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GF RB valerian rhizomes with roots. Valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.

Rhizomes with valerian roots - RhizomatacumradicibusValerianae

Valerian officinalis - Valeriana officinalis L.

Valerian family - Valerianaceae

Other names:

- maun pharmacy

- cat root

- magpie grass

- shake grass

- maun

- meow

Botanical characteristics. A perennial herbaceous plant with a height of 50 cm to 2 m. In the first year of life, only a rosette of basal leaves is formed, in the second - flowering stems. The rhizome is short, vertical, with numerous roots. The stems are straight, hollow inside, grooved on the outside, and pale purple in color at the bottom. The leaves are imparipinnately dissected, the lower ones are petiolate, the upper ones are sessile. In the upper part the stem is branched, forming corymbose or paniculate inflorescences. The corolla is pink, funnel-shaped. There are three stamens, one pistil with a lower ovary. The fruit is an achene with a tuft. It blooms from late May to August, the fruits ripen in June-September.

Spreading. Almost everywhere. It does not form thickets suitable for harvesting, so it is cultivated in the middle zone on many Rolkhozes and State Farms. The plantations produce the best quality raw materials. The rhizomes of cultivated plants are twice as large. High-yielding varieties "Maun" and "Cardiola" are cultivated.

Habitat. In the steppe, along rocky mountain slopes, mainly in wet meadows, in floodplains, among bushes, in swamps, in forests. In the northern regions, valerian has thinner roots, in the southern regions the rhizome and roots are larger. It is cultivated on fertile, preferably meadow-marsh soils or in wet areas. The soil is fertilized with mineral fertilizers of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium in a ratio of 1:3:2. Propagated by fresh seeds. Sowing in summer, autumn or pre-winter to a depth of 1-2 cm with row spacing of 45-60 cm. Recently, it has been propagated by rhizome suckers and grown as an annual crop. Root yield 20-25 c/ha.

Harvesting, primary processing and drying. Harvesting rhizomes with valerian roots should be carried out in late autumn (late September - mid-October), when the growth of the root mass is completed. During spring harvesting, the quality and yield of raw materials are significantly reduced (almost half). Harvesting of raw materials on farms is carried out using a valerian harvester or potato diggers. Rhizomes with roots are cleaned of the remains of aerial parts and soil, thick rhizomes are cut lengthwise, quickly washed with water in a washing machine (no more than 20 minutes) and dried with active ventilation, spread out in a layer of 3-5 cm.

Dry in heat dryers at a temperature not exceeding 35-40°C or in the air in the shade, under a canopy with good ventilation. Farms use conveyor steam dryers; the coolant temperature above the top belt should not exceed 50°C, above the bottom - 30°C, the thickness of the raw material layer is 3-4 cm.

Standardization. The quality of raw materials is regulated by GF XI and FS 42-1530-89.

Security measures. After digging up the underground parts, the seeds from the plant are shaken into the same hole where the roots were and covered with earth; in addition, all small plants and some large ones are left at the collection site for the renewal of thickets. Stems with seeds are trimmed without damaging the rhizomes. Plants reproduce by rhizomes.

External signs.Whole raw materials It is a whole or cut lengthwise rhizome up to 4 cm long, up to 3 cm thick, with a loose core, often hollow, with transverse partitions. Numerous thin adventitious roots, sometimes underground shoots - stolons, extend from the rhizome on all sides. The roots are often separated from the rhizome; they are smooth, brittle, of varying lengths, up to 3 mm thick. The color of the rhizome and roots on the outside is yellowish-brown, at the break - from pale yellowish to brown. The smell is strong, aromatic. The taste is spicy, bittersweet.

Crushed raw materials. Pieces of roots and rhizomes of various shapes, light brown in color, passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm.

The powder is large. A mixture of pieces of rhizomes with valerian roots of various shapes, brownish-brown in color, passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 2 mm.

When viewed under a magnifying glass or stereomicroscope, shapeless pieces of rhizomes or cylindrical pieces of thin roots are visible, dark brown on the outside, lighter at the break. The surface of the root pieces is slightly longitudinally wrinkled.

The powder is medium fine. Pieces of roots and rhizomes are grayish-brown in color, passing through a sieve with holes measuring 0.2 mm. The smell and taste of crushed raw materials and powder are similar to whole raw materials.

Possible impurities. Found in the roots of valerian. When harvesting, similar plants are sometimes collected. All impurities are easily recognized by the absence of valerian odor in dry raw materials.

Microscopy.Whole, crushed raw materials. A cross section of the root shows the epidermis, the cells of which are elongated into long hairs or papillae. The cells of the hypodermis are larger, often with drops of essential oil. The bark is wide, consists of homogeneous round parenchyma cells filled with starch grains, simple and 2-5-complex, 3-9 (less often up to 20) microns in size. The endoderm consists of cells with thickened radial walls. Young roots have a primary structure. Old ones in the basal part have a secondary structure with radiate wood.

The powder is large, medium-fine. From part of the analytical sample, micropreparations are prepared according to the method of preparing micropreparations from cut, crushed or powdered medicinal plant materials (SP XI, issue 1, p. 282).

When examining microslides, fragments of parenchyma with simple and 2-5-complex starch grains (sometimes gelatinized) are visible: individual starch grains; less often - drops of essential oil; scraps of integumentary tissue and wood vessels with a spiral and ladder type of secondary wall thickening; occasionally stony cells.

