Valerian

Botanical Name: Valeriana officinalis L.

Family: Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle family; formerly Valerianaceae)

Other Names: All-Heal · Setwall · Garden Heliotrope · Phu

Parts Used: The root and rhizome. The leaves are also used and are much milder.

Quick Look

Valerian is a tall meadow plant with sweet white flowers and a root with a strong, stinky-feet smell that cats love. It is one of the best-known herbs for sleep, but it does not fit everyone. Its pattern is cold and tight: the person whose muscles stay knotted, whose hands and feet run cold, and whose body cannot let go even when worn out. Reach for it for tension held in the body, for cramps and spasms, for headaches and pains that come with stress, and for sleep that will not come because the body will not settle. A few people find it stirs them up instead of calming them, so start with a small amount.

Actions, Energetics & Taste

How It's Been Used

Sleep. Its best-known use. For trouble falling asleep or staying asleep when the body cannot settle: the person is exhausted, yet restless in a physical way, and the body will not release enough tension to rest. It does not leave most people groggy the next day.

Nerves & worry. Physical tension comes first with Valerian, before mental tension. It is used for nervous tension, restlessness, anxiety and frayed nerves. The old physicians gave it for low spirits with poor circulation, when a person was pale, despondent and irritable.

Muscle tension & cramps. For tight neck and shoulders, muscle cramps, restless legs and menstrual cramps.

Pain & headaches. For tension headaches, nerve pain and pain that keeps a person from resting.

Digestion. For gas, bloating and an uncomfortable fullness after meals, and for a stomach that knots up with nerves.

Heart. For a racing or pounding heart and high blood pressure brought on by stress, often with Hawthorn.

Coughs. For a dry, tickling, spasmodic cough that comes on when lying down at night, often with Mullein.

How to Make & Take It

Preparations: Tincture · Tea · Powder · Liniment

• Tincture: Valerian root is a tincture herb. Its smell is so strong, like stinky feet, that it does not make a pleasant tea. For sleep, 1 teaspoon 30 to 60 minutes before bed. For nerves or cramps, ¼ to ½ teaspoon two or three times a day. Many herbalists prefer a tincture of the fresh root.
• Leaf tea: The leaves do not have the root's overpowering smell. They are milder and less potent, and better for daytime use, added to a tea blend.
• Powder: The dried root in capsules, about 400 to 900 mg in the evening.
• Liniment: Rub the tincture on tight, cramping muscles.
• Start small. Try a small dose the first time to see how it suits you, and increase as needed.
• Mind the smell. Store it in a tightly closed jar. Cats may roll in the plant or get into the dried root.
• Gather the root in the fall after flowering, from plants at least two years old.

Cautions

• Herbalists differ on its use in pregnancy and nursing, and its safety then has not been established. Talk with a knowledgeable herbalist or care provider first.
• A few people feel restless, wired or anxious with it instead of calm. If someone says Valerian kept them awake, believe them; it does not agree with everyone. Stop it and use another calming herb, such as Skullcap, Hops or Passionflower.
• It can add to the effect of sleeping pills, sedatives, anxiety medicines, antidepressants and alcohol. If you take any of these, ask your pharmacist first.
• It may make you drowsy. Do not drive or do work that needs full attention after taking it.
• Stop it two weeks before surgery.
• Large doses, or doses repeated too often, can bring on headache, heaviness, nausea and restlessness.
• Some herbalists find that taking the dried root for a long time makes some people agitated.

Know the Plant

Valerian is a tall perennial, three to six feet high, with a hollow, grooved stem and leaves divided into many pairs of narrow, toothed leaflets. From early to late summer it bears rounded clusters of tiny white or pale pink flowers with a sweet, musky scent. Below ground is a short rhizome with a mass of thin, pale brown roots that smell strongly, like old socks or strong cheese, once dried.

It is native to Europe and temperate Asia and now grows wild in the northeastern United States and Canada, in damp meadows, along streams and in marshy ground. It is easy to grow, hardy to Zone 4, and likes sun to part shade and rich, moist soil. Do not confuse it with the red valerian of old walls and seaside gardens, a different plant.

A Little History

The name is usually traced to the Latin valere, to be strong or well. The Greek physicians Dioscorides and Galen knew it as Phu for its smell, and Galen gave it for sleeplessness. The Anglo-Saxons used it, and in the Middle Ages it was so valued it was called All-Heal. From the late 1500s it was given for epilepsy. It was listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1942, and the Eclectic physicians gave it to the despondent and pale. In both World Wars it was given to soldiers whose nerves were shattered at the front, and in England it was used for nerves strained by the air raids.

