Archive for the ‘Tea reviews’ Category
Valerian Root Tea review
It seems that valerian root has gotten a bad reputation in the tea world. Kind of like that one trouble-making problem child in the family, it’s just really misunderstood.
While the smell of valerian has at times been likened to that of a gym bag, following a long, sweaty workout outdoors on a particularly hot and humid day, the general consensus is that it does the trick as a calming agent. Think Buckley’s Cough Syrup and its “It tastes awful. And it works” slogan, but for relaxation purposes.
If you can get past the strong taste, which can be tempered by adding honey or sugar, the benefits arguably outweigh any initial gag reflex you might experience. Valerian root tea has long been believed to serve as a soothing fix for many anxiety-related ailments. Home remedies for insomnia, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and just general nervousness can all be found in valerian, admittedly however without any firm clinical evidence to back up the claims.
The controls in any studies undertaken in the past have reportedly been too flawed to produce concrete enough results in regard to the exact effectiveness of valerian’s sedative properties. Results of these studies have at least provided some official indication that valerian is helpful at least to some degree as a treatment for the aforementioned afflictions, with a very small minority actually experiencing an increase in excitability as a side effect.
That being said, valerian root is still a centuries-old remedy, dating back to ancient Greece. Today, by most accounts, it is a less powerful, yet very viable and attractive alternative to modern pharmaceutical-grade sleeping pills. It has also been known to help alleviate headaches, perhaps making it not so much like the problem child you know and love in your life after all. Give it a chance, though, and you may end up loving it all the same.