Numerical indicators. Rhizomes with roots. Whole raw materials. Extractive substances extracted with 70% alcohol are at least 25%; humidity no more than 10%; total ash no more than 13%; ash, insoluble in a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid, no more than 10%; other parts of valerian (remains of stems and leaves, including those separated during analysis), as well as old dead rhizomes no more than 5%; organic impurities - no more than 2%, mineral - no more than 3%.

Crushed raw materials. Extractive substances, moisture, total ash, acid-insoluble ash, the content of other parts of valerian, organic impurities are the same as for uncrushed raw materials; particles that do not pass through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm, no more than 10%; particles passing through a sieve with holes measuring 0.5 mm, no more than 10%; mineral impurity no more than 1%.

Powder. Particles that do not pass through a sieve with holes measuring 0.2 mm, no more than 1%. The content of extractives, ash, and humidity are the same as for crushed raw materials.

Rhizomes with roots are fresh. Extractive substances not less than 25%; moisture no more than 85%; total ash no more than 14%; ash insoluble in a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid, no more than 10%; residues of stems, including those separated from rhizomes, no more than 3%; organic impurities no more than 3%, mineral - 1.5%.

Chemical composition. About 100 individual substances have been found in valerian roots. The roots contain up to 0.5-2% essential oil, the main part of which is bornyl isovalerianate (valerian-borneol ester), free isovaleric acid, borneol, bicyclic monoterpenes (camphene, a-pinene, d-terpineol, l-limonene), as well as sesquiterpenes, borneol esters of formic, acetic and butyric acids, nitrogen-containing alcohol and kessil alcohol - proazulene (tricyclic sesquiterpene alcohol); alkaloids - actinidin (which has a stimulating effect on cats), valerine, hatinin, tannins, saponins, sugars, organic acids (formic, acetic, malic, stearic, palmitic, etc.), glycosides (valeride, valerosides A, B and C) , monoterpene alcohol mertinol in free form and as an ester of isovaleric acid. The aglycone of valerosides A, B and C is valerogenin, which is a triterpene ketone. In addition, 2 unknown ketones were detected.

The raw material contains about 1% valepatriates, polysaccharides, and organic acids. Valepatriates are found in fresh raw materials and in living plants. During the drying process, they decompose to form free valeric acid or its analogues.

Storage. According to the rules for storing essential oil raw materials, packed in bags and bales, in dark rooms inaccessible to cats, which gnaw and pull apart the roots. The shelf life of dried raw materials is 3 years. Freshly processed raw materials must be processed within 3 days in pharmaceutical factories.

Distinctive features of valerian and related plants

Plant name	Diagnostic signs
Plant name		inflorescences and flowers	root system
Valerian - Valeriana officinalis L. (Valerianaceae)	The leaves are unpaired, pinnately dissected, alternate or opposite.	The inflorescence is a corymb with small pink flowers. The flowers are tubular, 5-petalled. Fruits with a tuft.	The rhizome is short, vertical, densely surrounded by long adventitious roots. Fresh roots are light brown, darkening when dried.
Hemp sapling - Eupalorium cannabinum L.	Leaves are tripinnate, opposite.	The inflorescence is a complex shield; the pedicels bear small pink baskets.	The root system is similar to that of valerian.
Meadowsweet - Filipendula ulmaria Maxim (Rosaceae)	Leaves are intermittently pinnately dissected.	Dense paniculate inflorescence, flowers are small, white, freely 5-petalled.	The rhizome is short, horizontal, with numerous long adventitious roots.

Pharmacological properties. Valerian has a multifaceted effect on the body: it depresses the central nervous system, reduces its excitability; inhibits oropharyngeal breathing, regulated by the midbrain, enhances the effect of aminazine; reduces spasms of smooth muscle organs. Valerian essential oil weakens convulsions caused by the alkaloid brucine, which has similar pharmacological properties to strychnine. Among the plants used in folk medicine to treat patients with epilepsy, during experimental testing on different models, valerian turned out to be the most promising; it reduces the excitation caused by caffeine, prolongs the effect of hypnotics, has an inhibitory effect on the medulla oblongata and midbrain systems, and increases the functional mobility of cortical processes. Valerian regulates the activity of the heart, acting indirectly through the central nervous system and directly on the muscle and conduction system of the heart, improves coronary circulation due to the direct effect of borneol on the vessels of the heart. Valerian enhances the secretion of the glandular apparatus of the gastrointestinal tract and increases bile secretion.

Valerian serves as an example when a total extract from a plant provides a therapeutic effect, while isolated substances do not have a corresponding effect.

Medicines. Cut rhizome with roots, briquettes, infusion, tincture, camphor-valerian drops, thick extract, sedative collection, tablets, dragees, "Cardiovalen", "Valocormid", liquid extract for the preparation of mixtures.

Application. Although infusions and tinctures of valerian have been used in medical practice for a long time, opinions differ about their activity as a sedative. Some authors point out the great value of valerian as a sedative, while others classify it as an ineffective medicinal drug. Perhaps these disagreements are explained by the non-standard activity of different series of valerian sold in pharmacies.

Valerian is used for various indications: as a sedative for chronic functional disorders of the central nervous system, for neuroses, hysteria - a neurotic condition characterized by a sharp disruption of the relationship between the first and second signaling systems (increasing the tone of cortical cells, valerian in this case leads to the establishment of normal relationships between these systems); for epilepsy along with other therapeutic measures, agitation due to mental trauma, insomnia, migraine; for heart neuroses and chronic coronary circulation disorders, pain in the heart area; for hypertension, to reduce the excitability of the cerebral cortex and reduce vegetative-vascular disorders; with palpitations, extrasystole, paroxysmal tachycardia associated with a neurotic state.