Verbena, Lemon

Botanical Name: Aloysia citrodora Paláu (older names Aloysia citriodora, Aloysia triphylla, Lippia citriodora)

Family: Verbenaceae (Verbena family)

Other Names: Lemon Verbena · Herb Louisa · Lemon Beebrush · Lemon-Scented Verbena · Hierba Luisa · Cedrón

Parts Used: Leaves and flowering tops

Quick Look

Lemon Verbena is a tender garden shrub whose leaves smell more strongly of lemon than lemon itself. It makes one of the loveliest teas in the garden. Reach for it after a heavy meal, for gas, cramping and an unsettled stomach, for nervous tension and a stomach that knots with stress, for restless sleep, and as a cooling tea in a fever. It is gentle, pleasant and often used as much for its flavor as its medicine.

Actions, Energetics & Taste

How It's Been Used

Digestion. Its best use. Taken as a tea after a large meal, for indigestion, gas, bloating, cramping, heartburn and nausea. Its mild astringency helps loose bowels.

Nerves & sleep. For nervous tension, anxiety, low spirits and restless sleep. It pairs well with Blue Vervain when stress settles in the stomach, and with Hawthorn for a heavy heart.

Colds & fevers. A cooling tea for fevers, colds and stuffy sinuses.

Sore muscles & joints. Taken for sore muscles after hard work and for aching joints. In Ecuador, the cooked leaves are laid on rheumatic joints.

Skin. Leaf poultices and tincture are used for boils, acne and varicose veins.

Kitchen & home. The leaves flavor teas, lemonade, desserts, fish and salads, and the dried leaves scent drawers, sachets and baths.

How to Make & Take It

Preparations: Tea · Tincture · Honey · Vinegar · Poultice

• Tea: Pour a cup of hot water over 1 teaspoon of dried leaves, or 2 or 3 fresh leaves. Cover and steep 5–10 minutes. Up to four cups a day.
• Iced tea: Brew it with Hibiscus, cool it, and mix with lemonade in summer.
• Tincture: ¼ to ½ teaspoon in a little water, two or three times a day.
• Honey or vinegar: Fill a jar with fresh leaves and cover them with honey or vinegar. Use it in tea, dressings and desserts.
• Poultice: Bruise or cook the leaves and lay them on sore joints or a boil.
• Lemony strawberry butter: Mix ½ cup softened unsalted butter, 1½ tablespoons sugar, 4 tablespoons minced strawberries, and 1 teaspoon each of minced fresh Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena. Let it sit overnight and spread it on biscuits or scones.
• Gather it when it begins to flower. Fresh leaves keep two days in the refrigerator. The dried leaves hold their scent for a long time; store them in a dark jar.

Cautions

• As a tea and kitchen herb, it is gentle and safe for nearly everyone.
• Safety in pregnancy and nursing has not been established. Talk with a knowledgeable herbalist or care provider first.
• Do not give honey to babies under one year old.
• It is mildly sedating and may add to the effect of sleeping pills, sedatives and alcohol.

Know the Plant

Lemon Verbena is a woody shrub that grows three to ten feet tall, and larger in warm, sheltered places. Its narrow, pointed, pale green leaves are rough to the touch and grow in threes around the stem. Brush against it and the whole plant smells of lemon. In late summer it bears loose spikes of tiny pale lilac or white flowers.

It is native to the Andes of South America, from Peru and Chile to Argentina. It loves sun and warmth and cannot stand hard frost. In cold places it is grown in a pot and brought indoors for the winter, when it drops its leaves and rests. It is no relation to Vervain, though the names are alike.

A Little History

Lemon Verbena was used by the healers of the Inca and other peoples of the Andes long before the Spanish came. Spanish and Portuguese explorers carried it to Europe in the 1600s, and it reached England in 1784. Its old names, Aloysia and Herb Louisa, honor Maria Luisa, a princess of Parma who became queen of Spain. Maud Grieve likened its uses to those of mint and Lemon Balm, for indigestion and gas. Victorian ladies tucked the leaves into their dresses for the scent and floated them in finger bowls at dinner.

Violet

Botanical Name: Viola species: Sweet Violet (Viola odorata L.), Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia Willd.) and Heartsease (Viola tricolor L.)

Family: Violaceae (Violet family)

Other Names: Sweet Violet · Blue Violet · Wood Violet · English Violet · Heartsease · Johnny Jump-Up · Wild Pansy

Parts Used: Leaves and flowers

Quick Look

Violet is the little heart-leaved plant that fills lawns and shady corners with purple flowers in early spring. It is a cooling, moistening, slippery herb, gentle enough to eat. Reach for it to soothe an irritated stomach and bowels, for hot, swollen glands, a dry cough and sore throat, hot and itchy skin, and as a soothing poultice. The leaves are rich in vitamins and make a nourishing spring tea and a good addition to salads and soups.

