Thinking of taking valerian to help you sleep?
Before you do, consider these quotes.
From the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements
- “Although the results of some studies suggest that valerian may be useful for insomnia and other sleep disorders, results of other studies do not.”
- “Overall, the evidence from these trials for the sleep-promoting effects of valerian is inconclusive.”
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
- “Valerian may be helpful for insomnia, but there is not enough evidence from well-designed studies to confirm this.”
- “NCCAM is funding a study to look at the effects of valerian on sleep in healthy older adults.”
MayoClinic.com
- “A recent government review of studies done on valerian found the evidence was inconclusive.”
A 2006 University of California, San Francisco review of the literature
- “Identified 16 eligible studies examining a total of 1093 patients.”
- “Most studies had significant methodologic problems.”
- “The valerian doses, preparations, and length of treatment varied considerably.”
- “There was evidence of publication bias.”
- “The available evidence suggests that valerian might improve sleep quality.”
And then there’s this from ConsumerLab.com in 2001.
- “Only 9 of the 17 valerian products passed ConsumerLab.com testing.”
- “Four products completely lacked the marker compounds that identify the presence of Valeriana officinalis.”
- “Four others had roughly half of the expected levels.”
Also, don’t take it if you are scheduled for surgery.
12/18/06 20:58 JR