Valerian preparations are used for stomach neuroses, accompanied by spastic pain, constipation and flatulence, and for disorders of the secretory function of the glandular apparatus of the gastrointestinal tract; with dysphagia, especially with cardiac spasm that is persistent; diseases of the liver and biliary tract in complex therapy; with thyrotoxicosis with painful subjective symptoms (feeling of heat, palpitations, etc.); diabetes insipidus; for some types of vitamin deficiencies as a sedative, for menopausal disorders and a number of other diseases accompanied by sleep disturbances and increased irritability. Valerian enhances the therapeutic effect of small doses of aminazine, the hypnotic effect of barbamyl, stabilizes the vasodilatory effects of angina pectoris, has a desensitizing effect, and tones the vasomotor centers. Valerian improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

Valerian is more effective with systematic and long-term use due to the slow development of the therapeutic effect.

To potentiate the effect of neuroleptic drugs and reduce their doses, valerian is used together with aminazine. It is also used for early and late toxicosis of pregnancy as a sedative.

Valerian infusion is used in the complex treatment of obesity as an anorexigenic agent. By suppressing the hypothalamic appetite centers, valerian reduces the feeling of hunger, suppresses appetite, and helps withstand food restriction. For this purpose, an infusion of valerian (10.0:200.0) is prescribed 3-4 times a day before or instead of meals.

As a rule, valerian is well tolerated, but in some patients with hypertension it has the opposite stimulating effect, disrupts sleep, and causes difficult dreams.

One of the components of the therapeutic effect of valerian is its smell, which has a reflex effect on the central nervous system. It is also possible for medicinal substances to enter the body through inhalation (through the lungs).

Infusion of valerian root (Infusum radicis Valerianae): 10 g of dried valerian roots and rhizomes are poured into 200 ml of boiling water, heated in a water bath for 15 minutes, then infused for 2 hours, filtered, and taken 1 tablespoon 3-4 times a day.

Valerian decoction (Decoctum Valerianae): 10 parts of valerian roots and rhizomes are crushed (the length of the particles should be no more than 3 mm), pour 300 ml of water at room temperature, boil for 30 minutes in a water bath and cool. Take 1/2 cup 3 times a day. A decoction of fresh valerian roots. A decoction of their fresh valerian roots is prepared in the same way as from dried roots. The ratio of raw material to extractor is 1:5. The doses are the same.

Mixture of valerian with fennel. A decoction is prepared from the roots and rhizomes of valerian. Fennel fruits (1 part) are crushed, poured with water at room temperature (10 parts), boiled in a water bath for 30 minutes and left for 45 minutes. Both decoctions are mixed and taken 1 glass in the morning and evening warm.

Soothing collection (Species sedativae). Ingredients: 1 part valerian roots and rhizomes, 2 parts mint and trifoliate leaves and 1 part hop cones. The mixture is crushed, take 1 tablespoon, pour 2 cups of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, filter and take. 1/2 cup 2 times a day.

Valerian tincture (Tincturae Valerianae) is prepared with 70% alcohol in a ratio of 1:5. Prescribed orally for adults, 15-20 drops per dose 2-3 times a day; Children take as many drops as the child is old. Available in 30 ml bottles.

Thick valerian extract (Extractum Valerianae spissum). Used in film-coated tablets, 2 tablets per dose. Each tablet contains 0.02 g of thick valerian extract.

Valocormidum is a combined preparation containing valerian tincture and lily of the valley tincture 10 ml, belladonna tincture 5 ml, sodium bromide 4 g, menthol 0.25 g, distilled water up to 30 ml. Used for cardiovascular neuroses and bradycardia. Available in 30 ml bottles. Prescribe 10-20 drops 2-3 times a day.

Valosedan is a combined preparation containing 0.3 g of valerian extract, 0.15 g of hop tincture, 0.133 g of hawthorn tincture, 0.83 g of rhubarb tincture, 0.2 g of sodium barbital, 20 ml of ethyl alcohol, distilled water 100 ml. Produced in Czechoslovakia. Used as a sedative for neuroses and neurasthenia, 1 teaspoon 2-3 times a day.

Corvalolum is similar in action to the drug Valocordin, which comes from Germany. Ingredients: ethyl ester of a-bromoisovaleric acid 20 g, phenobarbital 18.26 g, peppermint oil 1.4 g.

Camphor-valerian drops (Tunctura Valerianae cum Camphora) consists of 10 g of camphor and valerian tincture up to 100 ml. Prescribe 15-20 drops 3 times a day as a sedative.

On the damp soil of meadows and swamps, among trees and shrubs, in the last days of May, easily recognizable paniculate inflorescences of the medicinal herb - valerian - appear. The rhizomes with the roots of this amazing plant are the raw material for various sedatives and cardiac drugs.

Description of pharmaceutical valerian

A perennial herbaceous medicinal plant (of the family of the same name - Valerianaceae) can reach a height of two meters.

Its rhizome up to two centimeters thick penetrates vertically in moist soil to a depth of no more than three centimeters, and numerous thin root shoots sometimes grow up to half a meter in length. Medicine classifies these dried parts of the plant as sedatives. The medicinal properties of the rhizome acquire in the second year of the plant’s life, when it blooms and gains strength. At the same time, they have a specific aroma and a sweetish-bitter taste. The small rosettes of leaves that are characteristic of annual “cat grass” in the second year turn into imparipinnate, coarsely toothed at the edges, separate and opposite leaves with a sessile arrangement at the top of the plant and a petiole at the bottom.

