Back in the 70s, I had a six-herb nervine formula from John Lust's Herb Book. I used it enough that I kept an already mixed jar. I was in grad school and once I got a pet-friendly apartment my parents brought my old cat to live with me and it was not long before he started going after my mixture. I was able to tease out that it was valerian. The cat after him (who lived to nearly 21) was crazy and to calm him when I had other people around, I would use valerian--first he would go crazy and then he would mellow out for hours. When I would buy it at a local herbal shop I would bring all kinds of extra containers with me to keep from being so stinky on public transportation.
Hi Rosalee and your entire equipe!! This video is fantastic and I'm excited to learn more about Valerian and a little about pet treatment, it makes me want to be Medicine Woman for pets!! I'm looking forward to more great videos, thank you so much for making our world more beatiful - especially mine! - with your amazing work! Big love to you and your entire fabulous team! 💞
I grew lemon balm for the first time last year and I made my husband and son come out and marvel at it then pinch off a few leaves and eat them! I bet plants love to be shown off! It made me happy to hear that other people like to show off their plants.
I learned about Lemon Balm and then to my surprise, realized the pesky patch of weeds my mom had been trying to get rid of for years were actually my miracle cure for anxiety 😂❤
I love valerian and stinging nettle. Yes, the valerian flowers smell wonderful! Stinging nettle tastes so good lightly steamed or dried for a tea. I mix it with many of my teas like chai.
I have been using Valrian at bedtime. My tea blend is Lemon Balm, Holy Basil, Chamomile, and Valerian. Super good. I might try it with catnip in place of the Holy Basil.
Thank you for this wonderful episode! Since you both mentioned Rosemary Gladstar and valerian, I want to ask if you would consider valerian as a nervine tonic. In Rosemary's teaching, it is. However, I read quite some articles about people building tolerance for valerian. Apart from the generally recognised nervine tonics, such as oats, skullcap, and St. John's Wort, herbalists seem to have different classifications on the exact herbs that belong to this category, which is a wonderful bunch of herbs that can or even should be taken long-term for building and strengthening the nervous system. Because eventually, we want to nourish and repair the system instead of having to sedate it all the time. What is your opinion on this? Are valerian, also hops, lemon balm, and chamomile tonics or sedatives?
Is it only mice that provide the taurine for cats, or do voles have the taurine too. We do not have mice where I live (interior Alaska) but voles are everywhere. Thank you.
Is it strange that I actually quite like the smell of Valerian roots? I keep smelling them again and again to try to figure out the stinky feet smell people find so abhorrent, and I can't smell it! Is it like a cilantro love/hate DNA kind of situation? In any case, I just dug up some roots and started my first batch of Valerian tincture, thanks for the inspiration!
My Dad did the same thing with me and his herbs. It’s why I’m so in love with plants and medicine. I have a question about Valerian. I have Red Valerian also known as Jupiter’s Beard all around my yard. Does it work the same as the white and pink varieties?
Hi, common names can be tricky. The key is knowing the botanical name, as it gives us more clues. In my quick research, red valerian is an ornamental plant with the botanical name Centranthus ruber. The valerian we use in herbalism is Valeriana officinalis. I am not aware of red valerian being used medicinally. ~Karin Rose
I do have trouble with insomnia. It came when my dad passed away and I have had it for years. My dad passed away 34 years ago. I did buy a valerian tincture for my insomnia but when I took my first dropper full it was really strong and didn't taste that good to me. It really surprised me and since it was close to night I was hoping the taste wouldn't keep me up. I would love to know a way I can take valerian that would be more of a mild experience and hopefully help me sleep.
Some people put tinctures in water or juice to blunt the taste. Most tinctures are made with grain alcohol which isn't delicious. You could also research and consider a glycerite.
Hi :) any recipe or specific timestamps in this video wiuld be helpful. I found this video a bit murky as to extract any specific recipe or specific way of using Valerian. Thanks
You can always find time stamps in the video description. I'll also add that podcast interviews tend to have a more winding and organic feel. If you're looking for linear didactic information about valerian then look for my solo episode.
