Valerian is a natural herb that acts as a relaxant on the body.   Up until 1942 it was actually classified as a tranquilizer which is somewhat of an exaggeration.  It is generally considered to have little side effects and is a nice alternative to dangerous prescription drugs like benzodiazepine, valium, and xanex.   A college student actually tried to kill himself by consuming 20,000 mg and it only gave him mild cramping and other mild side effects.

One of the most popular uses of valerian is as a sleep aid to fight insomnia.  Valerian has been shown to reduce the amount of time it takes to get to sleep, prolong sleeping time, increased deep sleep, increase dreams, and decrease nighttime awakenings.  An impressive Swedish study shows Valerian gave 44% of insomnia sufferers perfect sleep and 89% of insomnia sufferers at least improved sleep.

Valerian is available in dried form and in standardized capsules/tablets.  In dried root form, doctors commonly recommend 1.5 to 2 grams and in capsule form 300-500 mg.  A popular natural alternative is kava.

Interesting side note on valerian...  Cat's love it like catnip.  Rats also love the stuff and people frequently use valerian in rat traps.

Please note that many of the cures on this website are in a state of incomplete progress. To simplify, I have created a 'best natural cures' page which I believe contain the most effective, non-drug, non-surgical cures available.