The flowers of pharmaceutical valerian are most often small and fragrant, with a pale pink tint. Mother Nature collects them in apical corymbose or corymbose-paniculate inflorescences. The stem of valerian is straight, hollow, branched in the upper part of the plant. Biologists note that the “cat root” blooms from late May - early June to August, and active ripening of the fruits (oblong-ovate achenes with a feather-like tuft) occurs in July-September.

Features of wild and cultivated raw materials

In the wild, valerian does not form thickets suitable for industrial harvesting of the medicinal plant, so many enterprises prefer to cultivate plantations created by sowing seeds or planting small rosettes of valerian.

The rhizomes with roots of the cultivated high-yielding varieties "Cardiola" and "Mauna" are twice as large in size as their wild counterparts. Depending on the location of the habitat of the natural healer, they can be thin (in the northern regions) or have a larger size and fleshy structure, as in the southern ones.

What medicinal properties does “shaken grass” (valerian) contain?

Thanks to the rich chemical composition of valerian roots, which includes more than a hundred different active substances, extracts, tinctures and decoctions prepared from this plant material help against many ailments.

Contained in the rhizomes of valerian is a wide range of aromatic oils, as well as borneol, various acids (isovaleric, butyric, acetic and formic) combined with alkaloids, nitrogen-containing alcohol, valerine, hatinin, sugar and glycosides, saponins, tannins and many other substances.

Properties of valerian and indications

What do preparations containing extract and crushed raw materials of valerian (rhizomes) help with? The roots of the herb are used to treat hysteria and neuroses, tachycardia, angina pectoris and convulsions (including epileptic seizures), various functional disorders of the coronary circulation, migraines and hypertension, insomnia and PMS pain. With the help of freshly prepared decoctions or infusions from this, they alleviate the course of urticaria, psoriasis and eczema (taken externally and internally).

The beneficial effect of preparations from valerian officinalis (rhizomes with roots of which are used for aqueous and alcoholic extracts, the manufacture of tablets and cardiac medications) is known for defects (defects of the heart or large vessels), increased irritability, menopausal disorders, diseases of the liver and biliary tract, gastrointestinal spasms, inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Treatment of such a wide range of ailments, including preparations based on valerian, is effective due to its calming and analgesic, hypnotic and choleretic effects.

Valerian, widely known among the people, reduces the excitability of the central nervous system, improves the condition of the cardiovascular and peripheral nervous systems, and has a carminative and antispasmodic effect. In addition, (rhizomes with roots for which serve as plant raw materials) has quite powerful antiviral properties.

Dosage forms of produced herbal raw materials

On the shelves of pharmacies today you can find alcoholic tincture of valerian in bottles (25 ml), tablets with “cat grass” extract or dried roots of the medicinal plant.

Domestic manufacturers grind them in the form of small pieces or to a powder state, and then pack the resulting raw materials in cardboard packs of 30-100 g or in filter bags of 1.5 g, which are sold in boxes of the manufacturer of 10 or 20 pieces. Foreign pharmaceutical companies supply the market with capsules with freeze-dried valerian powder (rhizomes with roots), instructions for which are included in Russian.

Customers leave positive reviews of these imported analogues on the Internet, but warn that the price of an American drug from the Eclectic Institute (90 capsules) can be about 600 rubles, and a dietary supplement with valerian root from NOW Foods (USA) - 800 rubles for 250 capsules. Domestic medicines based on valerian root are significantly better in price, but at the same time they are not inferior in quality to foreign analogues.

Calming tablets "Valerian"

Rhizomes, the roots of which can be used to prepare decoctions and tinctures, serve as raw materials for home remedies. They are difficult to use for super-busy people who feel uncomfortable preparing and taking liquid medications at work or an event, on a business trip or on a tourist trip. It is much more convenient to purchase inexpensive ones at the pharmacy in the form of film-coated tablets and packaged in 50 pieces in a blister. Their dosage, regardless of the manufacturer, is 20 mg per 1 tablet. A sedative and antispasmodic drug is available without a prescription. It should be taken after meals, one or two tablets, no more than three times a day.

The indications and contraindications for this form of the medicinal product with valerian extract (the rhizomes and roots of which are the raw material for the pharmaceutical product) are the same as for tinctures, decoctions and other types of remedies from the medicinal plant. Tablets with an extract from the “cat root” will help calm people with increased nervous excitability and problems falling asleep (insomnia). They are often prescribed in complex therapy for malfunctions of the cardiovascular system or for spasms of various organs of the gastrointestinal tract.

Contraindications and restrictions

Tablets are prohibited for people suffering from hypersensitivity to the drug, children under 12 years of age, as well as pregnant women in the first trimester. The sedative effect of the drug should also be taken into account when taken by people whose professional activities involve increased concentration (driving a car, working with machinery, etc.).

In these cases, you need to limit your intake of valerian extract by consuming it at night. For people with high sensitivity of the nervous system to valerian, it is necessary to select the dose of the drug individually or even eliminate its use. Patients suffering from cholelithiasis and pregnant women (in the first trimester) should not use products based on “cat root”. If the infusion of valerian root is taken for a long time, drowsiness, depression, constipation, allergic reactions and deterioration in performance may occur. The same side effects occur with an overdose of the drug. Children under one year of age cannot use valerian root in treatment. Pregnant women in the second and third trimesters, as well as during the lactation period, can only recommend the drug for use by a doctor who will monitor the process.

