Valerian is native to Europe and Asia, and the plant has been naturalized in North America. The drug comes mainly from cultivation in Japan, the United States, Holland, Belgium, Eastern Europe and increasingly Thuringia. The rootstocks (rhizomes), the roots and their stolons (Valerianae radix) are used as the drug.
Typical characteristics of valerian
Valerian is a perennial perennial with pinnate leaves that grows between 30 cm and 2 m tall. The plant bears small white-pink flowers that stand in flat umbels. The aromatic smelling rhizome with numerous roots is underground. Common valerian comprises a species complex with numerous subspecies.
The rhizome is light brown and egg-shaped and is about the size of a thimble. It bears numerous light to gray-brown roots, about 1-3 mm thick and several centimeters long. Less commonly, gray-brown nodular thickened stolons are also part of the drug.
Taste and smell of valerian
Valerian exudes a very characteristic, pleasant odor. The common name “cat herb” is based on the fact that valerian supposedly attracts cats by its smell. Since cats can see very well, valerian was also thought to be an eye remedy in the past.
According to legend, the typical smell also helped the Pied Piper of Hamelin to hunt rats: The branch of valerian attached to his belt is said to have attracted the rats. The taste of valerian root is sweet-spicy and slightly bitter.
