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Valerian Tablets

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£8.94 Best Offer by: amazon.co.uk See more offers
2 Reviews

Dosage Form: Tablets

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    2 Reviews
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    • More +
      02.12.2012 16:19
      Very helpful



      Great way to help you get to sleep during those stressful points in your life!

      On Holland and Barrett's website the picture is different but I have been assured that the products are exactly the same - before anyone jumps on me and tells me it's different!

      I go through phases where I can't sleep at night, or struggle to get to sleep in the first place - it only takes a tiny bit of stress for me to end up wide awake and not sleeping properly for days on end. This can get really annoying, and then stress me out more - which then means I sleep even less! Completely exacerbating the problem, and making me really ratty - so this summer I decided I had to do something about it before I started looking like a zombie, and acting like one.

      ~*~ What is Valerian? ~*~

      Valerian root extract is a herbal remedy for temporary disturbance of sleep due to stress and anxiety. It grows as a hardy perennial flower, with heads of scented pink or white which bloom in summer months - it is known in medical fields as a treatment for insomnia and all sorts of weird and wonderful conditions such as intestinal colic, which is an interesting treatment. Considering it is meant to be used as a kind of tranquiliser and can cause giddiness as somewhat of a side effect. It can also cause stomach pain and upset, apathy and mental dullness because it is a tranquiliser but providing you take it in the suggested doses you shouldn't end up feeling that way - but it is advised not to use heavy machinery once you have taken them, but hopefully you'll be going to bed anyway not heading out for a long drive after taking it. Valerian can come in a few oral forms such as the root, and the valeneric acid. However in the UK its most commonly found in tablet form, which is convenient to take - and easy to sell. It does come in day and night versions or a general version that you can take during the day which should help at night, it depends which form you buy it in. In H&B you can buy both day and night versions - but I have only got the night time version, as I need to be quite awake during the day!

      ~*~ Does it work? ~*~

      I got this when I was offered a mystery shop to Holland and Barrett, the shop suggested to look for some selected items, I thought since I was getting my money back I didn't really think about it - but decided to look up the items anyway to see which one I thought would be appropriate for me to buy just in case one of them was a good idea. Surprisingly enough one of them was for helping with sleep in a herbal way, so went down and got a box, admittedly they do seem quite expensive - but at the time I was so tired and annoyed I felt really what price could I put on a good night's sleep! So paid the £6.49 or whatever they were at the time, and took them home thinking I'll give them a go because I needed some help - and getting an appointment in the Doctors was a nightmare at that point, so took the matter into my own hands!

      They say to take one or two about half hour before sleep, so I stuck to my usual routine and just added the valerian tablets to that routine, and settled down to sleep - the first night I don't think it made a shreds worth of difference. I was still awake until about 3am when I needed to be up at 6am - and I felt just as stressed and tired as I had done for months before. However I persevered with it, knowing that things need time to work, so carried on for a week before I noticed any change, I think it had something to do with the fact that I included a further tablet earlier on in the evening as directed by the packaging, so I was on the maximum amount to begin with, and about 10 days after starting them it did work. I started falling asleep much earlier than I had been I've never been an early sleeper, but to be getting to sleep for about midnight was lovely and I was getting a good solid 6 hours sleep.

      It was a good sleep too, it actually meant I slept all the way through from midnight to 6am, not waking up at 4am and tossing and turning until I slept, just a nice solid dreamless sleep - until I ruined it for myself by having a night out and didn't get to bed until 2am, by which point it was too late to take them and I had a less settled night of sleep - but it wasn't as bad as it had been before the tablets, they do say that alcohol increases the effects but I didn't want to mix them with alcohol to be honest, never been one for mixing the two!

      As time has gone on I've managed to bring the amount of tablets I'm on down. Now I just take one tablet half an hour before I want to sleep and it works brilliantly for me, even on nights as long as I'm in the dark and have taken a tablet half hour before wanting to sleep I've managed to get some decent sleep before going to work the following night. To a point where I've gone to bed at like 8am and ended up waking at 5pm and feeling brilliant, but too energetic to go to work! The bonus with these tablets for me is that I don't have a nasty hung-over or groggy feeling when I do wake up, they really do just send me to sleep, I'll wake with an alarm and get on with my day same as anyone would if they'd gone to sleep at night! If I've had a busy day now I can actually get to sleep without them, they're not something I'm addicted to, or really need to be able to sleep, they're a good aid to sleep if I need them - but not a necessity to be able to go to bed at night.

      Tablets are coated so easy to swallow with 150mg of the herb in them and you can take 3 in a day so you can have up to 450mg in a day which is enough for me, not got much of a taste to them - so they're easy to go down, it is advised that you take them with water, but I normally take mine with a warm fruity tea as that's what I normally have before I go to bed. They are well worth it if you're having some sleep disturbance and really could do with being able to get some shut eye at nights!

      ~*~ Price and Availability ~*~

      From Holland and Barrett they are £6.29 for the night time packets, and for the day time they are £6.19 and meant to be used for stress so have a smaller dose of the herb in them. For £13 if you need it, it's more than worth buying both, getting a H&B card, getting the points as well - and hopefully getting yourself a decent night of sleep.


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      • More +
        05.09.2007 00:02
        Very helpful



        I find them very good value as I only require half the dosage they recommend.