Alcohol tincture of valerian

This pharmaceutical preparation is an extract of valerian roots, prepared in a ratio of 1 to 5 and filled with alcohol with a strength of 70%. It is prescribed for oral administration as a sedative (for adults - 15-30 drops after meals, but not more than three times a day).

Homemade alcoholic tinctures of valerian can be used for menopause, painful menstruation or as a sedative, but experts recommend paying special attention to the quality of alcohol or vodka with which valerian roots are poured and their dosage (5 tablespoons of crushed cat grass roots pour 500 ml of alcohol , leave for 14-15 days). The tincture is drunk 20-30 drops (3 times a day) for 30 days, and then you need to take a two-week break if you need a second course of treatment.

Flower formula

Valerian officinalis flower formula: *H0-∞L(5)T3P(3).

In medicine

Rhizomes with valerian roots are used for chronic functional disorders of the central nervous system; with nervous excitement, neuroses of the cardiovascular system, hysteria, acute agitation due to mental trauma, with migraines, insomnia, with angina pectoris, pain in the heart, epilepsy (in combination with other medications), with stage I hypertension, extrasystole, paroxysmal tachycardia, acute myocarditis, with menopausal disorders; also for stomach neuroses, disorders of the secretory function of the glandular apparatus of the gastrointestinal tract, spasm of the esophagus, diseases of the liver and biliary tract in complex therapy.

In dermatology, valerian preparations are used for atopic dermatitis, true and microbial eczema, erythroderma, pruritus, psoriasis, and urticaria.

Rhizomes and roots of valerian are included in preparations, teas, and dietary supplements.

For children

In pediatric dermatological practice, in the presence of atopic dermatitis, ointment dosage forms based on valerian are prescribed.

Crushed rhizomes and roots of valerian in the form of an infusion are approved for use by children from 3 years of age.

In homeopathy

Homeopathic remedies from dry valerian roots are used for increased irritability, heart neuroses, headaches, insomnia, menopausal disorders and flatulence.

Classification

Valerian officinalis (lat. Valeriana officinalis L. s. l.) belongs to the valerian family (lat. Valerianaceae). The Valerian family includes 13 genera, over 400 species. The genus Valerian (lat. Valeriana) includes about 200 species growing in temperate and cold regions of Eurasia, North and South Africa.

Botanical description

Valerian officinalis is a perennial herbaceous plant 60-150 cm high. Valerian has a short vertical rhizome up to 1.5 cm long with numerous brown-yellow adventitious roots densely located on it. The rhizome and roots have a strong specific odor. The stem is erect, grooved, hollow inside, branched in the inflorescence. In the first year of life, the leaves are rosette petiolate. The leaves of the second year of life are odd-pinnate, opposite, lanceolate, coarsely toothed; the basal ones are petiolate, the upper ones are sessile. The flowers are small, pale pink, pale purple or white, collected in corymbose inflorescences. Valerian officinalis flower formula: *H0-∞L(5)T3P(3). The fruit is a ribbed, oblong, ovoid flying achene with a tuft 2.5-4.5 mm long. The plant blooms from the second year of life from June to August.

Spreading

Valerian officinalis grows in floodplains, in damp, swampy meadows, among bushes, in ravines, and along the edges of swamps. Distributed throughout almost the entire territory of the CIS, from the south of the Arctic region and throughout the forest and forest-steppe zones of the European part. It grows in the Far East, in Eastern and Western Siberia south of 70ºN latitude. In the wild it rarely forms more than a thicket. Valerian is cultivated in Russia.

Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.

Procurement of raw materials

Valerian rhizomes and roots (Valerianae rhizomata cum radicibus) are used as medicinal raw materials. Rhizomes and roots are collected in the fall (after the seeds fall in September and October) or early spring. The dug up rhizomes with roots, separated from the stem, are cleared of soil and quickly washed in cold water (you cannot keep them in water for a long time, because the roots lose their active substances). Next, the raw materials are dried for 1-2 days and dried at a temperature not exceeding 36-40ºС.

Chemical composition

Rhizomes and roots of valerian contain essential oil (up to 2%), consisting of bornyl isovalerate (the main part), valeric and isovaleric acid, camphene, terpineol, pinene, borneol, etc.; more than 10 alkaloids (valerine, actinidin hatinin, etc.); sugars, tannins, saponins, glycoside valeride, enzymes and organic acids: malic, acetic, formic, palmitic, stearic. Valepotriates have also been isolated from the underground organs of valerian: valtrate, homovaltrate, dihydrovaltrate, acetoxyvaltrate, homo-acetoxyvaltrate, homodihydrovaltrate, valerosidate, deoxydihydrovaltrate, valtrahydrin; macro- and microelements.

Pharmacological properties

Valerian has a multifaceted effect on the body. It exhibits a moderately pronounced sedative effect, depresses the central nervous system, reduces its excitability, and has antispasmodic properties (reduces spasms of smooth muscle organs). Valerian also enhances the secretion of the glandular apparatus of the gastrointestinal tract and bile secretion.

Through the central nervous system, valerian preparations regulate the activity of the heart, and also directly affect the muscle and conduction system of the heart. Valerian essential oil reduces arousal caused by caffeine, prolongs the effect of sleeping pills, increases the functional mobility of the cerebral cortex, and has an inhibitory effect on the medulla oblongata and midbrain systems. Borneol essential oil, acting on the blood vessels of the heart, improves coronary circulation.

