Valerian (herb) some affinity for the GABA receptor, a class of receptors on which benzodiazepines are known to act. Valeric acid, which is responsible for the typical odor of mostly older valerian roots, does not have any sedative properties. Valeric acid is related to valproic acid, a widely prescribed anticonvulsant; valproic acid is a derivative of valeric acid. Valerian also contains isovaltrate, which has been shown to be an inverse agonist for adenosine A receptor sites. This action likely does not contribute to the herb's possible sedative effects, which would be expected from an agonist, rather than an inverse agonist, at this
Valerian Sokolov Valerian Sokolov Valerian Sergeevich Sokolov (; born 30 August 1946) is a former Soviet bantamweight amateur boxer who won the gold medal at the 1968 Summer Games. He trained at Dynamo in Cheboksary. Sokolov became the Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1968 and was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor in 1969. During his career he won 196 fights out of 216. Sokolov started boxing in a club in 1963 and was unknown before 1968, when he suddenly won the national and Olympic titles. He proceeded to win Soviet championships in 1969, 1971 and 1973,