The entire supplement industry is a scam. Every bottle is required to say not approved by the FDA.
All any of it does is change the way your urine looks and smells.
Not true. As many older people find, getting to & staying asleep is a challenge. I tried
valerian root from Amazon & haven't slept this well since I was a teen.
Authentic stuff is a brown powder that has a strong characteristic odor that reminds me of vomit. If you get a bottle that is not that way, you've been duped.
The active ingredient is found in the essential oil in the root. It is called
valerenic acid.
See attached.
en.wikipedia.org
Valerenic acid is a
sesquiterpenoid constituent of the essential oil of the
valerian plant.
[1]
Valerian is used as a
herbal sedative which
may be helpful in the treatment of insomnia.[2] Valerenic acid may be at least partly responsible for valerian's sedative effects, in addition to the other valerenic acids hydroxyvalerenic acid and acetoxyvalerenic acid.
[3][1] Valerian supplements are often standardized to contain a particular amount of valerenic acid by weight (often 0.8%).
[3]
Valerenic acid acts as a subtype-selective
GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulator via a
binding site in the
transmembrane domain at the β+α− interface.
[4] At receptors expressed in
Xenopus oocytes (frog eggs) it was shown that only assemblies incorporating
β2 or
β3 subunits were stimulated by valerenic acid. A study in mice demonstrated that a single amino acid substitution (N265M) in the
β3 subunit severely decreases the
anxiolytic effect. Modulation of ion channel action was not significantly dependent on incorporation of α1, α2, α3 or α5 subunits.
[5]
At the
5-HT5A receptor valerenic acid acts as a
partial agonist. This
serotonin receptor subtype is distributed in the
suprachiasmatic nucleus, a tiny brain region implicated in
the sleep-wake cycle.[6]
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Based on my long experience, valerian root (600mg) acts like benzodiazepines like
Valium & Xanax. Valerian root is sold as a dietary supplement & is not a controlled substance. Could be a good way to cut down on use of benzos.