Valerian preparations reduce reflex excitability in the central parts of the nervous system and enhance inhibitory processes in the neurons of the brain, and also prolong sleep caused by various hypnotic compounds, have coronary dilator and hypotensive properties, and have a noticeable anticonvulsant effect in relation to the convulsive effects of analeptics. The calming effect of valerian manifests itself slowly, but quite steadily. The effectiveness of valerian is higher with systematic and long-term use due to the slow development of the therapeutic effect.

Valerian officinalis has long been widely used in medical practice, both in the form of individual herbal dosage forms and as part of multicomponent infusions, tinctures, drops and other complex remedies that soothe and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

However, you should not abuse valerian, because... Its continued use over a long period of time can cause disruption of the gastrointestinal tract (constipation).

Use in folk medicine

Already in Ancient Greece it was known about the influence of valerian on higher nervous activity. During the time of Hippocrates (V-IV centuries BC), the plant was used in the treatment of female diseases. Dioscorides considered valerian a remedy capable of “controlling” thoughts. Pliny classified it as a means of stimulating thought. In the Middle Ages, it was spoken of as a medicine that brings complacency, harmony and tranquility.

They have long known about medicinal valerian in Russia. It is mentioned in an old Russian handwritten herbal book from 1614, which talks about the healing properties of the rhizome and roots and the uselessness of the above-ground part of the plant. The “Uvarovsky” handwritten herbal book talks about preserving the medicinal properties of valerian for 3 years. Under Peter I, the industrial collection of plants for hospitals began.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, numerous works were devoted to experimental and clinical research of valerian. But even now it attracts the attention of researchers.

In folk medicine, valerian is used mainly as a sedative for mild heart ailments and stomach diseases, and also as a remedy for menopausal disorders. Valerian root is used to prepare an infusion used for insomnia, hypertension, headaches, asthma, convulsions, spasms, and hysteria.

Literature

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9. Lesiovskaya E.E., Pastushenkov L.V. "Pharmacotherapy with the basics of herbal medicine." Study guide. – M.: GEOTAR-MED, 2003.

10. Medicinal plants: Reference manual. / N.I. Grinkevich, I.A. Balandina, V.A. Ermakova and others; Ed. N.I. Grinkevich - M.: Higher School, 1991. - 398 p.

11. Plants for us. Reference manual / Ed. G.P. Yakovleva, K.F. Blinova. – Publishing house “Educational Book”, 1996. – 654 p.

12. Medicinal plant raw materials. Pharmacognosy: Textbook. allowance / Ed. G.P. Yakovlev and K.F. Blinova. – St. Petersburg: SpetsLit, 2004. – 765 p.

13. Forest cosmetics: Reference manual / L. M. Molodozhnikova, O. S. Rozhdestvenskaya, V. F. Sotnik. – M.: Ecology, 1991. – 336 p.

14. Healthy skin and herbal remedies / Author: I. Pustyrsky, V. Prokhorov. – M. Machaon; Mn.: Book House, 2001. – 192 p.

15. Nosov A. M. Medicinal plants. – M.: EKSMO-Press, 2000. – 350 p.

16. Herbal medicine for allergic skin diseases / V.F. Korsun, A.A. Kubanova, S. Ya. Sokolov and others - Mn.: "Polymya", 1998. - 426 p.

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Rice. 5.18. Valerian officinalis – Valeriana officinalis L.

Rhizomes with valerian roots- rhizomata cum radicibus valerianae
Fresh rhizomes with valerian roots- rhizomata cum radicibus valerianae recentia
Valerian officinalis herb- herba valerianae officinalis
— Valeriana officinalis L.
Sem. valerian-Valeriaceae
Other names: pharmaceutical maun, cat root, magpie grass, shake grass, maun, meun

perennial herbaceous plant height from 50 cm to 2 m. In the first year of life, only a rosette of basal leaves is formed, in the second - flowering shoots.
The rhizome is short, cone-shaped, vertical, with numerous thin cord-like roots.
Stems erect, hollow inside, ribbed, pale purple in color at the bottom.
Leaves unpaired-pinnately dissected, lower ones petiolate, upper ones sessile. In the upper part the stem is branched and bears corymbose-paniculate inflorescences.
Flowers small, corolla white, pink or purple, funnel-shaped. There are three stamens, one pistil with a lower ovary.
Fetus- brown achene with a tuft (Fig. 5.18).
Blooms from late May to August, the fruits ripen in July - September.

Composition of valerian

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Chemical composition of valerian

About 100 individual substances were found in valerian raw materials.

Rhizomes with roots contain from 0.5 to 2.4% essential oil, the main part of which is bornyl isovalerate,

and also present

free isovaleric acid and borneol,
bicyclic monoterpenoids (camphene, pinene, terpineol),
sesquiterpenoids (valerianal, valerenone, valerenic acid),
free valeric acid.

The raw materials also contain

iridoids - valepotriates (0.8-2.5%),
tannins,
triterpene saponins,
organic acids,
alkaloids,
free amines.

Properties and uses of valerian

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Pharmacotherapeutic group. Sedative.

Pharmacological properties of valerian

Valerian has a multifaceted effect on the body:

depresses the central nervous system, reduces its excitability;
reduces spasms of smooth muscle organs.
Valerian essential oil relieves cramps;
valerian reduces agitation,
prolongs the effect of sleeping pills,
has an inhibitory effect on the medulla oblongata and midbrain systems,
increases the functional mobility of cortical processes.
regulates the activity of the heart, acting indirectly through the central nervous system and directly on the muscle and conduction system of the heart,
improves coronary circulation due to the direct effect of borneol on the blood vessels of the heart.
enhances the secretion of the glandular apparatus of the gastrointestinal tract,
increases bile secretion.

