Herbal Medicine for Preppers: Valerian

Hey, y'all. Welcome to this week's show. Today, we're going to talk about probably one of my favorite herbs. I know I say that a lot, but this is a very useful herb that, you know, it's funny. There's certain herbs that are just very strong in their effect, okay? People who are like doubtful or hesitant about using herbs say, oh, they don't do anything. You'll have doctors say that sometimes. And it's ridiculous because obviously until about 1920, almost every medicine a doctor prescribed was made of medicinal herbs. The vast majority, at least 90%, and pharmacists made them themselves using plants. They were plant-based medicines, every one of them, except for chemotherapy and toxicology and such set. But if someone doubts the efficacy of an herb, one of the easiest ways to change their mind is to give them a tincture or a couple of capsules of valerian. Valerian is a strongly sedative herb. It is antispasmodic. It helps reduce pain. It reduces stress. It will induce sleep. Give somebody some valerian and 15 minutes later, especially if this is their first experience with valerian, they're going to be on their butts. And then you can say, tell me again how herbs don't work, right? Valerian is actually good. kind of what Valium was named for. Valium has nothing to do with the herb, but that was the inspiration for calling it Valium. So we'll get into that here in just a minute. I just wanted to say I'm glad to be back. I guess I haven't done a show in almost a month. It's been at least three weeks, maybe September 19. So we're talking almost a month. It has been intensely stressful and Valerian is an herb that helps with stress. I don't really get stressed. Emotional stress is not my thing. Physical stress, everybody experiences. We get tired. We get worn down. We get exhausted. And that's more what I mean when I say this has been a very stressful month. For the past, well, for three weeks solid, I moved stuff out of my house in the mountains in preparation for it to be torn down and rebuilt. And they gave me a deadline of get everything out by the 16th. And first thing I do, I get up there. We got, you know, couldn't stay in the house. There's bad mold. There's no power or water. And it was cold. Really good. We went down to freezing a couple nights. No heat. Except for the kerosene stove, which would have been fine. But I didn't really want to, well, and mice had totally invaded everything. During the two years I was moved out of the house, I couldn't live in the house, the mice moved in and everything was like, you know, just filthy and would not have been a good idea to sleep there and did not have time to clean everything up, that's for sure. And with no running water, I mean, I guess I could have gone up the creek and filled up a bucket, you know how that goes. But got a motel room and had everything set to good to go, 10 a.m. the next morning and the movers canceled on me. So for... The first week, I boxed everything up because I was going to have them come in and get the furniture out, you know, right away. And then I was going to box up the smaller stuff and move it out myself. So for the first week, I boxed up things, could not believe everything that was in that house. I mean, at some point, I crossed the line from being a collector to a hoarder, especially in terms of books. um albums musical albums and which you know a lot of vinyl but also like cds and such but cast iron and pottery and antique cookware um you know various hunting and fishing and trapping equipment uh it was just insane so uh boxed everything up moved out where i could the first week i had to come uh back to where i've been staying for a couple days and drive it you know nine hours every time I had to go up and back. And I got the movers out there the second week to get the furniture. And then the third week was spent getting everything else out of the house. In the meantime, I had to have an inspection, an asbestos inspection, and the guy kept canceling on me. He'd tell me he'd be there at 9 a.m. He would call me at like 3 and say I'm running late. He'll call me at like 5 o'clock and tell me he's in the wrong town and went to the wrong address. It was ridiculous. It took almost a week to get a simple inspection done. The, gosh, the house was built about 1949 to 1950. And there were no documents at the county offices. They did not. I said, I need to have a septic tank inspection. They said, we don't have a record of you having a septic tank. went back and forth like this for, Oh gosh, it was, it was insane. And then, um, Oh, just getting the, the power line cut and rolled up was, was nuts because the power company kept trying to tell me my, the only power line going into my house was an old phone line. And I'm like, no, it's not. I tell you what, uh, bet you a hundred dollars. If you grab hold of it, you're going to find out it's not. Uh, so anyway, that, uh, It was crazy. Had to have a new survey, had to have everything. But my deadline was the 16th, and I got everything out of there, except for a few things I hated to leave behind. But I had to, had no choice. I got everything out on the 15th. And what really got to me was there was a back room that I used for storage, and I lost the key. And I thought, well, I'm just going to