Valerian
HerbalAlso called · 4 names▾▴
Valeriana officinalis, all-heal, garden heliotrope, valerian root
Herbal supplement (sleep and anxiety)
Herbs and supplements are not FDA-approved before sale. About these sources
- Other
Research strength: 3 / 5
NCCIH says little is known about valerian use during pregnancy, and EMA advises against its valerian-root medicines during pregnancy, citing insufficient data in its final monograph. A Swedish registry included 860,215 women, with 787 reporting herbal-medicine use early in pregnancy; valerian was among the commonly used products, and the study found no significant differences in infant outcomes across the combined herbal-user group. The abstract does not give the valerian-specific user count or separate outcomes for valerian, and the authors said rare effects could not be ruled out. A 2015 survey also listed valerian among herbs used during pregnancy but, like the Swedish abstract, gave no separate valerian outcomes. The available evidence cannot establish valerian's effect in the first trimester. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Sources
- NCCIH: Valerian: Usefulness and SafetyUS government
- European Medicines Agency: Valerianae radix - herbal medicinal productEU agencyEuropean guidance
- EMA: Final EU herbal monograph on Valeriana officinalis L., radixEU agencyEuropean guidance
- Holst et al., Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety 2008US government
- Trabace et al., Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2015US government
Research strength: 2 / 5
According to NCCIH, little is known about valerian use during pregnancy, and EMA advises against its valerian-root medicines during pregnancy, citing insufficient data in its final monograph. Holst et al. studied early-pregnancy herbal use, not second-trimester valerian-specific outcomes. A 2015 study included valerian among herbs used throughout pregnancy, but did not report separate outcomes by herb or trimester. The available evidence cannot establish valerian's effects during the second trimester. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Research strength: 2 / 5
According to NCCIH, little is known about valerian use during pregnancy, and EMA advises against its valerian-root medicines during pregnancy, citing insufficient data in its final monograph. Holst et al. studied early-pregnancy herbal use, not third-trimester valerian-specific outcomes. A 2015 study included valerian among herbs used throughout pregnancy, but did not report separate outcomes by herb or trimester. The available evidence cannot establish valerian's effects during the third trimester. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Valerian — Breastfeeding
Research strength: 1 / 5
LactMed reports no published data on valerian in nursing mothers or infants and says an alternate therapy may be preferred, especially for a newborn or preterm infant. LactMed bases its caution partly on laboratory findings about certain valerian compounds, not on observed effects in nursing infants. A separate placental-cell study found no DNA-damage effects with one valerian extract at concentrations up to 30 micrograms per milliliter, but it did not study breast milk or babies. EMA says not to use its valerian-root medicines while breastfeeding, and NHS SPS says herbal products are avoided because transfer data are limited. Human evidence is insufficient to assess infant effects through milk. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-16
Sources
- LactMed: ValerianUS government
- NCCIH: Valerian: Usefulness and SafetyUS government
- European Medicines Agency: Valerianae radix - herbal medicinal productEU agencyEuropean guidance
- NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service: Managing complementary products and conventional medicinesUK government
- Spiess et al., Planta Medica 2021US government
Pregnancy
Human pregnancy evidence comes from observational studies of mixed herbal products, not controlled valerian-only studies. In Holst et al. (2008), 787 of 860,215 women in the Swedish birth register reported herbal-drug use early in pregnancy; valerian was among the most frequently used products. The abstract reports no significant influence on infant characteristics across the herbal-drug group, but does not give the number of valerian users or separate outcomes for valerian; the authors said low exposure numbers could not rule out rare outcomes. Cuzzolin et al. (2010) interviewed 392 pregnant women, including 109 users of one or more herbal products; valerian was among the frequently used herbs, but the abstract does not report valerian-specific outcomes. Trabace et al. (2015) interviewed 600 women shortly after birth, 486 of whom reported use of at least one herbal product during pregnancy; valerian was among common products, but the abstract reports outcome findings for other herbs rather than valerian. Spiess et al. (2021) tested plant extracts in placental cells and found no DNA-damage effects in the tested range up to 30 micrograms per milliliter; this was not a pregnancy outcome study. Spiess et al. (2023) used term placental perfusion and a cell model; valerenic acid equilibrated between maternal and fetal compartments in perfusion, while the cell model suggested it did not cross. Bao et al. (2024) reported no significant embryo changes in rats given aqueous valerian-root extract at doses of 0, 3.5, 7, or 14 g/kg body weight; animal findings do not establish human effects.
Breastfeeding
LactMed's May 17, 2021 summary reports no data on maternal levels, infant levels, effects in breastfed infants, or effects on milk. It says an alternate therapy may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant, and describes a theoretical concern based on laboratory tests of valerian compounds. The 2021 placental-cell study found no DNA-damage effects for one tested extract up to 30 micrograms per milliliter; the study extract did not contain valepotriates and the experiment did not test breast milk or infants. NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service says herbal products are avoided during breastfeeding because information on transfer into milk is insufficient. No human milk-level or infant-outcome study of valerian was found in the reviewed public sources.
Valerian is Valeriana officinalis. NCCIH says the roots and rhizomes, or underground stems, are used medicinally. EMA describes valerian-root medicines made from dried root, fresh-root juice, or dry and liquid extracts; its monograph covers licensed herbal medicines, not food supplements. NCCIH notes that dietary supplements are not approved by FDA before sale. These sources cover different product categories, so evidence for one root extract may not apply to every supplement.
What was tested
The human pregnancy evidence reviewed consists of a Swedish birth-register study and Italian interview studies of herbal-product use; the available abstracts do not provide valerian-specific outcome estimates. Other evidence includes placental-cell experiments, ex-vivo term-placenta perfusion, a placental-cell transport model, and a rat reproductive study. No human valerian milk-level or infant-outcome data were identified in the public sources reviewed.
How laboratory findings on valerian compounds relate to breastfeeding concerns
- Source A says
- LactMed reports that valerian is often not recommended during lactation because valepotriates and baldrinals have shown cell-damaging and mutation-related effects in laboratory testing. (LactMed: Valerian)
- Source B says
- Spiess et al. (2021) found no DNA-damage effects in placental cells with one tested valerian extract at concentrations up to 30 micrograms per milliliter; the extract did not contain valepotriates. (Spiess et al., Planta Medica 2021: Medicinal Plants for the Treatment of Mental Diseases in Pregnancy)
- Why they differ
- The studies tested different preparations and compounds. The 2021 extract lacked valepotriates and used a placental-cell model, not breast milk or infants. These laboratory results cannot establish an effect in a nursing infant.
- Other sources
- EMA says its valerian-root medicines should not be used while breastfeeding. NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service says herbal products are avoided because information on transfer into milk is insufficient. (European Medicines Agency: Valerianae radix - herbal medicinal product, NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service: Managing complementary products and conventional medicines)
- What the evidence shows overall
- The laboratory tests are not directly comparable, and neither supplies human breastfeeding outcomes. EMA, LactMed, and NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service all describe uncertainty or caution; human evidence remains insufficient to assess effects through milk.
How strong is the evidence that valerian helps sleep or nervous tension?
- Source A says
- NCCIH says sleep findings are inconsistent and reports insufficient evidence to determine whether valerian is useful for any health condition. (NCCIH: Valerian: Usefulness and Safety)
- Source B says
- EMA says clinical studies support one specific ethanolic dry root extract for mild nervous tension and sleep disorders; other root preparations rely on traditional-use evidence. (European Medicines Agency: Valerianae radix - herbal medicinal product)
- Why they differ
- The sources discuss different product scopes. EMA's statement is about a specific EU-authorized medicine and distinguishes it from other preparations; NCCIH summarizes the broader research across promoted uses and products.
- What the evidence shows overall
- The EMA statement applies to the named type of medicine, not every valerian supplement. NCCIH describes mixed or insufficient evidence across broader uses, so conclusions should stay specific to the preparation and use being discussed.
- EMA says its valerian-root medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. (European Medicines Agency)
- NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service says herbal products should be avoided during pregnancy unless benefits outweigh risks and avoided during breastfeeding because information on transfer into milk is insufficient. (NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service)
- NCCIH advises people who take medicines to talk with a health care provider before using valerian or other herbal products because herbs and medicines may interact. (NCCIH)
- The NHS says to check with a pharmacist before taking an herbal medicine if you already take another medicine. (NHS)
General research, not specific to pregnancy.
NCCIH says evidence for valerian's effects on sleep is inconsistent. EMA describes clinical support for one specific root extract used for mild nervous tension and sleep problems, while other root preparations rely on traditional use.
- Evidence summaries differ: NCCIH says sleep findings are inconsistent and other promoted uses lack enough evidence; EMA says clinical studies support one specific ethanolic dry root extract for mild nervous tension and sleep problems, while other preparations rely on traditional use. (NCCIH: Valerian: Usefulness and Safety, European Medicines Agency: Valerianae radix - herbal medicinal product)
- NCCIH lists stomach upset among reported side effects, and EMA also lists nausea and abdominal cramps for its licensed valerian-root medicines. (NCCIH: Valerian: Usefulness and Safety, European Medicines Agency: Valerianae radix - herbal medicinal product)
- NCCIH: Valerian: Usefulness and SafetyUS governmentSecondary
- LactMed: ValerianUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2021-05-17
- European Medicines Agency: Valerianae radix - herbal medicinal productEU agencySecondaryPage dated 2026-03-11Independent checkEuropean guidance
- EMA: Final EU herbal monograph on Valeriana officinalis L., radixEU agencySecondaryPage dated 2016-02-02Independent checkEuropean guidance
- NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service: Managing complementary products and conventional medicinesUK governmentSecondaryPage dated 2026-07-16Independent check
- NHS: Herbal medicines and complementary therapiesUK governmentSecondaryPage dated 2026-05-01Independent check
- Holst et al., Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety 2008: Use of herbal drugs during early pregnancy in relation to maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcomeUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Cuzzolin et al., Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety 2010: Use of herbal products among 392 Italian pregnant womenUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Trabace et al., Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2015: Natural relief of pregnancy-related symptoms and neonatal outcomesUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Spiess et al., Planta Medica 2021: Medicinal Plants for the Treatment of Mental Diseases in PregnancyUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Spiess et al., Frontiers in Pharmacology 2023: Transplacental passage of hyperforin, hypericin, and valerenic acidUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
- Bao et al., Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2024: Safety evaluation of aqueous extract from Valeriana officinalis L. rootsUS governmentPrimaryIndependent check
Last reviewed 2026-10-16
Independent check 2026-10-16
Not yet clinician-reviewed
Ask your provider about your situation.