1486

 Valeriana officinalis L.

Synonym	:	Valeriana alternifolia Bunge
Family	:	Caprifoliaceae
Local name	:	English- Cat’s Valerian
Flowering and fruiting period	:	May to August.
Distribution	:	throughout Europe
Distribution in Kerala	:	West and central Asia, Siberia, Manchuria and Japan.
Habitat	:	banks of streams and rivers, in ditches or on damp pastures, but it is also to be found on elevated ground in mountainous areas
Uses	:	Leaves are aromatic when bruised. Strong-smelling roots yield the drug valerian which has been used for many years in herbal medicines for treating a large number of problems including anxiety, restlessness and insomnia. Extracts have also been used in perfumes, herbal teas and for flavoring in a variety of food products. Plants are cultivated in Europe today for producing an over-the-counter tranquilizer.Grown for ornamental and/or herbal purposes. Cottage gardens, borders, herb gardens, cutting gardens or naturalized areas. Good cut flower.
Key botanical characters: Valerian is a perennial plant with an extremely varied morphology. It comprises a sturdy rhizome with many secondary roots and short runners. In spring the plant develops a basal rosette with pinnate leaves. From around the second year of growth the plant sends up a rotund, furrowed, hollow flowering stem which grows to a height of between 80 and 120 cm and branches out at the top. The lance-like pinnate leaves issue forth from either 9 to 21 finely serrated leaflets, or from a single pinnate. The leaves are pale green on the upper surface and darker underneath; they are attached in pairs to either side of the stem. The stems terminate in umbels bearing many branches and tiny white and pale pink flowers. The fresh plant is odourless. The typical valerian smell can only be detected faintly emanating from the fresh root and its intensity increases only once the plant has been dried. This odour attracts cats and it has a curiously intoxicating effect on them.