Valerian root and herbal sleep aids: benefits, side effects and what the evidence shows

Valerian root is the most popular herbal sleep aid, and it is usually sold in blends with hops, passionflower, skullcap or California poppy. The evidence for it is weak and inconsistent: some reviews find people feel they sleep a little better, others find no herbal remedy beats a placebo, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises clinicians against using valerian for chronic insomnia ⁷⁸⁶. The best-tested version is valerian combined with hops, and even there the gains were modest ¹⁰¹¹. These herbs are generally well tolerated for a few weeks, but they add to the effects of alcohol and sedatives, and valerian and skullcap have rare links to liver injury ¹²³.

What is valerian, and what is in a herbal sleep blend?

Valerian is a plant whose root has been used since ancient Greece and Rome ¹, and its calming compounds are thought to act on the GABA receptor, the brain's main calming signal ². What it is and what it does in your body has its own page. This guide covers the evidence, graded, how much valerian studies use, when and how to take it, valerian alone vs with hops vs a five-herb blend, side effects, interactions, and blood tests worth knowing about.

The other herbs in typical blends each have a different story:

• Hops (Humulus lupulus): the cones used to flavor beer, long claimed to be sedating; on its own not proven as a sedative, and mostly studied paired with valerian ⁵¹⁰.
• Passionflower: an extract of Passiflora incarnata flowers used as a mild sedative; its compounds include flavonoids and harmala alkaloids, and other Passiflora species reportedly lack its medicinal effects ⁴.
• Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora): a Native American plant whose leaves and stems are used for anxiety and insomnia; its flavonoids may act on GABA receptors ³.
• California poppy (Eschscholzia californica): a plant rich in alkaloids, studied only as part of combination products ¹⁵.

LifeFrom's Herbal Sleep Blend contains all five: valerian root extract standardized to 0.8% valerenic acids, hops extract, passionflower extract (labeled Passiflora caerulea), skullcap herb and California poppy seed. It contains no melatonin.

What valerian and the blend herbs are good for: the evidence, graded

Each use below carries a grade. Strong means several good randomized trials or a meta-analysis agree; Moderate means several randomized trials, mostly positive but small or short; Limited means few or small trials, or mixed results; Early means lab, animal or a single pilot study; Not supported means good trials found no benefit. Our guide to reading supplement evidence explains the scale.

We suggest that clinicians not use valerian as a treatment for sleep onset or sleep maintenance insomnia (versus no treatment) in adults.American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Clinical Practice Guideline for the Pharmacologic Treatment of Chronic Insomnia in Adults, 2017 (weak recommendation)

What are the benefits of valerian root?

The clearest positive signal comes from Bent's 2006 meta-analysis of 16 placebo-controlled trials with 1,093 people. In the 6 trials that reported whether sleep improved or not, people on valerian were 1.8 times as likely to say it improved, but the authors found evidence of publication bias (positive trials being likelier to get published) and noted that doses, preparations and trial lengths varied widely ⁷. Leach and Page's 2015 meta-analysis of 14 trials and 1,602 people with insomnia found no herbal medicine, including valerian, better than placebo on any of 13 sleep measures, and valerian groups reported more adverse events per person than placebo groups ⁸. NCCIH calls the evidence for sleep inconsistent ¹.

That is why the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's 2017 guideline makes a weak recommendation against valerian for chronic insomnia ⁶. Valerian is not a treatment for insomnia, which is diagnosed and treated by a clinician, and it is never a swap for a prescribed medicine. Our sleep calculator helps with the timing side.

Valerian with hops: the combination with the most data

In Koetter's 2007 trial in people whose sleep latency (time to fall asleep) was at least 30 minutes, a fixed valerian-hops extract (500 mg valerian plus 120 mg hops) shortened sleep latency more than placebo over 4 weeks, while the same 500 mg of valerian alone did not beat placebo ¹⁰. That suggests hops may be doing part of the work. In Morin's 2005 US trial across 9 sleep centers, 184 adults with mild insomnia took two tablets nightly of valerian-hops (each 187 mg valerian and 41.9 mg hops), the antihistamine diphenhydramine, or placebo. Both active treatments gave modest gains on sleep diaries, few comparisons with placebo reached significance, and there was no difference on polysomnography (overnight sleep lab recordings). There was no rebound insomnia after stopping ¹¹.

Passionflower, skullcap and California poppy

Passionflower has two small trials worth knowing. In Ngan and Conduit's 2011 crossover study, 41 adults aged 18 to 35 drank a cup of Passiflora incarnata tea or placebo tea nightly for a week and rated their sleep quality better on passionflower, while five other diary measures did not change ¹². In Lee's 2020 trial, 110 adults with insomnia disorder took a passionflower extract or placebo for 2 weeks; total sleep time on overnight recordings rose by about 23 minutes on passionflower against no change on placebo, while sleep efficiency and night waking did not differ between groups ¹³. Both used Passiflora incarnata. LiverTox notes that other Passiflora species reportedly lack its medicinal effects, and the LifeFrom blend's label lists Passiflora caerulea, a different species with no sleep trials we could find ⁴.

Skullcap's one controlled trial gave 43 healthy volunteers 350 mg of Scutellaria lateriflora three times a day or placebo for two weeks each; anxiety scores did not differ, while overall mood disturbance fell on skullcap ¹⁴. California poppy's evidence is a 3-month trial of 264 people with mild to moderate anxiety using a combination of California poppy, hawthorn and magnesium, which lowered anxiety scores more than placebo; the poppy's own contribution cannot be separated, and the trials used extracts of the plant, not the seed ¹⁵.

