- Valerian tea is a root infusion of Valeriana officinalis. The EU herbal monograph lists 0.3 to 3 g of cut root in 150 ml of boiling water, up to three times a day, as a traditional aid to sleep and mild stress.
- The evidence is weaker than its reputation. A 2024 umbrella review found no evidence that valerian works for insomnia, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advised against it for chronic insomnia in 2017.
- Most trials tested extracts, capsules or valerian mixed with hops or lemon balm. Almost none tested a plain cup of tea, so any single-cup benefit is unproven.
- Side effects are usually mild: stomach upset, headache, vivid dreams and next-morning dullness. Do not drive after a dose, do not combine it with alcohol or sedatives, and do not give it to children under 12.
- Take it 30 to 60 minutes before bed. Expect an earthy, pungent smell. That smell comes from the root’s volatile oils and does not mean the tea has gone bad.
What Valerian Tea Is, and Why It Smells Like That
Valerian tea is made from the dried root and rhizome of Valeriana officinalis, a tall perennial with pale pink flower heads. It is native to Europe and parts of Asia. Chamomile, lemon balm and linden are all flowers or leaves. Valerian is the only root in the classic bedtime-tisane set, so it brews differently, tastes different and has its own research record.
The first thing most people notice is the smell. It is earthy and musky, and many describe it as old socks. According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, the smell comes from the root’s volatile oils. That is why commercial sleep blends often pair valerian with mint, lemon balm or lavender. Cats notice it too. In a 2017 study in BMC Veterinary Research, 47 percent of 100 domestic cats reacted to valerian root, compared with 68 percent for catnip.
The ODS fact sheet notes that Galen prescribed valerian for insomnia in the 2nd century. There is still no scientific agreement on which compounds do the work. Valerenic acid and the valepotriates are the usual candidates, and that uncertainty explains much of the messy evidence below.
Like every herbal infusion covered in our guide to tisanes, valerian tea does not come from the Camellia sinensis tea plant. It contains no caffeine, which is part of why people drink it at night. Our caffeine in tea guide compares it with real teas.
What the EU Monograph Actually Allows
Europe gives valerian a firmer official position than most sleep herbs. The European Union herbal monograph on valerian root (EMA/HMPC/150848/2015, adopted 2 February 2016) has two separate columns, and the difference between them is the most important fact in this guide.
The well-established use column is the stronger category, based on published clinical data. It covers only one kind of product: a dry extract made with 40 to 70 percent ethanol at a drug-to-extract ratio of 3 to 7.4:1, taken as 400 to 600 mg per dose for the relief of mild nervous tension and sleep disturbances. The monograph says the best effect is reached after 2 to 4 weeks of continuous use. A cup of tea is not that product.
The tea is in the traditional use column. That category rests on long use, not on proof from trials. The indication is relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep. The dose is 0.3 to 3 g of cut root in 150 ml of boiling water, up to three times a day. For sleep, the monograph says to drink it half an hour to an hour before bed, with an optional earlier evening dose. It does not recommend valerian for children under 12. It also states that safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established.
Europe also has a separate monograph for bedtime blends. The Species sedativae monograph (adopted 18 November 2020) covers teas that combine two to four of these herbs: valerian root at 15 to 57 percent, lemon balm leaf at 11 to 57 percent, hop strobile at 15 to 43 percent, lavender flower at 15 to 36 percent and passionflower herb at 11 to 34 percent. If a European pharmacy sleep tea lists several of these herbs, this monograph is the framework behind the label.
| Product | Official or cited dose | Timing | Evidence status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valerian root tea (EU monograph) | 0.3 to 3 g cut root in 150 ml boiling water, up to 3 times daily | 30 to 60 minutes before bed | Traditional use only |
| Ethanolic dry extract (EU monograph) | 400 to 600 mg per dose | 30 to 60 minutes before bed; best effect after 2 to 4 weeks | Well-established use |
| Valerian tea (AAFP clinical review, 2003) | 2 to 3 g dried root steeped 10 to 15 minutes in one cup of hot water | 30 minutes to 2 hours before bed | Clinical guidance, not a trial dose |
| Species sedativae blend (EU monograph) | 1.5 to 4 g blend in 150 ml boiling water, 3 to 4 times daily | Last cup before bed | Traditional use only |
Evidence Scorecard: What Valerian Does and Does Not Do
Valerian has dozens of trials, but they use different preparations, doses and outcome measures. The scorecard grades each common claim and shows what was actually tested.