Actions, Energetics & Taste

How It's Been Used

Swollen glands. Its special field. Taken as a tea or syrup for hot, swollen glands with a cold or sore throat, and laid on as a poultice or oil for swollen glands and lumps in the breast, armpit or groin.

Coughs & sore throat. For a dry cough, scratchy throat, colds and bronchitis. Violet syrup is the old favorite, and Heartsease was given for whooping cough.

Skin. Used inside and out for eczema, rashes, acne and weeping, itchy skin. Heartsease is used for cradle cap. The leaves are laid on stings, bruises and hot, inflamed skin.

Heat & headaches. A cooling tea for fevers and for headaches that come with heat.

Bladder. For painful urination and bladder infections. Heartsease is preferred here.

Joints. Heartsease is used for rheumatism and aching joints.

Nerves & grief. For sadness, grief, anger, tension headaches and restless sleep. It has long been used to comfort the heart.

Stomach & bowels. An excellent soothing herb for the whole digestive tract. Its slippery leaves coat and calm an irritated, inflamed stomach and bowels, and ease heartburn, stomach ache and constipation. It is a gentle laxative, and the flower syrup was the old remedy.

Food. The leaves are rich in vitamins A and C. The young leaves and flowers go into salads and soups, and the flowers are candied.

How to Make & Take It

Preparations: Tea · Syrup · Honey · Oil Infusion · Poultice · Compress

• Tea: 1 tablespoon dried leaves to a pint of boiling water. Cover and steep 10 minutes. Drink hot, one to three cups a day.
• Nourishing infusion: Put a big handful of fresh or dried leaves in a quart jar and fill it with just-boiled water. Steep from 15 minutes up to 8 hours, then strain. Drink it hot or cold.
• Violet syrup: Put 1½ cups of fresh purple violet flowers in a pint jar and fill it with 2 cups of just-boiled water. Cover and steep 30 minutes, until the color has left the flowers, and strain. Add a few drops of lemon juice if you like, which turns it from blue to pink. Stir in ¼ cup of honey and keep it in the refrigerator for a few days. To keep it a month, stir in as much honey as there is liquid.
• Infused oil: Infuse the dried leaves in oil and rub it on hot, inflamed skin and swollen glands.
• Poultice or compress: Crush fresh leaves, or soak a cloth in strong tea, and lay it on stings, bruises, rashes or swollen glands.
• Spring tonic tea: Equal parts dried Violet leaf, Dandelion, Nettle, Red Clover and Peppermint.
• Gather the flowers in spring and the leaves through the growing season. Take only a few from each plant, and leave plenty for the bees and butterflies.

Cautions

• Herbalists differ on its use in pregnancy and nursing, and its safety then has not been established. Talk with a knowledgeable herbalist or care provider first.
• Do not give honey to babies under one year old.
• Use only the leaves and flowers. The roots and seeds can cause vomiting.
• Large amounts can upset the stomach.
• Heartsease contains salicylates. Avoid it if you are allergic to aspirin.
• The leaves irritate some people's skin.
• Be sure of what you gather. Lesser celandine has similar heart-shaped leaves in spring. Do not pick Bird's-foot Violet, which has deeply cut leaves and is rare in many places.
• A lump in the breast should be checked by a doctor.

Know the Plant

Violets are low perennials, four to six inches tall, with heart-shaped, scalloped leaves rising on long stems from the base. In early spring they bear five-petaled flowers, one petal larger than the rest, in purple, blue, white or yellow. Sweet Violet is fragrant and spreads by runners. Common Blue Violet has no scent and fills lawns and woodland edges. Later in the season, small closed flowers hidden beneath the leaves make seed, and the three-part pods fling the seeds out.

There are hundreds of kinds across the world's temperate lands. They like moist, shady places, along streams and under trees, as well as lawns and meadows. Heartsease, or Johnny Jump-Up, is the small three-colored wild pansy, and the garden pansy is its descendant.

A Little History

The violet was the flower of ancient Athens, and the Athenians used it to calm anger, bring sleep and comfort the heart. The Greek physician Dioscorides counted it cooling and soothing, for heartburn and inflamed skin and eyes, and the Roman writer Pliny recommended a garland of violets for a headache. An Anglo-Saxon herbal of the tenth century gave it for wounds. Syrup of violets was kept in apothecary shops for centuries, and violets were candied and put into Tudor sweets. The Shakers gathered native violets for their herb catalogs in the 1800s, and an 1885 study found the spring leaves rich in vitamins.