Your cart is currently empty!
Valerian Grex
Valeriana officinalis
Also known as garden valerian
In stock
Description
Valerian is a standby in our homestead gardens for the beauty, food and medicine that he provides. I love that valerian is so easy to tend and grow.
Valerian is most well known for the sedating sleep medicine which come from his roots. Valerian roots are very fibrous, slender, elegant and have a musky smell that you will not soon forget. Some people are put off by the odor, but I tend to appreciate the musky smell of the roots and the medicine they make. The medicine reminds me of my plant friends when I’m not in the garden, and when I harvest and work with the roots, or even when I’m planting new valerian plants, their smell reminds me of the medicine and sometimes the smell alone puts me in a dreamlike, relaxed waking state.
Valerian roots can be drunk as tea. In fact Ann loves valerian chai tea when she wants an herbal sleep aid before bed. She measures her dried roots into her tea cup intuitively depending on how much help she wants from valerian.
We find valerian root tincture made from fresh roots to be the most convenient way to take and dose out the medicine. When it comes to herbs that help us sleep, of which we have befriended several, valerian really packs a punch and can easily knock us out. So we are careful with dosage, because too much will leave us groggy the next day if we need to get up early. The right amount will leave us feeling quite rested. Candied or honey infused valerian root and valerian syrup are probably also great ways to prepare valerian root medicine.
Since valerian is so strong we are conservative with our dosage, at least until we get to know our own personal dosage well. I personally find valerian most helpful when I am sick and really want to make sure to get a good night’s rest, when I can sleep in the next day, or when my mind is racing or sleeping in a new place and I really need a good night’s rest
We have used valerian with our son since he was quite young and it really helps him get a good night sleep when he is sick.
Valerian can also be taken to help prevent insomnia. I have mild insomnia that can keep me up for a few hours, but usually doesn’t keep me up all night. While being a parent and hard working homesteader have lessened my insomnia, I do find valerian helpful for getting to sleep sooner and take my tincture about 10-30 minutes before going to bed.
There is some concern that valerian root may be addictive when used daily for long time periods. Personally I can’t speak to that with my own experience, but I often rotate between various herbal sleep aid herbs to mix it up, depending on my mood and how heavy I want to sleep. I like variety and I love getting to know different plants, so that approach works great for me.
Valerian is also an effective pain reliever but since it is such a powerful sleep aid, it really only makes sense to use it as a pain reliever at night or when sleep is desired.
We have found another love of valerian—as a salad green! Valerian leaves start growing quite early in the season. Here in zone 7 they start growing in winter. By late winter and early spring we are harvesting leaves to eat raw as valerian lettuce, long before lettuce leaves are ready for harvest. It’s great to have an early lettuce alternative. By the time valerian is going to flower and the leaves are getting more bitter and tough, lettuce is in full stride.
Valerian leaves are similar enough in texture to a romaine lettuce, and mild enough in flavor, that when chopped they make a satisfying salad. We usually mix them with other cold weather wild salad greens that are seasonally available at the time like chickweed, miner’s lettuce and mint. We also put valerian leaves whole, folded into sandwiches, we enjoy making wraps with them, and also wrapped up in spring rolls. They can pretty much be used in any recipe that calls for lettuce.
I’ve never gotten sleepy from eating valerian leaves and they don’t taste musky like the roots, but it is possible that they are a mild sedative. Anyway, I’ve never noticed any difference in my energy after eating a valerian leaf salad.
The entire plant is so beautiful. The leaves have a lovely texture and color. When the weather is still cold, some plants leaves are purple-green while others are simply green. The flowers are also beautiful and while individually quite small, they make a big statement. The flower stalks of established plants get quite tall, up to 5 feet or so and with numerous flower clusters for each plant.
The flowers also smell musky and attract beneficial insects to the garden. When we’ve stored dry seed heads inside our home the smell is incredibly musky, far more so than the roots. So much so that I think dry valerian flower heads or seed heads could be a pest deterrent in the home, to deter moths from the closet for example, if you can stand the strong smell.
Once valerian plants are established the self seed near the mother plants readily. Since they grow well with broadcast seeding, we are transitioning our valerian plants to being wild tended in our gardens.
Our valerian variety is a grex. We grew out several different valerian varieties and allowed them to cross pollinate and hybridize together. Plants show subtle genetic differences like pink and white flower colors, different leaf colors and subtle growth habit differences.
We are so excited and honored to share valerian seeds with you!
Details
Lifecycle: Perennial
Lifespan: 3-5+ years
Hardiness zones: 4-8 (USDA)
Habitats: Fields, streamsides, forest edges in Europe.
Plant size: 3 ft wide x 5 ft tall
Light: Full sun to part shade
Soil: All soil types
Water: Moist soil preferred, some drought tolerance
Seeds per packet: 50+ seeds
Seed Starting
Valerian seeds do not require, but benefit from 30 days moist cold stratification. Surface sow and tamp seeds in flats or nursery pots and keep uncovered or just barely cover the seeds with soil, because Valerian seeds are light dependent for germination.
I always cold stratify my valerian seeds through the winter and have excellent germination in late winter. They are a cold germinator and tend to come up when temperatures are still fairly chilly here around January/February in our Zone 7 climate.
Prick out seedlings when they are big enough to handle and pot into their individual pots to plant in the late spring/early summer, or plant directly and make sure to keep them moist while they are establishing. If you pot them up for the first season before planting them, it’s important to give them a large enough pot, their fibrous root system grows quite quickly and can fill a small pot relatively fast.
Cultivation
Valerian is relatively easy to cultivate in the garden. While Valerian prefers fertile soil, they do quite well in our unimproved clay soil with low organic matter as long as they receive consistent moisture.
Valerian will start flowering in the second year after established, but not before creating a dense mound of leaves. The leaves grow up the early flower stalks and are still quite large in size until the flower stalks get over 3 feet tall or so.
Established plants create a lot of shade and don’t seem to have a problem holding up to weeds and grass.
I cut back the tall flower stalks after they are done blooming, but since valerian dies back in the early winter I usually keep at least a foot or two of flower stalks so that I remember where the plants are. Eventually in late winter when the leaves are coming in strong again, I’ll pull out the flower stalks. By that time the bases of the hollow flower stalks have usually rotted enough they pull right out.
Harvest
Roots are harvested in the winter from 3+ year old plants. Harvest and rinse well the largest roots. The crown can then be replanted and/or divided to continue growing.
Leaves are harvested in late winter through spring when they are large, dark and tender.
Propagation
Established valerian plants can be divided in the fall through late winter/early spring.
Seed Saving
Harvest individual valerian flower heads when the flowers have dried. The visible seeds turn from green to brown when ready to harvest. Thresh the seeds from the stalks by rubbing them into a container. Screen and winnow as needed.
Additional information
Weight | 0.007 lbs |
---|---|
Dimensions | 4.5 × 3.25 × .05 in |
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.