What You May Not Know About Using Valerian Root As A Natural Anxiety Treatment

There are many herbs that are readily available as a natural anxiety treatment; many people are starting to turn towards herbs and other natural methods instead of prescriptions medicines. One of the fastest acting and effective herbs available is Valerian. Valerian is a colorful tall perennial herb which blooms from June to September with vibrant purple flowers. The plant is native to Europe, but has been introduced to North America successfully.

Valerian Root is a fairly well known natural anxiety treatment that has been used for centuries to help people with their anxiety, as well as a way to treat insomnia. Valerian is best known for being an incredibly pungent herb with an unpleasant odor. This odor is completely natural, and should be expected when dealing with the herb in any situation. Despite the strong odor a funny fact is that the herb was used as a perfume in the 16th century.

Valerian has been reviewed by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and has been labeled as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) this means that though the FDA has not approved the use of the herb to treat anxiety they have recognized it as being a safe substance for the public to consume. It is important to note that even though FDA has not approved Valerian to treat anxiety doesn't mean that they have disapproved Valerian. With Valerian being completely safe there is no need for FDA approval.

The main concern of taking Valerian is that if you consume too much of it at a time you can become drowsy and it can be unsafe to operate motor vehicles. Because of this concern you should not take more than 600mg of Valerian at any one time or else you run the risk of becoming drowsy. Besides this Valerian is an incredibly safe herb and does not cause any long term health effects.

One of the primary benefits of the root is that is takes effect within 15 minutes. However in addition to the almost instantaneous relief that Valerian provides it also builds up over time and you will feel increased relief over a period of 30 days. This is particularly effective in cases of moderate to major anxiety. The user can start feeling better right away, but then start feeling even better and on a more continual and consistent basis after 30 days. In addition tolerance has not been shown to develop over time so once you find the correct dosage for you to provide relief you can take the same amount every day without having to continually up your dosage to achieve the same results.

Valerian works in a very simple way. It acts as an effective natural sedative to relax the central nervous system within the brain. This makes it easier for the brain to deal with stress, and to work through problems without over loading the neurotransmitters within the brain. While the herb is a sedative is does not cause lowered inhibitions or focus like some other sedatives have been known to cause.