VALERIANA: Bright on the outside, Dark within

Valerian is one of the most well-known and highly used herbal medicines. Its fame is mostly around its sedative qualities nowadays, but it was once considered a ‘cure-all’ for nearly everything. In fact it was often called ‘All Heal’, used to treat migraines, menstrual cramps, convulsions, aggression, addictions, hysteria and all kinds of nervous disorders. In Europe Valerian is the top non-prescription sedative sold. It is routinely prescribed for anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Studies have shown it is as effective as Valium but without the associated hangover.

Taking into account that it is likely over prescribed and probably causing all kinds of long term grafting of symptoms, it is possible that we may be seeing more Valeriana patients than we might expect, if we know what to look for. As with many of these medicines with narrow pictures, it appears Valeriana is quite a complex Homoeopathic medicine, with several interesting aspects not widely known by Homoeopathic prescribers.

The Valerian plant has a pungent, often unpleasant odour when its roots are exposed. This smell has been compared to dirty socks or a poorly cleaned locker room. Cats however love this smell, and they may flock to the site of a garden where the plant is being dug up. It is said Rats also love this plant, and the legend of the Pied Piper is said to be based on the use of this plant to have the creatures follow him. In magic, it was used in love potions and the claim is that men would follow a woman wearing the plant. Valerian is also said to prevent evil from befalling a home, or evil sprits from entering.

HOMOEOPATHIC USE OF VALERIAN

The times I have used Valeriana in the clinic, I’ve found it easy to confuse with other remedies I knew better. Phosphorous is probably the main one. Of 278 mind symptoms, Phosphorous shares 165 with Valeriana. Overall out of 2773 Valeriana rubrics in the repertory, Phosphorous and Valeriana share 1700! Otherwise Coffea, Lachesis and Ignatia can appear similar for various reasons (111, 155 and 125 mind symptoms shared respectively). If such a thing is permitted in Homoeopathy, one could argue that the Valeriana patient might seem like a mix of these 4 remedies. That may be helpful in alerting you to the possibility that you might want to consider Valeriana instead 

I will discuss the interesting mental state of Valeriana later in the article, but firstly wanted to discuss the first aid use of this remedy. I know that as a student, I was mainly taught this remedy’s value in Sleeplessness, primarily above other features. As it turns out, I think this was an unfortunate misdirection, as the remedy has another stronger focus. As always, all rubrics are taken from Radar Opus, and are written in bold. Three value symptoms are written in CAPITALS and any rubric for which Valeriana is the only currently known remedy has (SS) noted after it.

VALERIANA SLEEP

Disturbed by the slightest noise, by pain.

Falling asleep late from nervousness (arg-n).

Restless from dreams, in children.

Sleeplessness from cramps especially in the hands and feet. Cramps prevent sleep.

Sleeplessness from excitement, from itching (PSOR), during menopause, from bodily restlessness, from acuteness of senses, from worms.

Waking from suffocation. Choking during sleep (lach, spong).  

On closer examination of Valeriana through its rubrics, it is clear that it is actually a major medicine for complaints of the extremities and a remedy for injuries, far above those traditional uses. This may be surprising, as I have rarely seen it mentioned very often for these kinds of issues. 

VALERIANA ‘S COMPLAINTS OF THE EXTREMITIES

 LUMBAR PAIN AS IF SPRAINED WORSE STANDING (SS)

ANKLE PAIN AS IF SPRAINED ON RUNNING UPSTAIRS (SS)

Heel pain aggravated by rest (SS), WORSE FOR SITTING BETTER FOR WALKING.

Heel pain better for resting with boot off (raph)

Sciatic pain either aggravated by or ameliorated by having a leg raised on a chair (SS)

LUMBAR PAIN WORSE SITTING, WORSE STANDING

TENSION OR PAIN IN THE CALVES AGGRAVATED BY SITTING and AMELIORATED BY WALKING

Cramps in the calves worse for crossing the legs (bell). Cramps of the biceps (ruta).

Cramps in the calves extend to the heel (SS)

Heaviness of the toes (apis)

Cramps of the uppers arms aggravated by writing (SS)

PAIN IN THE JOINTS, HEELS, CALVES, TIBIA, ANKLES, LUMBAR REGION

Straining of muscles and tendons from lifting

Shock after injuries. Concussion aggravates. Fractures of bones.

 THE GENERAL STATE OF VALERIANA 

PAIN IS GENERALLY WORSE FOR SITTING

MOTION OR WALKING AMELIORATES

REST OR SITTING AGGRAVATES

STANDING OR STOOPING AGGRAVATES

WORSE ON WAKING

Weakness in single parts (SS)

Indifference to food and drink

Knocking up against something, or Leaning against something aggravates

Beginning of motion aggravates and Continued motion ameliorates

Pain as if from a blow, as if broken, as if forcefully compressed, like lightning, as if paralyzed, as from a blunt instrument, as if squeezed, as if from needles, as if dislocated.

VALERIANA IS A HYPERSENSITIVE PERSON

This remedy is found in the rubric SENSITIVE to the highest degree, alongside remedies like Coffea, Phosphorous, Nat-mur and Staphysagria. The patient is Sensitive to Noise even the slightest noise, to Sensual impressions (those that arouse the physical senses), to the slightest Draft of air. Such people are delicate and overwrought, their whole bodies can react to the smallest influence, either within or without (Sensitive internally, Sensitive externally, Whole body is oversensitive). 

You may see a similar picture to Coffea, in terms of Acute Senses. All the senses are heightened, Vision, Hearing, Smell, Taste and Touch. Objects seem Nearer or Brighter. Sleep is disturbed by the slightest noise. Smell is acute to strong odours. The tongue experiences Illusions of taste. The skin is excessively sensitive. Valeriana Fears others approaching lest he be touched.

This remedy is one of those indicated for the Neuropathic Constitution. Neuropathic Pain is pain caused by damage or disease affecting the somatosensory nervous system. Neuropathic pain may be associated with abnormal sensations called dysesthesia or pain from normally non-painful stimuli (allodynia). Valeriana can become Unconscious from pain.

This sensitivity is so highly developed that the nursing children can Vomit from the anger of the mother. Patients may experience almost supernatural sensitivity (Clairvoyance, Sees phantoms at night, Fear of ghosts). The mental and emotional states are drawn out to the highest pitch.

Valer is characterized by an exaggerated emotional state, Changeable moods, Mental symptoms alternating with other mental symptoms, Nervous fainting, Trembling from emotions especially joy. Valer is AGGRAVATED BY ANIMATION (being full of life or excitement, being high-spirited). The more excitable, the more emotional they are, the worse they become. The patient will try to control their emotions (Emotions are predominated by the intellect) but it is a losing battle for them. Instead they are a bundle of nerves constantly reaction to their environment and the events around them (Excitement with trembling), almost as if they have ‘taken something’ (Excitement as after coffee or as if from wine). Their hyperemotional state can cause all sorts of symptoms (Difficult respiration from nerves, Nervous palpitations, Falling asleep late due to nervousness, Copious urination in nervous women), which can easily create a feedback loop resulting in Hysteria.

VALERIANA IS A HYSTERICAL PATIENT

 Valeriana is found in the rubric HYSTERIA, as a strongly indicated remedy. Hysteria is exaggerated or uncontrolled emotion or excitement. You will find hysteria mentioned as a concomitant with many other conditions. This may result in a need to differentiate with IGNATIA.

Hysteria with enuresis (ign)

Hysteria at menopause

Hysterical headache

Hysterical flatulence

Hysterical abdominal pain

Palpitations during hysteria

Heart weakness in nervous and hysterical people

Hysterical contraction of muscles and tendons

Hysterical convulsions

Hysterical paralysis

The appearance of concomitant physical symptoms to these uncontrollable emotional episodes sets the Valariana patient up for an extreme anxiety about their health. It is very difficult for them to calm down when their body is clearly showing them something is wrong (Being beside himself, Delusions impression of danger). The fight or flight response is out of control in such people (Desire to attack others, Threatening, Attempts to escape from the window, Wild look in the eyes) which might make them look like Belladonna or Stramonium. This leads Valeriana to feature as one of the main remedies for HYSTERIA WITH HYPOCHONDRIASIS.

Hypochondriasis  is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. Someone who lives in fear of having a serious illness, despite medical tests never finding anything wrong, may have somatic symptom disorder, also known as Illness Anxiety Disorder. OCD, of course, involves intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and urges to perform rituals (compulsions) that reduce obsessional anxiety. Specifically, persistent fears about illness in hypochondriasis are similar to obsessional thoughts in OCD (Conscientious about trifles, Persistent thoughts) . In Valeriana the sensitivity, hyperemotional reactivity, and the subsequent hysteria can create a volatile mix.

Once Valeriana starts to panic about their health, it is hard to control. They will restlessly move about (Anxiety driving from place to place, Morbid impulse to walk), hyperventilate (Anxiety with impeded respiration), throw up from the emotions (Hysterical vomiting), even become lost and disorientated (Sense of orientation decreased, Desire to wander about the house SS). Shaking like a leaf and unable to sit still (Tremulous restlessness) they can present in a terribly anguished state. Much like Arsenicum, Arg-nit or Phosphorous, they Fear being alone. Simple physical illnesses can produce these over-the-top responses (Convulsions from slight injuries - SS, Nervous during fever, Suicidal during intermittent fever) and they can even overreact to potentized medicines (Violent reaction to homoeopathic medicines).

VIVACITY COVERING UP DEPRESSION 

Valeriana is one of the main remedies for VIVACIOUS (COFF, CROC, LACH). You may see someone who appears jubilant, in high spirits, almost rapturous in their excitement (Elated). A vivacious person is lively and attractive, sparkling in company. The patient may have bursts of laughing loudly at jokes (Laughing spasmodically), speak non-stop about many different things (Loquacity, changing quickly from one subject to another), and appear in good spirits (Cheerful). Like Coffea, Valeriana is better in the evening, often full of interesting ideas and plans (Ideas abundant in the evening, Excitement in the evening) and imaginative stories (Vivid fancies), making them an ideal party guest. Such patients Desire the company of others and are naturally Affectionate. This sociability however can be very intense, perhaps too much so (Ecstasy) and they can almost seem like someone who has had too much to drink, even when sober (Thoughts rush as in drunkenness - SS).  

Since this is obviously not a healthy state, it may be that such Euphoria is a disguise for an underlying Dysphoric state, or Depression. When you see a person who is so excited, so animated, so talkative, you have to consider that it is a compensation for the opposite kind of state. The remedy, I propose, has a very different core state. What peculiar perceptions and beliefs characterize this state in Valeriana? 

Delusion the room is desolate (SS)

Delusion everything is strange and disagreeable (SS)

Delusion objects around him had been taken from him (SS) 

These single symptom rubrics are very descriptive. When a place is desolate, it is uninhabited and bleak. To feel that your environment is like an abandoned wasteland is a terrible way to see the world. Rather than the optimistic and happy face they show, instead you may have an internal feeling that the world is a dreadful lonely place (Forsaken feeling) where what had been comforting and warm has been stolen away (Delusion he is poor, Delusion she is sick), transformed instead into somewhere dark and dismal. This strong characteristic of acting Vivaciously may hide a fear of being left on their own (Aggravated when alone, Sadness when alone) in a place that is dismal and without hope.

This kind of feeling, that everything has been taken away and what remains is desolate and gloomy, is one that could easily be caused by Grief from loss. While the remedy is not found in the rubric, Phatak says about Valeriana ‘from the highest joy to the deepest grief’.  It is found in Despair and Gloomy sadness. It could also be related to some other kind of deep seated trauma (see later).

Vivacious behavior is characterized as being ‘bright’ and ‘sparkling’. Such people can ‘shine’ in social situations, cheering others and raising the overall enjoyment of everyone around them. Yet inside such people is a perception that their own world is desolate and dark. They appear to respond to this internal darkness with a need to be ‘radiant’.  Where else might this polarity of ‘Light’ and ‘Dark’ be seen in the remedy?

Luminous vision in the dark (SS)

Bright colours before the eyes in a dark room (SS)

Photomania (An exaggerated or psychotic desire for light)

General aggravation from Darkness, General amelioration from Light

Fear of being alone in the darkness

What is interesting about Valeriana’s fear of the dark is that while they fear being alone there, they very specifically feel they will be injured (Fear of being injured in the dark – SS). A disproportionate number of fatal injuries occur after dark. Even though less distance is traveled at night by drivers, more than half of all fatalities occur at night. Depending on light levels, pedestrians may be three to seven times more vulnerable at night. Injuries tend to be more severe, and tend to have worse outcomes. The darkness is a real physical threat to the Valeriana patient, and only light will make them feel safe again.

VALERIANA AND DISSOCIATIVE IDENTITY DISORDER

People who have experienced physical and sexual abuse as children, are at greater risk of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Most people with this condition have experienced repetitive and overwhelming trauma as children, and the worst cases are those who were sexually abused. It may be a cumulative effect of many traumas, or triggered by a single catastrophic trauma. DID used to be referred to as ‘Multiple Personality Disorder’. What follows is a discussion of how Valeriana might match the characteristics of this condition (Delusion errors of personal identity).

Symptoms of DID include two or more distinct personalities (Delusion she is some other person), which will be accompanied by changes in behavior (Eccentric behavior), memories (Weakness of memory for his own name), even in their thinking (Erroneous thoughts). The shift between the two personalities can be sudden and are usually unwanted and unexpected (Instability of thoughts, Sudden changeable moods). The second personality can remember life very differently, not recognizing things that would be familiar or seeing familiar things in a different way (Delusion familiar things seem strange, Delusion he is away from home). To those around them, they can seem to be very different people (Does not recognize his own relatives, Sensation as if one were a stranger).

The most common reaction to sexual assault is fear, and fear responses associated can persist for months or even years. They may react to or avoid situations which in any way remind them of the assault, and can experience ‘flashbacks’  (Delusion as if someone is in the bed with him, Children cannot bear anyone coming near them, Fear of the dark, Fear of being injured in the dark – SS)

VALERIANA IS A REMEDY OF CONTRADICTIONS and SURPRISES! 

You will find in this remedy, much as you will with Ignatia, a collection of unexpected, opposing or even impossible symptoms within the same person. This is considered a keynote characteristic of Ignatia, but you would have to consider Valeriana as well.

Luminous vision in the dark (SS)

Taste like the odour of violets (SS)

Alternating states accompanied by lack of reaction (SS)

Sensation as if the penis were asleep (merc)

Sensation of coldness of the soles of the feet, although they are not actually cold (coloc)

Ravenous appetite accompanied by nausea (spig, spong)

Coldness of the skin during exercise (plb, Sil)

Cramping felt in the bones (aur, olnd)

LACK OF REACTION IN NERVOUS PATIENTS