Correct Valerian root dosage?!


Question: I just bough some Valerian extract from the brand Herb Pharm at wegmans. is this a good brand? I read that it should smell really bad (literally like sh*t) and this stuff i bought smells sweet almost flowery. also the direction on the bottle are confusing. the bottle reads "take two to five drops per day. take 30 to 40 drops in a little water." what the heck dose that mean? should i take 5 drops or 40 drops? big difference! i would like to know if anyone can figure out how much i should take, if it helps the bottle says " fresh herb/menstruum ration 1: 1.25


Answers: I just bough some Valerian extract from the brand Herb Pharm at wegmans. is this a good brand? I read that it should smell really bad (literally like sh*t) and this stuff i bought smells sweet almost flowery. also the direction on the bottle are confusing. the bottle reads "take two to five drops per day. take 30 to 40 drops in a little water." what the heck dose that mean? should i take 5 drops or 40 drops? big difference! i would like to know if anyone can figure out how much i should take, if it helps the bottle says " fresh herb/menstruum ration 1: 1.25

Dried Valerian has a tendency to smell like stinky feet, but fresh roots do have a sweet, kind of flowery fragrance. This is a good, since it means the extract really was made with fresh roots, which is best.

1:1.25 basically means that the extract was made using a ratio of 1 gram Valerian root per 1.25 ml of menstruum. That is a good ratio, and means the extract is strong.

The best dosage would depend on what the menstruum is, and what effects you want from it. If its an 'alcohol' menstruum, 2-10 drops may be fine to help with things like general relaxation, or anxiety, and could safely be taken as needed throughout the day. For pain relief, severe anxiety or to help you sleep, you may need anywhere from 10 - 40 drops, or more for good results. If the menstruum is 'glycerine', you would need to double the dose to get the same effects.

Everybody responds differently to certain herbs. Try a couple of drops, and wait a few minutes to see how this affects you, then gradually increase the dosage, a few drops at a time until you find the right dose for you. Some of my clients are fine with 5 drops 3 x per day, while others need 50 drops every 3 hours, but the latter are extreme cases. Don't worry about taking too much, your body will tell you what dose is right for you.

I am not familiar with the brand, so I can't help you there.

It does sound like somebody seriously screwed up with the labelling, so you probably should give the company a call.

maybe it means in a liter of water?

Check if the box or bottle has a customer service # and call them to ask. I think that's the safest bet.

The menstrum is the liquid that the herb is extracted in. The numbers mean 1 part herb to 1.25 liquid in the mother tincture. The menstruum for tinctures is most commonly a blend of grain alcohol and water. There's probably an alcohol percentage somewhere on the bottle, or at least there should be.

The dosage of valerian would be more along the lines of 30-40 drops. The part that says 2-5 drops per day, sounds like a misprint - it should be 2-5 doses per day.

I don't know that brand, but I know that I love the smell of valerian. Most people hate it, and describe it in awful ways, but I think it smells really good. Maybe you're just among the minority with me?





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