ESSENTIAL OIL OF VALERIAN

Valeriana Officinalis is a member of the Valerianaceae family, which is grown mainly in Europe, Asia and North America.
The essential oil is extracted from the roots by steam distillation.
A base note oil with a. calming, soothing temperament, a strong, pung
t, not very pleasant scent which can be compared to the smell of old sweaty socks and a clear yellow-green to yellow-brownish colour.
Valerian grows on the edges of ditches and rivers, with tall stem, green leaves and roots which merge into erect rhyzomes, 1 stem which reaches 3-4 feet in height arises from the root. It is round, grooved and hairy near the base ending in two or more flowering stems, the flowers are pink or white, the lower one extendig beyond the top one to give a flat flowering surface, the leaves are dark green, paired and formed by several lance shaped segments more or less opposite each other on both sides of the leafr
In medieval times valerian was used as a medicinal plant and was also called all heal. It is said to be named after the roma
Valerius, who first used it in Medicine, other suggest the name comes from the word valere or to be in health due to its medicinal properties. Valerian oil has been used as a sedative for over 1000 years and has no after efects as those found with conventional medication.

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS:
TERPENES:
Monoterpenesrnï¡ pinene, camphener
Sesquiterpenes:
* caryophylene, azulener
ALCOHOLS:
Monoterpenols:
geraniol, ï¡ terpineol, borneol

ALDEHYDES
Sesquiterpenals
butiral

KETONES
Sesquiterpenones
valeranone

ACIDS
isovaleric acid, acetoxyvaleric acid

ESTERS
bornyl forniate , bornyl acetate, bornyl butirate, bornyl isovalerate

THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES
C.N.S. depresant (good for extreme agitation), hypothermic (good in high fevers), antispasmodic (due to its action on the neuromuscular plates), nervine, sedative +++, tranquiliser

INDICATIONS AND COMMON USES:
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
Tachycardia (high frequency heart beat), angina, hypertension, Irregu;lar heart beat of unknown originr
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Irritable bowel syndrome, nervous dyspepsiar
FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Menstrual cramps, premenstrual syndrome

PSYCHE
Anxiety, agitation +++, histeria, hypochondria, insomnia ++++, neurastenia, stress ++++

PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL: This oil has an effect on the solar plexus chakra, the abdominal brain of some authors, calming and soothing butterflies and feelings of intense premonitio

BLEMDS WELL WITH: Petitgrain mandarin, Ylang ylang, Lavender True, Angelica, Litsea, Bergamot, Linden blossom.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS: Use at lo9w dilutions as it has very potent sedative properties.

CASE STUDIES

The following case studies are examples of patients where the use of essential oil of valeriana officinalis was an invaluable addition to their treatment formulation.

Karen, 29 years old, with two young children aged 2 and 4, came to see me because of her premenstrual tension syndrome, which had gotten worse after she finished breastfeeding her younger child, at first she was able to cope with the feeling of anxiety, weepiness and tension, but lately she had been unable to sleep at night, and as a consequence could not concentrate on her work during the day. She did not want to take any sleeping tablets, but felt she needed urgent help.
We agreed her treatment plant with full body aromatherapy massage, aromatherapy baths and the use of an essential oil formulation in the duftlampe at night.
The massage treatment was given once a week furing the two weeks prior to the onset of her menstrual period, while at the same time she used five drops of the bath formulations A and B alte
atively in her evening bath, and the duft lampe during the night when she felt particularly stressed and tense.

After 3 months of this treatment regime, her PMS was greatly improved and we were able to keep the treatments down to once every two months as a top up session, while she uses the bath blend in her bath when she feels she need it (p.r.n.).

AROMATHERAPY MASAGE BLEND:

Valerian Valeriana officinalis E.O. 2 dropsr
Geranium Pelargonium graveolens E.O. 4 dropsr
Bergamot leaves Citrus bergamia E.O. 4 dropsr
Base oil of Corylus avellana (Hazelnut) 19.5 mlr
Base oil of Prunus amigdalinus (Sweet almond) 20ml

TOTAL Quantity of Blend: 40 ml

BLENDING PROCEEDURE
Take a 10-ml a,ber pr cpba;t b;ue g;assbottle, and place in it the essential oils in the order in which they are listed. Replace the lid and roll the bottle between your palms for about 30 seconds, and then add the jojoba base oil. Once again replace the lid and roll between your palms.