Valerian serves as an example when a total extract from a plant provides a therapeutic effect, while isolated substances do not have a corresponding effect.

Uses of valerian

Valerian officinalis is used for various indications:

as a sedative for chronic functional disorders of the central nervous system,
for neuroses, hysteria and other neurotic conditions;
for epilepsy along with other therapeutic measures, insomnia, migraine;
for heart neuroses and chronic coronary circulation disorders;
for hypertension;
to reduce the excitability of the cerebral cortex and reduce vegetative-vascular disorders;
with tachycardia caused by a neurotic state.

Valerian preparations are used

for stomach neuroses accompanied by spastic pain, constipation and flatulence,
in case of violations of the secretory function of the glandular apparatus of the gastrointestinal tract;
diseases of the liver and biliary tract in complex therapy;
with thyrotoxicosis with painful subjective symptoms (feeling of heat, palpitations, etc.);
for menopausal disorders and a number of other diseases accompanied by sleep disturbances and increased irritability.

Valerian is more effective with systematic and long-term use due to the slow development of the therapeutic effect.

Valerian infusion is used in the complex treatment of obesity as an anorexigenic agent. By suppressing the hypothalamic appetite centers, valerian reduces the feeling of hunger, suppresses appetite, and helps withstand food restriction.

As a rule, valerian preparations are well tolerated, but in some patients with hypertension they have the opposite stimulating effect, disrupt sleep, and cause difficult dreams.

Uses of Valerian Herb

A hydroalcoholic extract used in the production of soft drinks is obtained from the valerian herb.

Spreading

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Spreading. Almost all over Russia. It does not form thickets suitable for harvesting, so it is cultivated in the middle zone on many specialized farms. The plantations produce the best quality raw materials. The rhizomes of cultivated plants are twice as large.

Habitat. It grows in a variety of environmental conditions: in grass and peat bogs, lowlands, swampy, sometimes saline meadows, along the banks of rivers and lakes, in thickets of bushes, in forest clearings and edges. In the northern regions, valerian has thinner roots, in the southern regions the rhizomes and roots are larger. Cultivated on fertile, moist soils.

Procurement and storage of raw materials

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Rhizome with valerian roots

Preparation. Harvesting rhizomes with valerian roots should be carried out in late autumn (late September - mid-October), when the growth of the root mass is completed. Harvesting in early spring before the start of the growing season is allowed, but this reduces the quality and yield of raw materials by almost half. Harvesting of raw materials on farms is carried out using a special combine or potato diggers. Rhizomes with roots are cleaned of the remains of aerial parts and soil, thick rhizomes are cut lengthwise, quickly washed with water (no more than 20 minutes) and dried with active ventilation, spread out in a layer of 3-5 cm.

Security measures. When harvesting wild-growing raw materials, after digging up the underground parts, the seeds from the plant are shaken off into the same hole where the roots were and covered with earth; in addition, all small plants and some large ones are left at the collection site for the renewal of thickets. Stems with seeds are trimmed without damaging the rhizomes.

When harvesting, similar plants are sometimes collected. All impurities are easily recognized by the absence of a “valerian” smell in dry raw materials.

Drying. Dried rhizomes with roots are dried in dryers at a temperature not exceeding 35 °C. Dried roots should break, but not bend.

Standardization. GF XI, issue. 2, art. 77; Change No. 3 dated March 11, 1997; Change No. 5 dated 10.27.99.

Storage. According to the rules for storing essential oil raw materials, packed in bags and bales, in a cool, dry place. The shelf life of dried raw materials is 3 years. Freshly collected raw materials must be processed within 3 days in pharmaceutical factories.

Valerian herb

Blank. The grass is mowed during the period of budding and flowering or before harvesting rhizomes with roots, cut into pieces up to 20 cm long and dried. Drying in air-shade or in dryers at a temperature not exceeding 40 ºС. Used as a raw material to obtain aqueous-alcoholic extract.

Standardization. TU 64-4-44-83 and Change No. 1 dated 04/10/88.

Storage. The shelf life of dried raw materials is 2 years from the date of procurement.

External signs of raw materials

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Rhizomes with valerian roots

Cspruce raw materials

Whole or cut along rhizomes up to 4 cm long, up to 3 cm thick, with a loose core, often hollow, with transverse partitions. Numerous thin adventitious roots, sometimes underground shoots - stolons, extend from the rhizome on all sides.
Roots often separated from the rhizome; they are smooth, brittle, of varying lengths, up to 3 mm thick.
Color The rhizomes and roots are yellowish-brown on the outside, yellowish to brown at the fracture.
Smell strong, aromatic.
Taste

Crushed raw materials

Pieces of roots and rhizomes of various shapes, light brown in color, passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm. Smell strong, aromatic. Taste spicy, bittersweet.

Powder grayish-brown color, passing through a sieve with holes measuring 0.2 mm. The smell is strong, aromatic. The taste is spicy, sweetish-bitter.

Valerian herb

External signs

The raw materials are leafy stems with corymbose-paniculate inflorescences up to 20 cm long and individual leaves, mostly crushed.
Stems cylindrical, ribbed, hollow, with opposite unpaired pinnately dissected leaves with 6-8 pairs of segments, slightly pubescent; The lower leaves are petiolate, the upper ones are sessile. Leaf segments are linear-lanceolate to ovate, entire or serrated.
whisk funnel-shaped, flowers are pale pink, small, collected in a corymbose-paniculate inflorescence.
Color leaves from green to greenish-brown, stems from brownish-green to brown.
Smell weak.