get a crowbar. I'm going to knock it down. But I'm getting out of there at like 9 o'clock at night with the rental truck due at 10 a.m. the next morning. It was more like 10 o'clock at night. And, I mean, I just ran out of time. So my favorite tent, my favorite mess kit that I had from when I was a Boy Scout all got left behind. And my old daisy Red Ryder BB gun like Ralphie had that I picked up in an antique shop when I was 10. That got left behind. I don't even want to think about all the things that got left behind. That was a bummer. That was a real bummer. This really cool old sleeping bag I had, which I got from... I'm sure everybody listening to this show knows Major Surplus and Survival. They, you know, probably, as far as I know, they're the best online army surplus store there is. And probably 20 or 30 years ago, this cool... Swedish sniper's sleeping bag showed up on there. This thing was awesome. First of all, completely waterproof. It had the old rubberized coating on it because I guess it was from the 50s, probably about that era. It had the rubberized coating on it, but it was a mummy bag with sleeves. Your arms went into the sleeves so you could be a sniper out there in your sleeping bag. But it also had a zipper in the, well, not a zipper, was it clips in the middle or snaps? Could have been snaps. It would fold up into a parka. So this one sleeping bag was a mummy bag and a parka that you could wear as a heavy coat in the winter. And I guess it was about zero rated. So, I mean, it was really cool. I mean, I really hated to leave that behind. But for all I know, mice had made a nest in it and, you know, Anyway, it's finally behind me. Physically exhausting. I cannot tell you. I mean, I knew I was out of shape because, you know, the last year or so I've been in an area that I have a lot of really bad allergies and just I haven't been hiking in the woods and doing splitting wood and all the things I would normally, excuse me, do. But I was, you know, surprised to find, you know, I still had the strength to lift a few hundred pounds, a couple hundred pounds and carry it out and, you know, still pretty strong, still good endurance. But yeah, recovery time was much longer than it would have been when I was younger. There's no doubt about that. I mean, driving back that night, I'm driving the rental truck at U-Haul, you know, and I get like a half hour down the road and I start having these horrible hand cramps. I mean, like the kind of You know, that commercial where they talk about that weird contracture where that, you know, your hand just goes like almost completely paralyzed and deformed. Start getting that in my left hand. Shake it out, get some aspirin, you know, the whole bit and make sure get hydrated as quickly as I could. And then it starts happening in my right hand. It starts happening in my feet. And I mean, I was just exhausted. And I mean, actually, it's a week later and my wrists are still sore. So I got to get back in shape. There's no doubt about that. But anyway, let's talk about valerian. And yeah, this is a really neat herb. It's got a really neat history. It's a really easy one to identify in the wild because it stinks. There are actually a couple of varieties of valerian. One is actually an edible garden plant that was once popular in Europe. People don't really grow it a lot anymore. It's pretty good. But medicinal valerian, not the tops of the plant. but the roots, have a smell kind of like ammonia. Basically like cat pee, in my opinion. Some people say it smells like dirty socks. Interestingly, the Greek herbalists called it PHU. which is actually where we get the word pew from. So it is actually named for its stinking scent. You cannot, uh, smell valerian without digging it up unless you have a really sensitive nose or if there's been a heavy rain. A lot of times I can find, um, you know, valerian after a heavy rain just by following my nose to the, to the scent. It's, um, it's unmistakable. I'll just put it that way. And that's why it's, um, It's really best in capsule form or as a tincture. You don't really want to make a tea out of the layering. It'd be very hard to drink. You know, it helps with some of my main complaints. I got sciatica, tight knotted back muscles. You know, I've had a lot of back injuries throughout my life and sleeplessness. I've always had trouble sleeping and asthma, allergic asthma. Valerian relaxes muscles. So as a sedative, it not only helps with the cramping, it helps with the knotted muscles, it helps with the sciatic pain, but it also relaxes the lungs. And I mean, I'm just a very calm, just naturally laid back person. And I think Valerian just kind of suits me. You know what I mean? If you're a hyperactive ADD type, you know, maybe, you know, Well, you probably benefit from it a whole lot, actually. But you're just going to have to try. There's one thing about Valerian that's kind of odd. In about, well, I'm going to say this. In about 25% of people, it can cause nightmares. Now, it doesn't actually give you bad dreams. What it does is it puts you into a very deep state of sleep. And in that state of sleep, like basically repressed memories or things like that, traumatic events happen. tend to come back to mind. Your brain kind of stops guarding you against those things. So