[Valerian as a sleeping aid?].
BACKGROUND
Valeriana is a herbal over-the-counter drug, in Norway mainly used for insomnia. It is estimated that in Norway only, annual sales of valeriana amount to NOK 20 m. With this considerable consumption in mind, we wanted to review the scientific basis for valeriana as a sleep aid.


METHODS
Through a literature search we identified 18 experimental studies examining the effects of valeriana on human sleep.


RESULTS
The majority of studies reported positive effects of valeriana on subjective sleep parameters. Objective sleep measures yielded inconsistent results. All studies covered a short period of time. Few side effects of valeriana were reported. Only two studies compared valeriana to established hypnotics.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that valeriana may have some hypnotic effect. Long-term studies are clearly lacking, as well as studies comparing valeriana to well-established drug treatments for insomnia.
Pallesen
Ståle
S
Institutt for samfunnspsykologi Universitetet i Bergen Christiesgate 12 5015 Bergen. staale.pallesen@psysp.uib.no
Bjorvatn
Bjørn
B
Nordhus
Inger Hilde
IH
Skjerve
Arvid
A
D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D008517:Phytotherapy; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014632:Valerian
D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D028321:Plant Preparations