My Queen Valerian.
Valerian is one of my very favourite herbs to grow. When the stalks tower above my head and they open in clusters of beautiful, fragrant blooms, I get a flutter in my heart every June, around the Solstice. I cut the towering and tipping-over flower stalks into bundles and bring them in to transform the house, for as long as they bloom.
The scent of Valerian flowers is pungent sweet, and has a powerful calming energy. With a sprig of mugwort and California Poppy, this combination when placed beside the bed makes for the best solstice dreamscapes ever - vivid and alive, like summer. But the root. It’s the root is where its medicine is strongest. And it’s an entirely different scent.
Valerian is one of those root herbs that packs a punch in the olfactory senses that you’ll definitely notice. It has a reputation for its foul pungency, and once you smell it, you’ll know why. Despite the aromatics, or maybe because of them, Valerian calms. It is a well known herb for anxiety. It can be incredibly soothing and relaxing, a wonderful sleep aid that carries no risk of dependency. Taken as a tea or tincture, the roots are commonly used to treat muscle tension, anxiety, insomnia, or migraines.
Interestingly though, some individuals may be stimulated by taking it, rather than sedated, so pay attention to your body if you are called to Valerian. What relationship will you have with its medicine? Oh, Valerian is such a pleasure to grow. If you have a spot in the garden that could use some very tall, very fragrant, gorgeous perennials, this might be the plant for you. I have adored my Valerian patch from day one, with the tiny seeds full of promise, and the patience rendering experience of watching them grow oh so slow in their first season, then leaves transforming their shape completely in their second season.
I now have a towering, deeply rooted patch, and recently
, as these things tend to happen with floating seeds, I have Valerian popping up in the garden in all sorts of places. True to character, she propagates herself with downy-soft, gently floating seeds, slipping into comfy cozy places in the dirt, whispering hush, and starting to dream…
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