Microscopy of raw materials

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Whole, crushed raw materials

On a cross section of the root the epidermis (rhizoderm) is visible, the cells of which are often elongated into long hairs or papillae.
Hypodermal cells larger ones, often with drops of essential oil.
Bark wide, consists of homogeneous round parenchyma cells filled with starch grains, simple and 2-5-complex, 3-9 (less often up to 20) microns in size.
Endoderm consists of cells with thickened radial walls.
Young roots have a primary structure.
Old roots in the basal part they have a secondary structure with radiate wood (xylem) (Fig. 5.19).

Rice. 5.19. Microscopy of valerian root

Rice. 5.19. Microscopy of valerian root:

A – root with a diameter of 1–2 mm;
B – root with a diameter of 2–3 mm;
B – root with a diameter of 4 mm:
1 – epidermis and hypodermis;
2 – bark;
3 – xylem;
4 – phloem;
5 – endoderm;
6 – cambium;
D – fragment of a cross section of the root:
1 – epidermis; 2 – hypodermis; 3 – cortex cells with starch; 4 – endoderm; 5 – pericycle; 6 – phloem; 7 – xylem.

Powder

Visible under a microscope

scraps of parenchyma with simple and 2-5-complex starch grains,
fragments of blood vessels,
scraps of covering tissue,
individual starch grains,
occasionally stony cells.

Numerical indicators of raw materials

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Numerical indicators of rhizomes with valerian roots

Whole raw materials

Extractive substances extracted with 70% alcohol, no less than 25%; the amount of valepotriate in terms of valtrate is not less than 1.4%; esters in terms of ethyl ester of valerenic acid not less than 2%; humidity no more than 15%; total ash no more than 14%; ash, insoluble in a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid, no more than 10%; other parts of valerian (remains of stems and leaves, including those separated during analysis), as well as old dead rhizomes no more than 5%; organic impurity no more than 2%; mineral impurity no more than 3%.

Crushed raw materials

Extractive substances extracted with 70% alcohol, no less than 25%; humidity no more than 15%; total ash no more than 13%; ash, insoluble in a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid, no more than 10%; other parts of valerian (remnants of stems and leaves), as well as old dead rhizomes no more than 5%; particles that do not pass through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm, no more than 10%; particles passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 0.5 mm, no more than 10%; organic impurity no more than 2%; mineral impurity no more than 1%.

Powder

Extractive substances extracted with 70% alcohol, no less than 25%; humidity no more than 10%; total ash no more than 13%; ash, insoluble in a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid, no more than 10%; particles that do not pass through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 0.2 mm, no more than 1%.

Numerical indicators of Valerian herb

Medicines based on valerian

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Medicines.

Valerian rhizomes with roots, crushed raw materials. Sedative (calming) agent.
As part of the collection (carminative; sedatives No. 1-3; gastric No. 3; collection for the preparation of medicine according to the prescription of M.N. Zdrenko).
Valerian tincture (tincture (1:5) in 70% ethanol). Obtained from fresh raw materials. Sedative, antispasmodic.
Valerian extract is thick (p.o. tablets, 0.02 g each). Sedative, antispasmodic.
Valerian extract liquid. Sedative, antispasmodic.
Valerian tincture and extract are included in complex medicines (Cardiovalen, Valokormid, Valosedan, Novo-Passit, Persen, Nervoflux, etc.).

RHIZOMATA CUM RADICIBUS VALERIANAE

Valerian officinalis - Valeriana officinalis l. Sem. Valerian - Valerianaceae Other names: maun pharmaceutical, cat root, magpie grass, shake grass, maun, meun

Preparation. Wild-growing raw materials are harvested in the fall during the fruiting phase. Dig with shovels or hoes. The raw materials are shaken off the ground, washed in running water in wicker baskets or root washers, dried, then dried and fermented, folded in a 15 cm layer for 2-3 days, after which it darkens and the characteristic valerian smell intensifies. Harvesting of collective and state farm fields is done by mechanization. A special harvester is used, and the soil is shaken off from the roots. State farms use new designs of washing installations “Mechanized unloading and loading of underground organs.”

Drying. The dried roots are dried in dryers at a temperature not exceeding 35°C. Impurities are screened out on metal meshes. Dried roots should break, but not bend. The yield of dry raw materials is 25%. The authenticity of the raw material is determined by external signs and microscopically, by the presence of drops of essential oil located in the hypodermis.

External signs. According to the State Fund XI and GOST, both dried and freshly harvested raw materials (rhizomes with fresh valerian roots - Rhizomata cum radicibus Valerianae recens) are allowed for consumption. Dry raw materials are regulated by State Fund XI and GOST. The rhizome is vertical, short, slightly conical, thick, up to 4 cm long, 0.5-3 cm thick, with a loose core or hollow with transverse partitions. The fracture is granular, weakly fibrous. The roots are numerous, up to 40 cm or more in length. The color of the raw material is yellowish-brown. The smell is strong and specific. The taste is spicy-bitter. The quality of raw materials is deteriorated by impurities from stems, other parts of the plant, and sand.

Possible impurities. When harvesting, similar plants are sometimes collected. All impurities are easily recognized by the absence of valerian odor in dry raw materials.