Valerian officinalis
Valerian officinalis is part of the family called Valerianaceae: in Latin the name of this family is Valerianaceae Batsch.
As for the name of the plant itself, in Latin it sounds like this: Valeriana officinalis auct.
Description of valerian officinalis
Valerian officinalis is a perennial herbaceous plant that has a vertical and very short rhizome, as well as a straight pipe-shaped stem, the height of which can reach even one to one and a half meters. It is noteworthy that in the first year of life, only a rosette of basal leaves is formed in a young plant, but in the second year of life the stem begins to grow, and the plant itself also begins to bloom. The leaves of Valerian officinalis are imparipinnate, with the lower leaves being petiolate, but the upper ones being sessile. The flowers of the plant are painted white or pale pink, small in size, have a very attractive fragrant odor and are bisexual. These flowers are collected at the top of the stem into very large and shield-shaped panicles. The fruit of valerian officinalis is a small oblong-ovate achene, the length of which will range between two and a half and four and a half millimeters, while the width can be one to two millimeters; the fruit also has a ten-rayed feathery pappus.
The plant blooms from June to August. At the same time, the plant begins to bear fruit in July and continues until September. Valerian officinalis can be found in Belarus, Ukraine, the Far East, Western and Eastern Siberia, as well as in the European part of Russia and in the desert regions of Central Asia.
In nature, the plant grows on a variety of soils, but most often the plant prefers wet places, such as coastal and floodplain meadows, damp and swampy forest glades and edges, as well as floodplains, in the spaces between bushes. It is noteworthy that digging up valerian root is not so easy: this task will be fraught with considerable difficulties. For this reason, valerian officinalis is cultivated over large areas, because collecting a wild plant will be very difficult.
Description of the medicinal properties of valerian officinalis
The rhizomes and roots of valerian officinalis are widely used for medicinal purposes. The roots should be dug up at a strictly defined period, when the fruits have already flown around, but the stems and scutes themselves are still preserved, because in the absence of scutes it will be very difficult to find the plant itself. It is recommended to cut off the aerial parts of valerian officinalis as close to the rhizome of the plant as possible. The roots are washed thoroughly and then left until they are completely dry. After this, the roots should be left to wither for two to three days, and they should be folded in a layer of about fifteen centimeters. It is noteworthy that fresh roots do not have any odor, but when they dry, a very characteristic odor appears, and the roots themselves turn dark brown.
Preparations made from valerian officinalis are used as a sedative for various nervous disorders, neuroses, as well as insomnia, migraines, bronchial asthma and diseases of the cardiovascular system that will be accompanied by spasms of the heart, stomach and intestines. In addition, such drugs are also used as anticonvulsants for epilepsy, as well as for stimulating the activity of the heart during fainting and tachycardia. Valerian is also effective for spasmodic constipation as a carminative.
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