“Wild Valerian is hot and dry in the second degree. It is gathered in the month of May; it retains its efficacy for three years. If it be boiled in white wine, it will help with urinary disease. If it be boiled in wine, it will help with pain of the stomach, it will soothe digestion and it will help with pain of the abdomen.”
Tadhg O’Cuinn, An Irish Materia Medica, 1415
Cover art by Claude Monet
Valerian or Valeriana officinalis, Valeriana pyrenaica and Valeriana celticus, plus many more variations are also called valara, setewale, English valerian, German valerian, wild valerian, all-heal, heliotrope and vandal root. It’s called caorthann corraigh in Gaeilge and bachar or lus-bileach in Scots Gaelic. Its name is thought to be derived from the Latin word valere, meaning ‘to be well’. I use valerian most often in tinctures and glycerites to aid in sleeplessness. I find that it works incredibly well and I use as directed by most traditional herbalists which is strictly only as necessary and when I’ve found other herbs have failed to help me sleep such as chamomile or hibiscus. I really adore valerian’s unique look, the leaves and tall flowers that pollinators seem to love as well. The smell is quite unlike any other flower.
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