| Claim | What was tested | Grade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Improves how well you feel you slept | Mostly extracts; a 10-study, 1,065-person pooled analysis | Mixed: some positive pooled results, but low-quality trials | Shinjyo et al., 2020 |
| Treats insomnia | 8 systematic reviews assessed together | Not supported | Valente et al., 2024 |
| Changes measured sleep in a sleep lab | Single 600 mg dose vs 14 days of dosing | Weak: no effect after one dose; some slow-wave-sleep changes after two weeks | AAFP review, 2003 |
| Recommended for chronic insomnia | Clinical practice guideline | Recommended against (2017) | American Academy of Sleep Medicine, via NCCIH |
| Eases anxiety or stress | Small, mixed trials | Insufficient evidence | NCCIH, 2025 |
| Helps menopausal sleep problems | Valerian and lemon balm capsules vs placebo, 100 women | Preliminary; combination only | Taavoni et al., 2013 |
| Calms heart rate after a cup | Real valerian tea, 12 healthy men, no placebo | Very early signal | Hosseini et al., 2025 |
| Safe for short-term adult use | Adverse events across trials, ages 7 to 80 | Good: no severe events reported | Shinjyo et al., 2020; Valente et al., 2024 |
The subjective-versus-objective gap
The biggest recent reviews point in different directions. Shinjyo and colleagues (2020) reviewed 60 studies with 6,894 participants and ran pooled analyses for subjective sleep quality (10 studies, 1,065 people) and anxiety (8 studies, 535 people). They concluded that valerian could be a safe and helpful sleep herb. They also suggested that the inconsistent results might come from variable extract quality, and that whole root or rhizome could give more reliable effects. In 2024, an umbrella review in European Neuropsychopharmacology assessed 8 systematic reviews and was blunter: a good safety profile, but no evidence of efficacy for insomnia, no objective confirmation of the subjective gains, and low-quality trials.
Both conclusions can be true at once. People taking valerian often report sleeping better, but sleep-lab measurements rarely show a matching change. According to the American Family Physician review, a sleep-lab study of 16 people with insomnia found no effect from a single 600 mg dose, but did find improvements in slow-wave sleep after 14 days of dosing. The same review describes the most-cited positive trial: in 1982, Leathwood gave 128 volunteers 400 mg of an aqueous extract and found significant improvements in sleep latency and sleep quality compared with placebo. An aqueous extract is the closest trial product to a tea.
The only trial of an actual cup
Controlled research on the drink itself is almost nonexistent. The nearest example is a 2025 study in the Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine. Twelve healthy men, average age 24.5, drank a valerian tea made from 5 g of powdered root brewed in 100 ml of boiling water for 20 minutes and then diluted. Their heart rate fell from 65.4 to 60.9 beats per minute within 30 minutes. But the comparison was plain water, not a placebo, and the study tested one dose in men only. It does not show that valerian tea helps you sleep.
The Combination Problem: Valerian Rarely Works Alone
Many of the most encouraging trials did not test valerian by itself. The 2020 review found that valerian combined with hops beat placebo on time to fall asleep. It also found that valerian combined with lemon balm reduced sleep-disorder scores in menopausal women. The clearest example is the 2013 trial by Taavoni and colleagues. It enrolled 100 women aged 50 to 60 with sleep complaints and gave half of them valerian and lemon balm capsules. On the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the treated group reported significantly fewer sleep problems than the placebo group, and no adverse effects were recorded.
No one can say how much of that effect came from each herb, and these were capsules, not tea. Lemon balm has its own research record, covered in our lemon balm tea guide. If you want a gentler bedtime cup with a better flavor and a milder side-effect profile, our chamomile tea guide and linden tea guide cover the two most common alternatives and their evidence.
