The Herbarium
Part I · Medicinal herbs
Herb. No. 007
Valerian
Valeriana officinalis
Caprifoliaceae
Foul-sweet root used as a non-habit-forming night herb — strong, uneven, not for everyone.
Herbal supplement. Not a controlled substance.
- Parts used
- Root
- Traditional notes
- Sleep onset · Nervous tension · Muscle tightness from stress
- Grow · USDA 6b
- Perennial, USDA 4–8 Seed needs light and a cold spell. Easier from divisions. In work: Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
- Harvest
- Lift roots in the second autumn after frost blackens the tops.
- A damp, half-shaded corner. It is a meadow plant, not a xeriscape.
- The smell of the dried root is the harvest cue — and the neighbor complaint.
- Wait until the second autumn for a root worth digging.
Safety
Operating machinery after a dose Pregnancy without obstetric advice
Lore
Cats adore it for the same reason they adore catnip: a iridoid that looks to a feline like a good idea. Medieval Europe called it all-heal and tucked it into love charms. The dried root smells of dirty socks and vanilla, and no one has ever bottled that honestly as a perfume.
The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.