Marsh Valerian, Woods valerian
Valeriana dioica
Family: Valerianaceae
What it is like
Valeriana dioica is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). It is in flower from May to June. The species is 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 is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Marshy meadows, fens and bogs.
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Spain, N. Italy and central Russia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Root - cooked. The odoriferous root is slowly baked for 2 days and then eaten as a vegetable, used in soups or made into a bread. Seed - parched.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The whole plant, but especially the root, is antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, hypnotic, nervine (powerful), sedative, stimulant. Use with caution.
Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.
Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Hypnotic: Induces sleep.
Nervine: Stimulates and calms the nerves.
Sedative: Gently calms, reducing nervousness, distress and irritation.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil. A calcifuge plant, it requires a lime-free soil. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed because it requires light for germination. 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.
Best place to grow: Meadow; Bog Garden;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist, wet
Things to keep in mind
Some caution is advised with the use of this plant. At least one member of the genus is considered to be poisonous raw and V. officinalis is a powerful nervine and sedative that can become habit-forming.