Valerian Root by NOW Foods - Herbs 250 Capsules Non-Addictive, Herbal Extract for Restlessness* Our Price: $7.28 Retail Price: $11.99 You Save: $4.71 each, a 39% Savings!
Valerian Root : People from just about every culture on earth have occasionally faced restless, sleepless nights. Fortunately, natural relief is available in just about every corner of the globe, from Valerian root. In addition, the majority of Valerian users report feeling refreshed upon waking – free of drowsiness, and ready to face the day! NOW® Valerian provided the effective potency that users asked for.*
Additional Sizes Available
100 Capsules - 1 g of Valerian
250 Capsules - 1 g of Valerian
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Supplement Facts
Two (2) Capsules Contain:
Amount Per Serving
Total Carbohydrates 0.7 g Calcium 40 mg Valerian (Valeriana officinalis ) 1 g
Gelatin Capsule, Contains no sugar, salt, yeast, wheat, corn, milk, or preservatives. As an herbal dietary supplement, two to four (2-4) capsules prior to bedtime, or as directed by a healthcare practitioner. Because of its relaxing effects, avoid driving or operation of heavy machinery following any significant consumption of this herb. Herb , Herbal Nervous Anxiety , Sleeplessness Central Nervous System Aggravated , Despair , Exacerbated By Neil E. Levin, Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN)with Diplomate in Advanced Nutritional Laboratory Analysis (DANLA)
Valerian Root Extract is often tested by using a “marker compound”, a substance that is detected in a product sample to prove the identity, but not the potency, of an herbal product. The distinction is that the actual “active ingredient” in an herb may not even be known,1 or there may be more than one active component, in which case detecting one or more marker compounds is the standard way to confirm the identity of the herb without providing any scientific information as to its actual potency or efficacy.
Like other herbal remedies, valerian root has many chemical components, but as ConsumerLab.com states on its website, “it is not clear which of these are most important to its effectiveness…”2 We can see that an assay for valerian marker compounds is not a definitive test of actual potency or quality, as it does not quantify the admittedly-unknown active constituents.
Test results for liquid extracts may commonly contain only about half of the marker compound levels as dried extracts that are used in capsules. This is only common sense, as removing the liquid fraction (typically grain alcohol), which commonly comprises roughly 50% of the volume in a liquid extract, is necessary in order to produce a dried form of an herbal extract. The amount of alcohol in liquid extracts can vary, and sometimes the liquid extract is spray-dried onto a neutral carrier material such as starch, making comparisons with dried extracts less precise because of the natural variation in raw plant material and variations in the use of these processing aids and carriers.
The use of liquid herbal extracts is also significantly different than using a similar dried extract in a capsule. The same principles that allow our brain to identify molecules from smells or tastes, that in turn guide the body’s responses, apply to molecules in liquid extracts that are both inhaled and tasted. People that use liquid extracts do so because they understand that they are faster acting and have stronger effects than capsules, which makes sense due to the extra information that is imparted to the body from a substance signaling the brain via direct contact with sensors in the nose and mouth. This is the same principle as Aromatherapy, and the body routinely sends taste and scent signals from foods to the brain in order to trigger digestion.3-10
These points show that laboratory testing to determine the relative efficacy of different forms of valerian root supplements to be scientifically flawed, though the identity of the herb can be confirmed through the observation of known marker compounds called valerenic acids .
At NOW’s Quality Control lab, skilled analytical chemists tested samples of Nature’s Apothecary™ brand Valerian Liquid Extract, also sending a sample of the same lot to an independent lab for confirmation of the results. The valerenic acids were confirmed to be within a range of 0.35 to 0.41 mg per milliliter (mL), with the independent lab reporting slightly higher amounts than NOW’s own lab. Since the serving size is 2 mL, the amount of valerenic acid marker compounds found in this product would be in the range of 0.70 mg to 0.82 mg, per serving. By comparison, Consumerlab reports that a dried root powder of valerian should provide about 0.17% valerenic acids; an amount equivalent to 0.68 mg in a 400 mg capsule, which would provide about the same amount of marker compounds found in one serving of Nature’s Apothecary’s liquid extract. This is not to suggest that the two forms are equivalent, as dried valerian root would contain fiber and other inactive material that is not present in a liquid extract and the extract contains roughly 50% alcohol, which is not present in the dried root. A liquid can also work on different metabolic pathways than a capsule, as discussed earlier. An alcohol extract can also concentrate active material that is oil soluble, such as certain alkaloids, that tend to be naturally produced and concentrated in some herbal roots.
While these assays cannot determine the actual potency of any valerian product, they do give strong evidence that Nature’s Apothecary™ Valerian Liquid Extract has been properly prepared from authentic, high-quality valerian roots, attesting to the overall quality of the finished product.
References:
1 Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs,
American Botanical Council , Published by Integrative Medicine Communications.
3 Mori K, et al. Computation of molecular information in mammalian olfactory systems. Network . 1998 Nov;9(4):R79-102. Review. PMID: 10221572
4 Buck LB. Information coding in the vertebrate olfactory system. Annu Rev Neurosci . 1996;19:517-44. Review. PMID: 8833453
5 Mori K, et al. The olfactory bulb: coding and processing of odor molecule information. Science. 1999 Oct 22;286(5440):711-5. Review. PMID: 10531048
6 Cerf-Ducastel B, et al. Interaction of gustatory and lingual somatosensory perceptions at the cortical level in the human: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Chem Senses . 2001 May;26(4):371-83. PMID: 11369672
7 Touhara K. Odor discrimination by G protein-coupled olfactory receptors. Microsc Res Tech . 2002 Aug 1;58(3):135-41. Review. PMID: 12203691
8 Rolls ET. Information processing in the taste system of primates. J Exp Biol . 1989 Sep;146:141-64. Review. PMID: 2689559
9 Rolls ET. Tate, olfactory, and food texture processing in the brain, and the control of food intake. Physiol Behav . 2005 May 19;85(1):45-56. Review. PMID: 15924905
10 Breer H. Olfactory receptors: molecular basis for recognition and discrimination of odors. Anal Bioanal Chem . 2003 Oct;377(3):427-33. Epub 2003 Aug 1. Review. PMID: 12898108
By Ted Waszkuc, NOW Quality Control Department
HISTORY
Valerian, Valeriana officinalis L. (Valerianacea) has a long history of use in temperate regions of Europe as a mild sedative due to its documented central nervous system (CNS) depressant activity.1 It has been used therapeutically since the Greek and Roman periods and currently is a top-ranking herb worldwide as a remedy for anxiety and insomnia.
