Valerian (herb) Valerian (herb) Valerian ("Valeriana officinalis", Caprifoliaceae) is a perennial flowering plant native to Europe and Asia. In the summer when the mature plant may have a height of , it bears sweetly scented pink or white flowers that attract many fly species, especially hoverflies of the genus "Eristalis". It is consumed as food by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species, including the grey pug. Crude extract of valerian root may have sedative and anxiolytic effects, and is commonly sold in dietary supplement capsules to promote sleep. Valerian has been used as a medicinal herb since at least
Valerian Abakovsky Valerian Abakovsky Valerian Ivanovich Abakovsky (, Latvian: "Valerians Abakovskis") (5 October 1895 – 24 July 1921) is best remembered as the inventor of the Aerowagon. Ethnically Russian, he was born in Riga on October 5, 1895. Although a talented inventor, he worked as a chauffeur for the Tambov Cheka. The invention for which Abakovsky is remembered is the Aerowagon, an experimental high-speed railcar fitted with an airplane engine and propeller propulsion. It was originally intended to carry Soviet officials. On 24 July 1921, a group of communists led by Fyodor Sergeyev took the Aerowagon from Moscow to the Tula collieries