that's one issue. And in a probably 5% to maybe 10% of the population, valerian will have the opposite effect. It actually acts as a stimulant. So you're just going to have to experiment with it. The use of it goes back so long. I mean, Hippocrates and Galen recommended valerian for insomnia. We're talking like 3,000 years ago. I've never actually been able to find the exact quotes of their work, but Dioscorides did write about it. Other older Greek herbalists referenced Hippocrates and Galen, but those works, if they were ever written down, are lost. But Dioscorides' Demeterium Medica is very much still in use. Still one of the best herbals around. And interestingly, not only did he call it pew, p-h-u, pew, but nardus. And, um, Narda was a culinary spice of the time, uh, that was so popular in ancient Greece. It was, uh, thought to have been made extinct, but it was, uh, said it, you may be familiar with asafoetida that's used in Indian cooking. It was relative of that. And it has a very strong scent like that. Uh, they're not actually related plants. So, and, uh, the really cool thing is the original Nardis or asafoetida of Greece. um, they think they found a few surviving plants and plant breeders are starting to try to bring, bring them back. So I, I'm looking forward to trying it. I mean, just to see what it tastes like, the smell, I mean, the smell of asafoetida is horrible, uh, but it tastes good in Indian food. So I guess it's just the way you use it. But anyway, um, he describes, uh, the plant and yeah, it's just a green herb. Uh, you can look it up. Um, Mm-hmm. He says it would, let's see what he recommended it for. He says the roots are warming, drying, and uretic, and as a result, taking as a drink, they stop the bowels. So it's good for diarrhea. Well, actually, it's that antispasmodic property. It stops the cramping. They stop discharge of the wounds and the whites, which are leucorrhea. It's a vaginal discharge. A decoction taken as a drink with cold water helps nausea. stomach ulcers, essentially. Those troubles are with sickness of the liver or the head and painful kidneys. Boiled in water and given either as a warm pack or a hip bath, they heal inflammations of the vulva. They are good for superfluous fluids of the eyes, drying and thickening them. For moist bodies, a sprinkling is effective to take away the smell of sweat. You just smell like cat pee. I'd probably rather smell like sweat. Uh, mixed with antidotes, uh, ground smooth and made with, uh, wine. They're good eye medicines. So, um, he is mentioning actually very veering plants. So there's one title. So I think I'm going to skip ahead. I mean, he's talking about Syrian nardus, a Celtic nard. Uh, that's probably more like spike nard. Uh, that could even be the nard of the Bible, which is totally different. That's a resin, I think from a tree. I mean, you know, very, uh, we'll just kind of skip ahead to, um, better documentation. Let's just go with that. But interestingly, he made a wine with Valerian, which was said to be quite relaxing, and I'm sure it would. And that was a Syrian nard. And yeah, that's probably the one closest to Valerian. Use of Valerian was very popular among European herbalists in the Middle Ages. St. Kildegard von Bingen wrote one who suffers from pleurisy or is in pain from the gicht. Now, gicht is old German. We don't really know what that means. She seems to have used it for anything to describe cramping or even paralysis or tremors or even really bad arthritis. So we're thinking probably cramping in this instance. Should pulverize valerian and add a bit less catnip powder. He should mix flour and water in a small dish with lard, And these herbs making little cakes, he should eat them often. The pleurisy or gitch in him will cease and he will be better. Yeah, and I mean, that makes sense. Father Nape wrote about 1890s, the innate strength of valerian is proved to us by its effect upon cats, which it stupefies to the extent of causing them to roll in it. And yes, cats go crazy over valerian just like they do catnip. Not related plants, but similar effects. We make use of the root only, which chopped and infused as a tea or ground as a powder may be taken in small doses. Valerian root has much the same effect as rue in relieving headache and cramp-like complaints by expelling unwholesome gases. So rats are also said to be attracted by the scent of valerian. And valerian is believed to be the herb that was used by the Pied Piper. Pied Piper, the old fairy tale, was actually based on a real person who helped combat the plague by using Valerian basically to drug rats in the village of Hamelin. I believe that's Germany, maybe? Other folk uses include being used in medieval Sweden to ward off the envy of evil elves. So... If you've got a problem with envious evil elves, you need to get yourself some Valerian right away. In British herbalism, we find Valerian being referred to as Allheal, a common name also for an herb in the mint family, but also Setwell, the names meaning that it restores one to health. Girard listed seven varieties of Valerian. We'll try to cut through and see what we would call vanilla. Was it Valeriana officinalis is what I'm looking for here. He said, yeah, he said good for those that are burst and have hernias, are troubled with cramps