Valeriana wallichii Valeriana wallichii Valeriana wallichii is a rhizome herb of the genus Valeriana and the family Valerianaceae also called Indian Valerian or Tagar-Ganthoda, not to be confused with ganthoda, the root of Indian long pepper. It is an herb useful in Ayurvedic medicine used as an analeptic, antispasmodic, carminative, sedative, stimulant, stomachic, and nervine. It grows in the Northwest Himalayas in places like Astore (Northern Pakistan) and forests in the region. The genus Valeriana, with about 200 species, belongs to the family Valerianaceae and has a distribution throughout the world. The Indian Valerian has long been used in Ayurveda (Charak Samhita
Valerian (herb) green herb being bruised and applied to the head taketh away pain and pricking thereof." The name of the herb is derived from the personal name "Valeria" and the Latin verb "valere" (to be strong, healthy). Other names used for this plant include garden valerian (to distinguish it from other "Valeriana" species), garden heliotrope (although not related to "Heliotropium"), setwall and all-heal (which is also used for plants in the genus "Stachys"). Red valerian, often grown in gardens, is also sometimes referred to as "valerian", but is a different species ("Centranthus ruber"), from the same family but not very closely