BATH OIL BLEND A:
Valerian Valeriana officinalis E.O. 5 dropsr
Lavandula angustifolia E.O. 5 dropsr
Lavandin Lavandula X intermedia E.O. 5 dropsr
Himalayan Cedarwood Cedrus deodora E.O. 5 dropsr
Lavender hydrosol 40mlrnTotal amount of blend: 41ml

BLENDING PROCEEDURE
Take a 10-ml a,ber pr cpba;t b;ue g;assbottle, and place in it the essential oils in the order in which they are listed. Replace the lid and roll the bottle between your palms for about 30 seconds, and then add the jojoba base oil. Once again replace the lid and roll between your palms.
You can use this blend in the bath. For your bath add 10 drops of the above blends to your bath water.
BATH BLEND B
Ylang yland extra Cananga odorata forma genuina E.O. 5 dropsr
True Lavender Lavandula angustifolia E.O. 5 dropsr
Roman Chamomile Chamoemelum nobile E.O. 5 dropsr
Cedarwood Himalayan Cedrus deodora E.O. 5 dropsr
Chamomile Hydrolat 40 ml

Diffuser blendr
Rose Rosa damascena E.O. 2 dropsr
Bergamot Citrus bergamia E.O. 4 drops

James, 49, a businessman, with a very stresful lifestyle, came to see me suffering from moderate hypertension and occasional episodes of angina pectoris, he also had periods of tachycardia related to times of high business pressures and excesive stress.

I felt that Valerian was an excellent oil to be used in a bath and duftlampe formulation for the management of James’s angina and stress, in particular using it in the duftlampe meant he could keep calm during very tense business meetings and used in the bath it helped him to have a calm mind and a restful sleep. He did not feel that a full body massage was what he wanted, so we compromised and he had a weekly back massage instead, which together with the bath, diet changes and diffuser (duft lampe) has helped him to space the angina pectoris to an almost nonexistent number of epidoses per month. The aromatherapy treaments have also helped him to maitain a stress free environment, and cope with moderate levels of stress without his pattern of angry reactions.

AROMATHERAPY MASSAGE BLEND:

Jasmin Jasminum ciminum E.O. 1 dropr
Valerian valeriana officinalis E.O. 2 dropsr
Patchouli Pogostemom patchouli E. O. 2 dropsr
Base oil of Hazelnut 30 ml

BATH OIL BLEND A
Valerian Valeriana officinalis E.O. 4 dropsr
Roman chamomile Chamoemelum nobile E.O. 4 dropsr
Ylang ylang Cananga odorata forma genuina E.O. 4 dropsr
Roman chamomile hydrolat 50mlrnBLENDING PROCEEDURE
Take a 10-ml a,ber pr cpba;t b;ue g;assbottle, and place in it the essential oils in the order in which they are listed. Replace the lid and roll the bottle between your palms for about 30 seconds, and then add the jojoba base oil. Once again replace the lid and roll between your palms.

BATH OIL BLEND B
Lavender Wild Lavandula angustifolia E.O. 4 dropsr
Mandarin leaves Citrus reticulata E.O. 3 dropsr
Orange leaves Citrus auranthium E.O. 3 drops
Rose hydrolat 50mlrnBLENDING PROCEEDURE
Take a 10-ml a,ber pr cpba;t b;ue g;assbottle, and place in it the essential oils in the order in which they are listed. Replace the lid and roll the bottle between your palms for about 30 seconds, and then add the jojoba base oil. Once again replace the lid and roll between your palms.
For your bath add 6 drops of the above blends to your bath water.

Diffuserr
Valerian Valeriana officinalis E,O, 4 dropsr
Litsea Litsea cubeba E,O, 6 drops

Essential oil of valerian is also very useful in the treament of patients with irrritable bowel syndrome, enterocolitis and menstrual cramps due to its antispasmodic effects on smooth muscle.