and other convulsions, or those that are bruised with falls. Good against ulcers and soreness of the mouth and gums. Let's see. Oh, yeah, it is a bitter herb. It's good for jaundice, good for the liver. Cole Pepper, writing about 100 years later, speaks of the one we're looking for. He says, And there are instances of its having affected cures in obstinate epileptic cases. And yes, it can help with certain types of seizures. Inhabitual costiveness is an excellent medicine and will frequently loosen the bowels when other purgatives have proved ineffectual. It is excellent against nervous affections in general, such as inveterate headaches, trembling, palpitations of the heart, vapors, and hysterical complaints. It lowers blood pressure and slows the heart rate, by the way. Um, but that being said, uh, I know of no instance of an overdose, actually, valerian that caused any damage. So it's one of those more safe herbs we can use in that regard. Apparently there was one that was wild and one that they were growing in the garden. I'm thinking the garden is more like the... Was it lamb's lettuce or something? Anyway, because... He's not really using it in the same way. Yeah. Let's see. Miss Reeve and her British herbal, 1931, a modern herbal, says valerian is a powerful nervine stimulant, carminative and antispasmodic. Carminative means settles the stomach. It has a remarkable influence on the cerebrospinal system and is used as a sedative to the higher nerve centers in conditions of nervous unrest, say vitis dance, hypochondriasis, neurotic pains, and the like. It allays pain and promotes sleep. It is a special use and benefit to those suffering from nervous overstrain as it possesses some of the aftereffects produced by, as it possesses none of the aftereffects produced by narcotics. Yeah, Valerian's not going to give you like a hangover. During the recent war, she's talking World War I, when air raids were a serious strain on the overwrought nerves of civilian men and women, Valerian prescribed with other simple ingredients, Taking a single dose or repeated according to need proved wonderfully efficacious, preventing or minimizing serious results. Wonderful use for it, really. Definitely any kind of traumatic stress, Valeria is just great for. She says in ordinary doses, it exerts an influence, quieting and soothing in its nature upon the brain and nervous system. Large doses too often repeated have a tendency to produce pain in the head, heaviness and stupor. It is commonly administered. Yeah, it was available in the pharmacy at the time. She used that name. There's anything for us to say more. There we have it. Oh, she mentions a physician, Fabius Columna, from 1592, who used it for epileptic seizures and said he had cured himself from it. Also used in the treatment of cardiac palpitations, insomnia. Yeah. Father Nape wrote, something special must be hidden in the valerian. It is proven to us in cats. I just read that. Okay. Brother Aloysius recommended valerian for chronic dizziness, feverishness, illness, epilepsy, st. Vitus dance, hysteria, hypochondria, dizziness, stomach cramps, nervous headaches, paralysis, Pituitous stroke to kill worms. Yeah, it does have a slight vermifuge quality. Should not be used by pregnant women. It can cause a miscarriage. For cramps like asthma, trembling in the limbs, nervous vomiting, stomach and abdominal pains, hoarseness due to nerves, complete loss of voice, palpitations, paralysis of the tongue, and to strengthen weak eyes. Wow. Let's see. More recently, the herbalist Michael Moore described it as a simple sedative and the most powerful sedative we have. He said that in addition to being used for nervousness, high blood pressure, and sleep, it was good in cases of intense pulsing pain like broken bones. And yeah, it's really, I mean, when you're in such extreme pain, you can't sleep, it really helps. Now, the Rodale Herb book does say that taken too often or excessive doses cause headache, spasmodic movements, or hallucinations. Never experienced that, but I probably have it taken in whatever dose they're saying Um, yeah, let's see. What else have we got here? Um, excellent tranquilizer, et cetera. Penelope Odie's complete medicinal, uh, herbal says pungent tranquilizer, antispasmodic diuretic lowers blood pressure, committed to my own anodyne. She calls it nature's tranquilizer, but says that it should not be taken more than two to three weeks without a break. It's probably good advice. Thomas Elple, um, botany a day says Valerian is a well-known sedative. And it is not related to Valium, but as I said, the root word is the same. Valerian sedates the central nervous system, although it stimulates digestion and the cardiovascular system. About one in five people react to Valerian as a stimulant rather than a sedative. And that's odd. You have to experiment to find out. So we've got an herb. It's been in continuous use before the recorded history of herbal medicine. It's just amazing. Still used today, obviously. In fact, the physician's desk reference for herbal medicine says, let's see, it breaks down the chemical composition, it says effects. In animal experiments, the interaction of the various constituents are centrally depressive, sedative, anti... anti-xylitic... I can't pronounce that