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 Gunia Valerian Gunia Valerian "Valiko" Gunia (; 21 January 1862 – 31 July 1938) was a Georgian dramatist, actor, director, critic, and translator. His contribution to the Georgian scene won him the title of People's Artist in 1934. Born in the village of Eki, Kutais Governorate, Russian Empire, in what is now the Senaki Municipality of a family of untitled Mingrelian nobility, Gunia attended the "realschule" in Tiflis until being expelled for participation in student protests in 1881. He then studied at the Petrovsko-Razumovsky Agricultural Academy in Moscow. In 1882 he joined the Georgian Dramatical Troupe in Tiflis. As an actor,