Side Effects and Who Should Avoid It
For most healthy adults, short-term valerian use appears low-risk. Neither major review found serious adverse events. The EU monograph lists stomach symptoms such as nausea and abdominal cramps, with unknown frequency. The NCCIH valerian page (updated May 2025) adds headache, mental dullness, excitability, uneasiness and vivid dreams.
The cautions that matter:
- Driving and machinery: the EU monograph warns that valerian may impair your ability to drive or operate machinery. Do not drink it before a drive, including an early start the next morning.
- Alcohol and sedatives: NCCIH advises against combining valerian with alcohol or sedatives. The ODS fact sheet names benzodiazepines, barbiturates and other central nervous system depressants as potential interactions. If you take any prescription sleep or anxiety medication, ask your pharmacist first.
- Stopping after heavy use: NCCIH reports that some people who stop suddenly after long-term use get withdrawal-type symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, heart disturbances and insomnia. The AAFP review describes one case after long-term use of 530 mg to 2 g, five times a day. That is far above a tea dose, but it is a reason to taper rather than stop abruptly after months of nightly use.
- Liver: NCCIH notes very rare reports of liver injury, most involving valerian combined with other herbs, and says the long-term effect on the liver is unknown. If you have liver disease, talk to your doctor first.
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding and children: the EU monograph says safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established and does not recommend valerian for children under 12.
- Too much: the monograph records that about 20 g of root caused fatigue, tremor and dilated pupils, which cleared within 24 hours. That is roughly seven times the top single tea dose.
If insomnia has lasted more than a few weeks, see a clinician. The AASM guideline against valerian for chronic insomnia means a tea should not replace proper treatment.
How to Brew Valerian Tea
Root needs more contact time than leaves. Our brewing guide covers water temperature and steep times for leaf teas. For valerian, the AAFP review’s method is a good starting point:
- Measure 2 to 3 g of dried, cut valerian root. That is about one heaped teaspoon, though cut roots vary in density, so a small kitchen scale is more accurate. Stay within the EU range of 0.3 to 3 g per cup.
- Pour about 150 to 250 ml of just-boiled water over the root and cover the cup. Covering it keeps the volatile oils in the tea instead of the room.
- Steep for 10 to 15 minutes, then strain.
- Drink it 30 to 60 minutes before bed, not right before you lie down and not in the middle of the night.
To soften the flavor, add a little peppermint or lemon balm to the pot, or honey after straining. Store the root in an airtight, opaque container away from heat, and buy small amounts from a supplier that shows the species name and a best-before date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does valerian tea actually help you sleep?
Valerian tea may help some people feel they slept better, but the evidence is weak and inconsistent. A 2024 umbrella review found no evidence that valerian treats insomnia. Positive trials mostly used extracts or combinations with hops or lemon balm, not tea. Treat it as a traditional bedtime drink, and see a clinician if poor sleep lasts more than a few weeks.
How long before bed should I drink valerian tea?
Drink valerian tea 30 to 60 minutes before bed. That is the timing in the European Union herbal monograph. An American Family Physician review gives a wider window of 30 minutes to two hours. Drinking it earlier lowers the risk of next-morning grogginess. Do not take a second cup in the night if you plan to drive early the next day.
Can I drink valerian tea every night?
Short-term nightly use by healthy adults appears low-risk. The EU monograph expects extract benefits within two to four weeks, and trial safety data mostly cover periods of a few weeks. Long-term effects, including on the liver, are unknown. After months of nightly use, taper gradually instead of stopping suddenly, because NCCIH reports withdrawal-type symptoms after abrupt stops.
Is valerian tea safe with alcohol or sleeping pills?
No. Do not combine valerian tea with alcohol or sedative medicines. NCCIH advises against it, and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements lists benzodiazepines, barbiturates and other central nervous system depressants as possible interactions. The combination can add to drowsiness. Ask a pharmacist before using valerian with any prescription sleep, anxiety or pain medication.
Why does valerian tea smell so bad?
Valerian tea smells musky, like old socks, because of the volatile oils in the dried root. The smell is normal and does not mean the tea has spoiled. Covering the cup while it steeps, adding peppermint or lemon balm, or using a mixed sleep blend makes it easier to drink. The smell also attracts many cats, so store it sealed.