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Valeriana jatamansii
| Common name: |
Indian Valerian |
Family: |
Valerianaceae |
| Author: |
Jones. |
Botanical references: |
51, 272 |
| Synonyms: |
Valeriana wallichii (DC.) |
| Known Hazards: |
Some caution is advised with the use of this plant. At least one member of the genus is considered to be poisonous raw[161] and V. officinalis is a powerful nervine and sedative that can become habit-forming. |
| Range: |
E. Asia - Afghanistan to S.W. China. |
| Habitat: |
Common in forests, shrubberies and on open slopes, 1500 - 3600 metres[51]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
0 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Nardostachys jatamansi[G]
Nardus indica[H]
Patrinia jatamansi[G]
V. jatamansi[E,G,H]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Bala Tagra [E], Indian Nard [E], Indian Valerian [H,E], Indische Valeriaan [E], Indischer Baldrian [E], Nard [H], Sumbul Ul Tib [E], Tagara [E], Valeriane Indiene [E], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Dipsacales. Valerian family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Britain
Egypt France Germany India Iran Nepal Netherlands Sanscrit
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.5m. . The scented flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Insects.
We rate it 0/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antispasmodic
Carminative Diuretic Hypnotic Nervine Sedative Stimulant.
The root is antispasmodic, carminative and stimulant[4, 272]. It has
many of the properties of V. officinalis and could therefore be employed as a
nervine and sedative[4]. It is used in Nepal to treat hysteria, insomna,
nausea, pimples, rheumatism and cholera[272]. The juice of the root is
applied to the forehead in the treatment of headaches, and is dripped into
the eyes for treating eye problems[272].
A paste of the plant is applied externally to boils[272].
This species is an effective substitute for V. officinalis[240]. The uses of
that plant are as follows:-
Valerian is a well-known and frequently used medicinal herb that has a long
and proven history of efficacy. It is noted especially for its effect as a
tranquilliser and nervine, particularly for those people suffering from
nervous overstrain[4, 222]. Valerian has been shown to encourage sleep,
improve sleep quality and reduce blood pressure[254]. It is also used
internally in the treatment of painful menstruation, cramps, hypertension,
irritable bowel syndrome etc[238, 254]. It should not be prescribed for
patients with liver problems[238]. Externally, it is used to treat eczema,
ulcers and minor injuries[238].
The root is antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, hypnotic, powerfully
nervine, sedative and stimulant[4, 7, 9, 14, 21, 46, 147, 165, 192, 218]. The
active ingredients are called valepotriates, research has confirmed that
these have a calming effect on agitated people, but are also a stimulant in
cases of fatigue[222]. The roots of 2 year old plants are harvested in the
autumn once the leaves have died down and are used fresh or dried[4, 9, 238].
The fresh root is about 3 times as effective as roots dried at 40° (the
report does not specify if this is centigrade or fahrenheit), whilst
temperatures above 82° destroy the active principle in the root[240]. Use
with caution[21, 238], see the notes above on toxicity.
Other Uses
Essential
Incense.
The dried rhizome is used as an incense[4, 272].
The root contains 0.8% essential oil[272]. It is used in perfumery and in
preparations for the hair[4, 61].
Cultivation details
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it
will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should
succeed outdoors in many parts of the country. The overcollection of its
roots from the wild is becoming a cause fr conservation concern[272]. The
following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed because
it requires light for germination[200]. Prick out the seedlings into
individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant out into their
permanent positions in the summer if sufficient growth has been made. If the
plants are too small to plant out, grow them on in the greenhouse or frame
for their first winter and plant them out early in the following summer.
Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their
permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller
divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until
they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following
spring.
Scent
-
Root:
- No details on scent.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
References for Valeriana jatamansi (a possible synonym).
References for Valeriana wallichii (a possible synonym).
References for the family Valerianaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.
[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[192] Emboden. W. Narcotic Plants Studio Vista 1979 ISBN 0-289-70864-8
A lot of details about the history, chemistry and use of narcotic plants, including hallucinogens, stimulants, inebriants and hypnotics.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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