Valerian. My intro to Herbal Medicine (Valerian Root)

Member Name: mugwort

Product:	Valerian Root
Date:	06/05/01 (1210 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: readily available, generally safe, really effective

Disadvantages: offensive odor, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea

Valerian was the very first herb I ever tried. I indirectly owe the FDA for this. The US. FDA. (Food and Drug Administration). This fed. govt. agency banned Tryptophan because a contaminated batch caused several dozen people to pass away from a severe muscle disorder. Okay I don't remember the exact number. The important point to be was that the amino acid was banned.
I think this was terribly unfair. While I do feel sorry for the families of those affected, even the US Center for Disease Control said it was the contaminant in that one batch and not the substance itself.
Call me paranoid but Tryptophan which raises serotonin levels naturally just happened to be banned just when Prozac (Fluoxetine) was coming on the market from EI Lilly. Hmmm elininate the competion.
Getting back to Valerian. I'm not certainif Valerian is the base for Valium or not. Some herb books says it is and some not.
It really does help you sleep. It helps treat hypertenion (high blood pressure) It is very calming.
Some precautions. Not for pregnant, nursing women. Any herb can be quite dangerous for children under the age of two. Valerian is cheap, easy to obtain in a health food store. I stronly recommend capsules. The one drawback and I think it's major is that it smells like dirty sweat socks. That's why I am recommending capsules. Overall rather effective for its purposes, generally safe to use. Overdose can cause diarrhea, nausa and vomiting. Rated relatively safe for persons not allergic to it.
Some precautions. Don't take tranquilizers unless you get the okay from your doctor. Be careful driving a car or operating complex machinery or any activity where alertness is of utmost importance.

Summary: