Valerian, a hardy perennial herb native to Europe and Asia, produces pleasantly scented pink and white flowers. Its root is a valuable medicinal herb in the Western herbal tradition. Popular for its sedative and pain-relieving effects, recent research has shown valerian to have considerable blood pressure-lowering benefits as well. Consult with a qualified health professional before using valerian.
Potassium Effect
Valerian root relaxes muscles and lowers blood pressure, according to a study on laboratory animals, published in the September 2005 "Journal of Ethnopharmacology." Concentrations of valerian extract up to 3 mg per mL caused relaxation of contractions in intestinal muscles and arteries. Valerian extract showed specific effects on a particular type of muscle contraction involving potassium. The researchers concluded that valerian is an effective remedy, as used in traditional herbal medicine, to relax muscle and lower blood pressure.
Mental Stress
Decreased systolic blood pressure -- the top number of the blood pressure -- resulted from valerian supplementation in a study on valerian's effects on stress induced by mental tasks. Participants performed standardized color/word mental stress tasks on two occasions, with a one-week break in between. They consumed valerian or kava following the first session and each day for the next seven days. Systolic blood pressure decreased significantly in response to the stress tests at the second session. Also, noted the researchers, heart rate response to stress declined with valerian but not kava. The study was published in the February 2002 issue of "Phytotherapy Research."
Drug Comparison
Valerian root was as effective as the drug nifedipine at reducing blood pressure, in a study on laboratory animals published in the June 2007 "Journal of Ethnopharmacology." In the study, coronary artery muscle spasm was effectively reduced by doses of valerian ranging from 50 mg per kg body weight to 200 mg per kg. The same study found valerian useful at reducing muscle spasm in the bronchial tubes, leading the researchers to conclude that the traditional uses of valerian for lowering blood pressure and alleviating asthma are justified by their results.
Lungs
Blood pressure in the lungs was lowered by valerian supplementation in a study published in the December 2003 issue of the "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine." The study on cats, which used injections of valerian extract, found valerian to have potent blood vessel dilating effects. The blood pressure lowering effects were negated by two drugs that inhibit the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, leading the researchers to conclude that valerian's effects are related to activation of GABA.
References
- "Journal of Ethnopharmacology"; Antispasmodic and Blood Pressure Lowering Effects of Valeriana wallichii are Mediated through K+ Channel Activation; A.H. Gilani et al.; Sept. 2005
- "Phytotherapy Research"; Effect of Kava and Valerian on Human Physiological and Psychological Responses to Mental Stress Assessed under Laboratory Conditions; M. Cropley et al.; Feb. 2002
- "Journal of Ethnopharmacology"; Biological and Analytical Characterization of Two Extracts from Valeriana officinalis; C. Circosta et al.; June 2007
- "Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine": Analysis of Responses to Valerian Root Extract in the Feline Pulmonary Vascular Bed; A.M. Fields et al.; Dec. 2003
