ESSENTIAL OIL OF VALERIAN

Valeriana Officinalis is a member of the Valerianaceae family, which is grown mainly in Europe, Asia and North America.
The essential oil is extracted from the roots by steam distillation.
A base note oil with a. calming, soothing temperament, a strong, pungrnt, not very pleasant scent which can be compared to the smell of old sweaty socks and a clear yellow-green to yellow-brownish colour.
Valerian grows on the edges of ditches and rivers, with tall stem, green leaves and roots which merge into erect rhyzomes, 1 stem which reaches 3-4 feet in height arises from the root. It is round, grooved and hairy near the base ending in two or more flowering stems, the flowers are pink or white, the lower one extendig beyond the top one to give a flat flowering surface, the leaves are dark green, paired and formed by several lance shaped segments more or less opposite each other on both sides of the leaf
In medieval times valerian was used as a medicinal plant and was also called all heal. It is said to be named after the roman Valerius, who first used it in Medicine, other suggest the name comes from the word valere or to be in health due to its medicinal properties. Valerian oil has been used as a sedative for over 1000 years and has no after efects as those found with conventional medication.

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS:
TERPENES:
Monoterpenes
 pinene, camphene
Sesquiterpenes:
* caryophylene, azulene
ALCOHOLS:
Monoterpenols:
geraniol,  terpineol, borneol

ALDEHYDES
Sesquiterpenals
butiral

KETONES
Sesquiterpenones
valeranone

ACIDS
isovaleric acid, acetoxyvaleric acid

ESTERS
bornyl forniate , bornyl acetate, bornyl butirate, bornyl isovalerate

THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES
C.N.S. depresant (good for extreme agitation), hypothermic (good in high fevers), antispasmodic (due to its action on the neuromuscular plates), nervine, sedative +++, tranquiliser

INDICATIONS AND COMMON USES:
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
Tachycardia (high frequency heart beat), angina, hypertension, Irregu;lar heart beat of unknown origin
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Irritable bowel syndrome, nervous dyspepsia
FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Menstrual cramps, premenstrual syndrome

PSYCHE
Anxiety, agitation +++, histeria, hypochondria, insomnia ++++, neurastenia, stress ++++

PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL: This oil has an effect on the solar plexus chakra, the abdominal brain of some authors, calming and soothing butterflies and feelings of intense premonition

BLEMDS WELL WITH: Petitgrain mandarin, Ylang ylang, Lavender True, Angelica, Litsea, Bergamot, Linden blossom.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS: Use at lo9w dilutions as it has very potent sedative properties.

CASE STUDIES

The following case studies are examples of patients where the use of essential oil of valeriana officinalis was an invaluable addition to their treatment formulation.

Karen, 29 years old, with two young children aged 2 and 4, came to see me because of her premenstrual tension syndrome, which had gotten worse after she finished breastfeeding her younger child, at first she was able to cope with the feeling of anxiety, weepiness and tension, but lately she had been unable to sleep at night, and as a consequence could not concentrate on her work during the day. She did not want to take any sleeping tablets, but felt she needed urgent help.
We agreed her treatment plant with full body aromatherapy massage, aromatherapy baths and the use of an essential oil formulation in the duftlampe at night.
The massage treatment was given once a week furing the two weeks prior to the onset of her menstrual period, while at the same time she used five drops of the bath formulations A and B alternatively in her evening bath, and the duft lampe during the night when she felt particularly stressed and tense.

After 3 months of this treatment regime, her PMS was greatly improved and we were able to keep the treatments down to once every two months as a top up session, while she uses the bath blend in her bath when she feels she need it (p.r.n.).

AROMATHERAPY MASAGE BLEND:

Valerian Valeriana officinalis E.O. 2 drops
Geranium Pelargonium graveolens E.O. 4 drops
Bergamot leaves Citrus bergamia E.O. 4 drops
Base oil of Corylus avellana (Hazelnut) 19.5 ml
Base oil of Prunus amigdalinus (Sweet almond) 20ml

TOTAL Quantity of Blend: 40 ml

BLENDING PROCEEDURE
Take a 10-ml a,ber pr cpba;t b;ue g;assbottle, and place in it the essential oils in the order in which they are listed. Replace the lid and roll the bottle between your palms for about 30 seconds, and then add the jojoba base oil. Once again replace the lid and roll between your palms.

