Guide
Is it safe to take valerian root every day?
Most valerian trials lasted from a single dose up to a few weeks; none followed daily use for months or years. Within that window, valerian is generally described as well tolerated, with rare case reports of liver injury and of withdrawal symptoms after abruptly stopping long-term, high-dose use.
Most valerian trials ran from a single dose up to a few weeks; none we found followed daily use for months or years. Within the window that has been studied, valerian is generally described as well tolerated, with two rare but documented exceptions worth knowing before making it a daily habit: case reports of liver injury, and of withdrawal symptoms after long-term, high-dose use is stopped abruptly.
What "daily" means in the research
Trial durations in the valerian literature top out well short of long-term use. A 2006 meta-analysis pooled trials lasting anywhere from a single dose to several weeks (PMID 17145239), and other pooled reviews of the same literature cover trials running up to about a month. One pharmacokinetic study specifically compared a single dose against 2 weeks of nightly dosing in elderly women and found no significant difference in peak blood levels, timing, or how quickly the compound cleared — no sign of buildup over that stretch, though results varied a lot between individuals (PMID 20878691). That's reassuring as far as it goes, but it's a 2-week window, not a multi-month or multi-year one. Nothing in the research reviewed here speaks to daily use measured in years.
The general safety picture, within that window
A 2007 review of 37 studies described valerian's overall profile in its own title as "safe but not effective" — rare adverse events, no consistent sleep benefit (PMID 17517355). A 2006 meta-analysis of 16 placebo-controlled trials found side-effect rates were similar between valerian and placebo groups, with no statistically significant difference (PMID 17145239). A national reference database describes valerian as generally well tolerated, with dizziness, hangover, or headache reported occasionally, and notes it's Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) for use in food by the FDA (PMID 30000874).
Two rare but documented risks
Individual published case reports describe liver injury (hepatotoxicity) in people taking valerian (PMID 19138557, PMID 18431248). These are case reports, not controlled trials, so they establish that this has happened without establishing how often. Separately, case reports describe withdrawal delirium — and in one case, cardiac complications — after people stopped valerian abruptly following months of daily, high-dose use (PMID 9820254, PMID 32576405). That pattern is specific to long-term, high-dose daily use followed by a sudden stop, which makes it directly relevant to anyone planning to take valerian every day for an extended period: tapering down rather than quitting suddenly is the more cautious approach. See valerian root side effects for the fuller list.
Cats and dogs
This page and its citations cover valerian as a human supplement. None of the research here was conducted in animals, and daily dosing for a pet isn't something to work out from a human supplement label. Ask a veterinarian for guidance specific to an animal.
Questions people ask
Is valerian root safe?
Generally described as well tolerated across the trials reviewed here, with side-effect rates similar to placebo in the largest meta-analysis. Rare case reports of liver injury and, after long-term high-dose use, withdrawal symptoms are the documented exceptions.
Can I take valerian root every day?
Trials have tested daily dosing for up to several weeks, and a 2-week pharmacokinetic study found no buildup in blood levels versus a single dose. No trial followed daily use for months or years, so that longer stretch isn't directly covered by the research here.
Can you take valerian root long term?
The research reviewed here doesn't extend past a few weeks of daily dosing. If you've been taking it daily for an extended period and want to stop, tapering rather than quitting suddenly is worth doing, based on the withdrawal case reports above — see who should not take valerian root?
Is valerian root safe for kidneys?
No dedicated research has tested that directly, in either direction. Ask a doctor before adding it if you have kidney disease.
Is valerian root safe for cats or dogs?
This page covers human research only. Ask a veterinarian before giving valerian to a pet.
Related reading: valerian root side effects, who should not take valerian root?, and how much valerian root is too much?
Sources
- Valerian for sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis A 2006 meta-analysis of 16 trials found a modest benefit for valerian on a simple yes/no sleep-quality measure, but flagged publication bias, wide dose variation (225-1,215 mg/day), and no significant difference in side effects versus placebo.
- A systematic review of valerian as a sleep aid: safe but not effective A 2007 review titled 'safe but not effective' found valerian's most rigorous, recent trials showed no significant sleep benefit over placebo, while confirming a generally safe profile with rare adverse events.
- Valerian A national reference database on medications describes valerian as generally well tolerated, with occasional dizziness, hangover, or headache.
- Valeriana hepatotoxicity A published case report describes liver injury in a person taking valerian.
- A case of valerian-associated hepatotoxicity A published case report describes liver injury attributed to valerian.
- Cardiac complications and delirium associated with valerian root withdrawal A published case report describes cardiac complications and delirium after a person abruptly stopped long-term, high-dose valerian use.
- Delirium After Withdrawal From Valerian Root: A Case Report A published case report describes delirium after a person stopped taking valerian root following prolonged use.
- Pharmacokinetics of valerenic acid after single and multiple doses of valerian in older women In elderly women, 2 weeks of nightly valerian dosing produced no significant difference in peak blood level, timing, or half-life compared with a single dose — no sign of buildup — though results varied considerably between individuals, and half-life increased with body weight.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.