Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
Volume 119, Issue 12, Pages 1005-1012Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2006.02.026
Keywords
herb; alternative medicine; insomnia; sleep; meta-analysis; systematic review
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Funding
- NCCIH NIH HHS [K08 AT001338] Funding Source: Medline
- PHS HHS [1 K08 ATO1338-01] Funding Source: Medline
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Insomnia affects approximately one-third of the adult population and contributes to increased rates of absenteeism, health care use, and social disability. Extracts of the roots of valerian (Valeriana officinalis) are widely used for inducing sleep and improving sleep quality. A systematic review of randomized, placebo-controlled trials of valerian for improving sleep quality is presented. An extensive literature search identified 16 eligible studies examining a total of 1093 patients. Most studies had significant methodologic problems, and the valerian doses, preparations, and length of treatment varied considerably. A dichotomous outcome of sleep quality (improved or not) was reported by 6 studies and showed a statistically significant benefit (relative risk of improved sleep = 1.8, 95% confidence interval, 1.2-2.9), but there was evidence of publication bias in this summary measure. The available evidence suggests that valerian might improve sleep quality without producing side effects. Future studies should assess a range of doses of standardized preparations of valerian and include standard measures of sleep quality and safety. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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