Kim Atherton
Identifying the energetic profile of Valeriana officinalis: With an historical review of the herb and analysis of current use by herbal practitioners..
Valeriana officinalis (Valerian) has a long history of efficacious use in the British Isles for the treatment of a variety of disorders. In a questionnaire sent out by email to sixteen herbal practitioners responses were evaluated to identify current thought on the herb, its energetics, and application to patient types and medical conditions. In this process, response evaluation identified an ambivalent attitude to the use of the herb today, primarily arising from practitioner’s views on the plant’s energetic qualities. Work was undertaken to identify an historical genesis for the widely discordant views held by practitioners by examining texts on the use of the herb in the British Isles via historical texts on astrological and humoral medicine. Sir John Hill’s paper, “Valerian or the virtues that root in nervous disorders”, of 1772 was also examined in some detail. As questionnaire responses identified a great level of influence from other traditions in defining Valerian’s energetics, study of the energetic nature of the plant was defined in these traditions was also examined in Ayurvedic and Chinese botanical and herbal literature. From these sources it was identified that two areas are of specific concern with regard to the use of Valerian today. Firstly, that energetic borrowing from the aforementioned Ayurvedic and Chinese traditions may cause confusion in interpretation of the herb’s actions. Secondly, that sourcing and preparation of the herb are not significantly examined at present and are possible causes for the supposed unpredictability of the plant’s clinical actions. In conclusion it is recommended that herbalists practising in the British Isles, with native herbs, re-examine their own humoral traditions when applying energetic principles to the actions of such herbs in clinical practice.