word. An-x-y-o-lit-ic. There we go. An-x-y-o-lit-ic. Spasmolytic. Muscle relaxant. And anti... ulcerogenic. So even physicians just reference it as good for stomach ulcers. The main effect on humans is to reduce sleep induction time. That means it helps you get to sleep faster. It increases the availability of GABA, and that's one of the reasons for its sedative property. And GABA is, I guess, an amino acid, something naturally produced in your body. And if valerian increases the uptake of GABA, Uh, that's why it gives you that set of effect with like no hangover essentially. Um, let's see. It's also high in glutamine, which is interesting. Um, PDR goes on the list, multiple trials, drug interjections, dosages, and 80 other, 80 references to peer reviewed documents. So, I mean, it's proven absolutely. So, um, Uh, I, I can only tell you that if, uh, I've just scratched the surface on, on the history and use of valerian. Well, the use is, is constant throughout the ages and cultures, but the history of it's really interesting. And, and I really just gave you a broad overview, but if you ever interact with someone who says herbs are just superstition or placebo effect, then they do no good. Just say, try this. And you can go to, um, Well, I mean, just about every drug store, your CVS or your Walgreens or something is going to carry some valerian capsules and say, here, take two of these. Tell me how you feel in 15 minutes. Tell me if you think this does nothing. It's not known to have any health hazards except, like I said, not to be taking any medicinal doses during pregnancy. See what you think. Tell me if you think this is all in your head. doubt it as much as you want, and let's see how you feel in 15 minutes. And they're probably going to be sound asleep. If not, they're going to be feeling pretty darn comfortable. Pretty darn comfortable. There's no doubt about that. Now, the only thing I would say beyond that point is valerian is what we would call an energetic herb. As I said, it interacts differently depending on your constitution. Uh, some people it's a stimulant. Some people it causes bad dreams. For me, it's one of those herbs where like, um, first time I took it, it knocked me out. And the second time I took it, it was nothing but a mild relaxant. Um, if I don't take it for six months and then take it again, it has a stronger effect. If I take it every day, it just, I don't get a lot out of it. Um, I prefer ashwagandha for, um, more frequent use. Uh, but, um, you may be one that, uh, valerian has the same effect on every time you take it. You never know until you try. And it's a great herb to keep on hand for any time you need sleep, any time you're having cramping, knotted muscles, pain, anxiety, stress. Don't take it while driving, obviously. I mean, anything can make you sleepy, you know. don't, you don't want to be operating heavy machinery or a bandsaw or something, but you know, use common sense. Anyway, y'all, um, uh, I'm so glad to have this move behind me. I got three months now where I don't have to even worry about the house. It's in the contractor's hands. And then I can start thinking about moving back in and, um, got to replace a few things, you know, but you know, things are just things. I will definitely miss my, um, compass. I had a really cool compass that was passed down to me through the family. It's, oh, I can't remember what you call it. It's the kind where it's got this little arm that raises up that has a magnifying glass on it. It's got a little slot with the little wire going down it. They were used in, it's probably from World War II era. I will miss that a lot. I'll definitely miss my old Boy Scout mess kit and the ferro rod that I've got selling magazine subscriptions as a Cub Scout, you know, that kind of thing. But I'm sure I'll never find another sleeping bag like that again. But, you know, it probably wasn't in great condition after being out there that long anyway. Things can be replaced. Things can be replaced. You know, we need to value the people in our lives a whole lot more than we value the things. And that's like what the opposite message of our culture. But it's not the things that matter. Y'all have a great week. And as Hank Williams Sr. used to say, the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise. I'll talk to you next time. The information in this podcast is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing I say or write has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I'm not a doctor. The U.S. government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine, and there is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm really just a guy who studies herbs. I'm not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write or say is accurate or true. I can tell you what herbs have been traditionally used for. I can tell you my own experience and if I believe in herbs help me. I cannot nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use an herb anyone recommends, you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, a sensitivity, an underlying condition that no one else even shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to listen to my podcast or read my blog, you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices, and not to blame me for anything ever.