How much valerian do studies use?

These are the amounts trials and references describe, as a record of the research, not a dose for you.

There is no official upper limit for valerian. NCCIH says it has been used with apparent safety at 300 to 600 mg daily for up to 6 weeks, and its long-term safety is unknown ¹. Liver injury reports involve ordinary doses and mostly multi-herb products, so no dose is known to be free of that risk ²³.

How LifeFrom's capsule compares: one capsule holds 250 mg of valerian extract (0.8% valerenic acids, so about 2 mg), 75 mg of hops extract, 50 mg of passionflower extract, 50 mg of skullcap and 25 mg of California poppy seed. That is below the 374 to 500 mg of valerian and 84 to 120 mg of hops in the two valerian-hops trials, about a twentieth of the daily skullcap in the mood trial, and the passionflower and poppy are not the forms that were studied ^1011144. Extract strengths also differ between manufacturers, so milligram comparisons are rough.

When and how to take valerian

How long does valerian take to work? The valerian-hops trials measured results after 2 to 4 weeks of nightly use, and the passionflower trials after 1 to 2 weeks ^10111213. NCCIH notes apparent safety for up to 6 weeks and unknown long-term safety, and that abrupt stopping after chronic use can bring withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, irritability, heart disturbances, insomnia and rarely hallucinations ¹. Tapering off with a clinician's input is the cautious route after long use. Valerian root tea is a gentler, less standardized way people use it, and the amount of active compounds in a cup is not controlled.

Forms: valerian alone, valerian with hops, or a five-herb blend

What are the side effects of valerian?

Is valerian bad for your liver?

Rarely, and mostly in mixtures. LiverTox grades valerian “C”, a probable rare cause of clinically apparent liver injury: published cases began 3 to 12 weeks after starting, were usually mild to moderate, and recovered within 2 to 4 months of stopping, with severe cases mostly involving other potentially liver-toxic herbs ². Skullcap is graded “B”, a very likely but rare cause, with onset within 1 to 12 weeks; in several cases the product turned out to be adulterated with germander, a known liver toxin, or mislabeled, and at least one case of acute liver failure has been reported ³. One LiverTox case describes acute hepatitis in a woman taking a skullcap-and-valerian sleep preparation ³. Passionflower and hops are graded “E”, unlikely causes ⁴⁵. Our guide to liver enzymes explains how a liver panel is read.

Who should avoid valerian or ask first?

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: NCCIH says little is known about safety; the LifeFrom label says to consult a healthcare professional first ¹.
• Children: the LifeFrom label says adults only.
• Liver disease, or a past reaction to any herbal product: valerian and skullcap are rare causes of liver injury ²³.
• Hormone-sensitive conditions (some breast and uterine cancers, endometriosis): hops contain 8-prenylnaringenin, a potent plant estrogen; modeled exposure from normal intake was below levels of concern, but no one has tested these blends alongside hormone treatments ⁹.
• Surgery: sedating herbs can add to anesthesia; tell your surgical team, who may ask you to stop beforehand.
• Regular alcohol, sedatives or opioids: drowsiness adds up ¹.
• Possible sleep apnea (loud snoring, gasping, daytime sleepiness): sedatives can be risky, and the snoring needs assessment first.

Valerian interactions

Supplements to pair or keep apart

Blood tests worth knowing about

No blood test tracks valerian or tells you whether it is helping your sleep; a two-week sleep diary (bedtime, time to fall asleep, wakings, how you feel next day) is the better measure. The blood tests below are safety checks for the rare liver reports. Ask your clinician whether any make sense for you, for example if you have liver disease or plan to use a blend for longer than a few weeks.

Raised liver enzymes while on a herbal product are a result for your clinician, who will want to know every supplement you take.

Conditions and goals it comes up around

Most people try a herbal sleep aid for trouble falling or staying asleep. Insomnia that lasts three months or more is a condition a clinician diagnoses and treats, and valerian is not a treatment for it. Snoring with pauses in breathing points to sleep apnea, which needs assessment before anything sedating. With fatty liver disease or other chronic liver conditions, the rare liver reports are the part to raise with your clinician. Valerian and its blend partners are never a swap for a prescribed medicine.

Valerian and the sleep blend in the LifeFrom pouch

One capsule holds less valerian and hops than the two valerian-hops trials used, and its passionflower and California poppy are not the species or plant part that were studied. One pouch-specific catch matters more than the milligrams: LifeFrom packs its 30 pouches as morning pouches, and everything in a pouch is taken at the same time, while this blend's label says to take it at bedtime and not to drive or operate machinery. A sedating blend in a morning pouch works against its own label, so anyone considering it should raise the timing with LifeFrom and their clinician before using it that way. Combining it in one pouch with other calming supplements, such as ashwagandha, adds to the drowsiness.

For the full product list and pack contents, see the shop and its packs.

This guide is general education, not medical advice, and it cannot account for your sleep history, health or medicines. Supplements, valerian and herbal sleep blends included, are not approved by the FDA for safety or effectiveness. The clinician who knows your history and prescriptions is the right person to decide whether a herbal sleep aid fits; see our medical disclaimer.

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