goddess Hertha is said to have used valerian as a whip to encourage the stag she rode to greater speeds! In magic, it was used in love potions , and in sleep pillows. Some people claimed that if valerian was thrown where people especially a couple were fighting, they would cease immediately! It is also claimed to tame the wildest of beasts. The ancients Greeks would hang bundles of valerian in their homes, especially in their windows, to keep evil entities from entering.
The Celts believed hanging it their homes would keep lightening from striking. In the wizard world of Harry Potter, valerian was believed to have soporific qualities and was given in teas to encourage sleep.
It was generally regarded as a feminine element. Its powers were believed to be love, sleep, purification, and protection. Where do the magic sleep potions end and the tincturing begin? In Germany, valerian is used in more than over-the-counter tranquilizers and is the number one nonprescription sedative in Europe.
It is one of the best gentlest ways to find sleep when used properly.
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