The American Journal of Medicine
Volume 119, Issue 12 , Pages 1005-1012, December 2006

Valerian for Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  • Stephen Bent, MD

      Affiliations

    • Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
    • Department of Medicine, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center
    • Corresponding Author InformationRequests for reprints should be addressed to Stephen Bent, MD, General Internal Medicine Section, San Francisco VAMC, 111-A1, 4150 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94121.
    • ,
  • Amy Padula, MS

      Affiliations

    • Department of Medicine, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center
    • ,
  • Dan Moore, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco.
    • ,
  • Michael Patterson, MS

      Affiliations

    • Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
    • ,
  • Wolf Mehling, MD

      Affiliations

    • Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

Received 4 October 2005; accepted 22 February 2006.

Abstract 

Insomnia affects approximately one-third of the adult population and contributes to increased rates of absenteeism, health care use, and social disability. Extracts of the roots of valerian (Valeriana officinalis) are widely used for inducing sleep and improving sleep quality. A systematic review of randomized, placebo-controlled trials of valerian for improving sleep quality is presented. An extensive literature search identified 16 eligible studies examining a total of 1093 patients. Most studies had significant methodologic problems, and the valerian doses, preparations, and length of treatment varied considerably. A dichotomous outcome of sleep quality (improved or not) was reported by 6 studies and showed a statistically significant benefit (relative risk of improved sleep = 1.8, 95% confidence interval, 1.2-2.9), but there was evidence of publication bias in this summary measure. The available evidence suggests that valerian might improve sleep quality without producing side effects. Future studies should assess a range of doses of standardized preparations of valerian and include standard measures of sleep quality and safety.

Keywords: Herb, Alternative medicine, Insomnia, Sleep, Meta-analysis, Systematic review

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Login to an existing account or Register a new account.

  • Purchase this article for 30.00 USD (You must login/register to purchase this article)

    Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record.

  • Subscribe to this title

    Get unlimited online access to this article and all other articles in this title 24/7 for one year.

  • Claim access now

    For current subscribers with Society Membership or Account Number.

  • Visit SciVerse ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.
 

 This work was supported by Grant Number 1 K08 ATO1338-01 (Dr Bent) from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

PII: S0002-9343(06)00275-0

doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2006.02.026

The American Journal of Medicine
Volume 119, Issue 12 , Pages 1005-1012, December 2006

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution