Plant Overview
A British native and a powerful herb which has had centuries of use in inducing sleep and calming nerves.
The dried, ground roots are used as a herbal tea.
Pale pink flowers in summer.
Will grow in most soil types. Very good drought tolerance.
Height: 1.2m
Myth and Legend:
John Gerard's Herball states that his contemporaries found Valerian "excellent for those burdened and for such as be troubled with croup and other like convulsions, and also for those that are bruised with falls." He says that the dried root was valued as a medicine by the poor in the north of England and the south of Scotland, so that "no broth or pottage or physicall meats be worth anything if Setewale [Valerian] be not there."
Common name(s): Valerian, Drunken Slots, Heal-all, Garden Heliotrope, St George's Herb, Cut-finger, Cut-heal
Picture: AnRo0002 [CC0]