        "Valerina" (Night-Time) is a licensed herbal remedy that is available as an OTC (Over The Counter) medicine so does not require a prescription.
        It combines three standardised extracts -
        1) Valerian,
        2) Melissa (lemon balm)
        3) Hops

        Valerian and Melissa are two natural herbs known for their calming and relaxing effects.
        Hops have been shown to encourage sleep.

        Valerina Night-Time has been proven by clinical research to reduce insomnia & improve sleep quality without the side effects associated with conventional sleep aid medicines.

        Sleep disorders are common in most 'civilised' societies - it seems ironic that the more "civilised" we become the more stressed and over-tired we become and the less "civil" we become to each other! Hmmm.....

        Anyway, unlike the hundreds of OTC & Prescription medicines available to treat sleep disorders, Valerina Night-Time does not have an unpleasant 'morning-after hang-over' effect, thus allowing you to wake refreshed.

        Valerina Night-Time can be taken by adults who are finding it hard to sleep because of overwork, tiredness, stress, financial worries or general fatigue etc.

        It helps reduce tension & thereby improves natural sleep patterns over a period of weeks.

        The manufacturers recommend "Four Valerina Night-Time tablets should be taken at night".

        Valerina Night-Time is *not* known to be
        habit-forming. ...... HOWEVER..... If you take prescribed sedative drugs or anti-depressants use Valerina Night-Time with caution as any sedative action could then become addictive.

        Pregnant and breastfeeding women or children under 16 years of age should not take Valerina Night-Time.

        You should always consult your doctor or a "reliable" pharmacist if:
         you are taking other medicines
         your symptoms persist or worsen
         you need advice.

        Valerian's historical use as a sedative, anti-convulsant, migraine treatment and pain reliever is well documented.

        Valerian is used not only to treat sleeping disorders, but to calm restlessness and anxiety during the day.
        It is also used as a muscle relaxant & has been widely used to treat gastrointestinal pain and spastic colitis.


        ******PLEASE NOTE****** Some of this Information can also be viewed on wikipedia, the Lancet and The BMJ... however I haven't "copied" it from there.. I actually wrote several articles myself which have since been reproduced in various internet locations. The rest of the information is (as with all medical/clinical/research/reference material) all taken from a finite number of tests, trials & cases so therefore will reproduce the same findings. This is what happens with medical reports unlike the 'personal opinion' bits which of course are exactly that -personal opinions'.

        Valerian medication is sometimes recommended as a "transition medication" during the discontinuation processes involving bromazepan, clonazepam and diazepam and other addictive/habit-forming prescription meds.

        Valerian has been recommended for epilepsy but that is *not* currently supported by research (although its analogue valproic acid is used as an anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing drug). Valerian root generally does not lose effectiveness over time.

        While shown to be an effective remedy for the reduction of anxiety, it has also been reported to cause headaches and night terrors in some small number of individuals.
        This may be due to the fact that some people lack a digestive conversion property necessary to effectively break down Valerian. In these individuals, Valerian can cause agitation. One study found that valerian tends to sedate the agitated person and stimulate the fatigued person, bringing about a balancing effect on the system.

        Few adverse events attributable to valerian have been reported and those that were reported were related to the use of very high doses. Large doses or chronic use may result in stomach ache, apathy, and a feeling of mental dullness or mild depression. In some individuals (as mentioned in the paragraph above), valerian can cause stomach ache, anxiety, and night terrors.

        As day-time valerian tablets cause mild drowsiness it may affect the ability to drive or operate machinery, so watch the dosage carefully.

        The tablets contain the following ingredients -

        Night-time variety contain.........
        (Active ingredients per tablet)
        Valerian extract (Valeriana officinalis radix)
        Equivalent to 400mg
        Hops extract (Humulus lupulus flores)
        Equivalent to 382mg
        Lemon balm extract (Melissa officinalis herba)
        Equivalent to 162mg

        Available as: 80 tablets for £5.99
        They say take four tablets at night.
        Personally I find 2-3 are plenty!

        Day-time variety contain.........
        (Active ingredients per tablet)
        Valerian extract (Valeriana officinalis radix)
        Equivalent to 400mg
        Lemon balm extract (Melissa officinalis herba)
        Equivalent to 330mg

        Available as: 80 tablets for £5.99
        They say take 2 Valerina Day-Time tablets 3 times a day.
        Personally I don't take any or I would never get through a full day at work!!

        An unusual feature of valerian is that the dried root affects the domestic cat in a similar way as that of catnip. If valerian root is left in a place to which cats have access, they will roll in it, salivate onto it and eat it. Burmese cats are attracted to the dried herb and will deliberately destroy containers to obtain it. However, some breeds of cats will not go near valerian root!

        You may well feel the same when you smell the tablets! You may also run a mile!
        The tablets come in blister packs and you have to get a glass of water/juice ready, then quickly pop the blisters and swallow the tablets quick.
        They taste absolutely VILE if you procrastinate and hold them in your mouth.
        They smell like cat's pee - and although I've never tasted cat's pee, if I did I'm sure it would taste like valerian!!
        You will need to wash your hand after you have held the tablets.

        So I would give them 4.5/5 for efficacy as a "Natural" non-addictive sedative .

        and 0/5 for taste and smell.


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      • Product Details

        From the company responsible for Kira brand St John+s Wort and Kwai brand garlic tablets / Each tablet contains 300mg dried concentrated standardised LI 156 extract of Valerian (Valeriana officinalis radix) equivalent to up to 1800mg of the fresh roo