BATH OIL BLEND A:
Valerian Valeriana officinalis E.O. 5 drops
Lavandula angustifolia E.O. 5 drops
Lavandin Lavandula X intermedia E.O. 5 drops
Himalayan Cedarwood Cedrus deodora E.O. 5 drops
Lavender hydrosol 40ml
Total amount of blend: 41ml

BLENDING PROCEEDURE
Take a 10-ml a,ber pr cpba;t b;ue g;assbottle, and place in it the essential oils in the order in which they are listed. Replace the lid and roll the bottle between your palms for about 30 seconds, and then add the jojoba base oil. Once again replace the lid and roll between your palms.
You can use this blend in the bath. For your bath add 10 drops of the above blends to your bath water.
BATH BLEND B
Ylang yland extra Cananga odorata forma genuina E.O. 5 drops
True Lavender Lavandula angustifolia E.O. 5 drops
Roman Chamomile Chamoemelum nobile E.O. 5 drops
Cedarwood Himalayan Cedrus deodora E.O. 5 drops
Chamomile Hydrolat 40 ml

Diffuser blend
Rose Rosa damascena E.O. 2 drops
Bergamot Citrus bergamia E.O. 4 drops

James, 49, a businessman, with a very stresful lifestyle, came to see me suffering from moderate hypertension and occasional episodes of angina pectoris, he also had periods of tachycardia related to times of high business pressures and excesive stress.

I felt that Valerian was an excellent oil to be used in a bath and duftlampe formulation for the management of James’s angina and stress, in particular using it in the duftlampe meant he could keep calm during very tense business meetings and used in the bath it helped him to have a calm mind and a restful sleep. He did not feel that a full body massage was what he wanted, so we compromised and he had a weekly back massage instead, which together with the bath, diet changes and diffuser (duft lampe) has helped him to space the angina pectoris to an almost nonexistent number of epidoses per month. The aromatherapy treaments have also helped him to maitain a stress free environment, and cope with moderate levels of stress without his pattern of angry reactions.

AROMATHERAPY MASSAGE BLEND:

Jasmin Jasminum ciminum E.O. 1 drop
Valerian valeriana officinalis E.O. 2 drops
Patchouli Pogostemom patchouli E. O. 2 drops
Base oil of Hazelnut 30 ml

BATH OIL BLEND A
Valerian Valeriana officinalis E.O. 4 drops
Roman chamomile Chamoemelum nobile E.O. 4 drops
Ylang ylang Cananga odorata forma genuina E.O. 4 drops
Roman chamomile hydrolat 50ml
BLENDING PROCEEDURE
Take a 10-ml a,ber pr cpba;t b;ue g;assbottle, and place in it the essential oils in the order in which they are listed. Replace the lid and roll the bottle between your palms for about 30 seconds, and then add the jojoba base oil. Once again replace the lid and roll between your palms.

BATH OIL BLEND B
Lavender Wild Lavandula angustifolia E.O. 4 drops
Mandarin leaves Citrus reticulata E.O. 3 drops
Orange leaves Citrus auranthium E.O. 3 drops
Rose hydrolat 50ml
BLENDING PROCEEDURE
Take a 10-ml a,ber pr cpba;t b;ue g;assbottle, and place in it the essential oils in the order in which they are listed. Replace the lid and roll the bottle between your palms for about 30 seconds, and then add the jojoba base oil. Once again replace the lid and roll between your palms.
For your bath add 6 drops of the above blends to your bath water.

Diffuser
Valerian Valeriana officinalis E,O, 4 drops
Litsea Litsea cubeba E,O, 6 drops

Essential oil of valerian is also very useful in the treament of patients with irrritable bowel syndrome, enterocolitis and menstrual cramps due to its antispasmodic effects on smooth muscle.