Valerian (herb)

Valerian
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Dipsacales
Family:	Caprifoliaceae
Genus:	Valeriana
Species:	V. officinalis
Binomial name
	Valeriana officinalis; L.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis, Caprifoliaceae) is a perennial flowering plant native to Europe and Asia.^[1]^[2] In the summer when the mature plant may have a height of 1.5 metres (5 feet), it bears sweetly scented pink or white flowers that attract many fly species, especially hoverflies of the genus Eristalis.^[3] It is consumed as food by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species, including the grey pug.

Crude extract of valerian root may have sedative and anxiolytic effects, and is commonly sold in dietary supplement capsules to promote sleep, but clinical evidence that it is effective for this purpose is weak or inconclusive as yet.^[1]^[2] Its roots and leaves cause a catnip-like response in cats.

^ ^a ^b "Valerian". Drugs.com. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Valerian". Office of Dietary Supplements, US National Institutes of Health. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
^ Van Der Kooi CJ, Pen I, Staal M, Stavenga DG, Elzenga JT (2015). "Competition for pollinators and intra-communal spectral dissimilarity of flowers". Plant Biology. 18 (1): 56–62. doi:10.1111/plb.12328. PMID 25754608. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-09-29.

[drugs-1] "Valerian". Drugs.com. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.

[ods-2] "Valerian". Office of Dietary Supplements, US National Institutes of Health. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2018.

[3] Van Der Kooi CJ, Pen I, Staal M, Stavenga DG, Elzenga JT (2015). "Competition for pollinators and intra-communal spectral dissimilarity of flowers". Plant Biology. 18 (1): 56–62. doi:10.1111/plb.12328. PMID 25754608. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-09-29.

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