Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)
Flowers: June to August. Height: 120cm (48in).
Medicinal: Recorded as a medicinal herb as early as the 4th century BC and recommended by the Greek physician Hippocrates, it was used as an antidote to poisons and the plague, to treat rickets and stomach upsets and was a good decongestant. By medieval times it was held in such esteem it was called ‘All Heal’. Due to its tranquilising properties, it was thought to help epilepsy and by the 1500s it was a more common treatment for insomnia and nervous conditions. A century later Culpeper’s Complete Herbal (1653) recorded that “It is excellent against nervous affections in general, such as inveterate head-achs, trembling, palpitations of the heart, vapours, and hysteria complaints”.
Culinary: Oil from its leaves and root added flavour to ice cream and apples.
Magic & Myth: A bunch of Valerian was hung above the entrance to one’s home or a barn in order to protect the inhabitants from misfortune and to ward off devils, witches and all manner of bad spirits. It was also used to attract romance and love and sometimes the flowers were placed in the wedding clothes of a bridegroom to ward off the malice of goblins.