Native to Europe and most often used by Western herbalists, V. officinalis is a hardy and adaptable perennial plant. It was transported to the New World by early settlers and now grows in much of the northern United States and southern Canada. The medicinally valued material consists of underground parts; i.e. roots and rhizomes. Nowadays, for medicinal use, it is largely cultivated in Northern and Central Europe.
Investigations of this plant have focused on finding and isolating the active constituents.2-6 During the last 30 years the identity of substances believed to be responsible for Valerian’s tranquilizing effect have frequently changed and still remains controversial.7 Two major groups of constituents can be distinguished, both terpenoid in nature: Iridoids and Sesquiterpenes.
TECHNICAL DATA
Iridoids found in Valerian root consist of monoterpenic epoxy-triesters derivatives collectively known as a Valepotriates, (Val eriana epo xy-tri esters). Different acid substituents, mainly Isovaleric acid and its derivatives, can be esterified to the hydroxyl groups present in Valepotriates. They were isolated from the plant and found to demonstrate sedative activity. Valepotriates are unstable and hydrolyze rapidly in a presence of moisture, or acidity (pH < 3) and even moderate heat (> 40°C); hence they have a short life in liquid preparations. Due to this fact, phytomedicines containing Valepotriates are usually formulated as solid dosage products like tablets or powder-filled capsules. The noticeably unpleasant smell associated with Valerian is due to the odor of Isovaleric acid formed upon hydrolysis of Isovaleric Valepotriate esters. Since liquid preparations of Valerian, such as alcoholic tinctures and teas, are still pharmacologically active, constituents other than iridoids must be responsible for their sedative effect.
Sesquiterpenic carboxylic acids, namely Valerenic, Acetoxyvalerenic and Hydroxyvalerenic acid, represent the other class of compounds2,3,6 thought to be responsible for Valerian preparations’ activity. Valerenic acid is a spasmolitic and muscle relaxant and inhibits the breakdown of g-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) at nerve endings.8 The presence of Valerenic acids (usually about 0.3%) distinguishes V. officinalis from other Valerinacea, which comprises about 200 known species. Only a few other than V. officinalis have medicinal uses, with Mexican valerian (Valeriana edulis) and Indian valerian (Valeriana wallichii) as the most common examples. Mexican and Indian plant material mainly contain valepotriates (about 7% w/w and up to 3% w/w, respectively). On the contrary, Valepotriates level in European Valerian ranges from 0.5% to 1.2%, with most commercial products averaging at 0.6%.9 None of the Valerenic acids could be detected in V. edulis or V. wallichii .
LAB MARKERS
The synergistic effect of all the plant’s constituents is now believed to account for valerian’s pharmacological action. Due to considerable variation in Valerian preparations’ composition and content - as well as the instability of some of its constituents - standardization of Valerian products requires choosing stable, analytically reliable active or marker compounds characteristic of the plant material. Standardization of Valeriana officinalis preparations on Valerenic acids content is an illustrative example when the marker compounds utilized to confirm sample authenticity and potency may/or may not be active ingredients. Valerenic acids are stable, non-volatile substances, unique to Valeriana species, quantifiable by HPLC technique and commercially available as reference standards with a moderate cost. Although both Valepotriates and Valerenic acids are still considered to contribute to Valerian’s sedative action, it is widely acknowledged that standardization of Valerian-containing phytomedicines (Valeriana officinalis ), using Valerenic acids as identity markers measured by HPLC technique, should be preferred.
To assure the quality of NOW Foods’ Valerian-containing products we developed the HPLC method based on the validated USP assay for Valerenic acid content. The method is modified to quantify all three Valerenic acids and is specific for V. officinalis products in both solid and liquid forms. It can also serve as a reliable check for all Valerian products’ authenticity. This is but one example of how NOW Foods uses science to assure that only top quality active ingredients are used in our products.
References:
1 Houghton, P.J., Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 22 ,121-142 (1988)
2 Stoll, A., Seebeck, E., Liebigs Ann.Chem 603, 158-168(1957)
3 Buechi, G., Popper, T.L., Staufacher, D., J.Amer.Chem.Soc. 82,2962 (1960)
4 Thies, P.W., Tetrahedron, 24,313-347 (1967)
5 Hazelhoff, B.,Weert, B, Denee, R. and Malingre, Th.M., Pharmaceutisch Weekblad Scentific Edition, V1,140-148 (1979)
6 Bos, R., Hendriks, H., Bruins, A.P., Kloosterman, J., Simpa, G., Phytochemistry, 25, 133-135 (1986)
7 Bruneton, J., Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants, p.595 –600 (1999)
8 Riedel, Planta Medica, 46,219 (1982)
9 American Herbal Pharmacopea and Therapeutic Compendium, , April 1999
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Our Price: $7.28 Retail Price: $11.99 You Save: $4.71 each, a 39% Savings!
