Research review
Does valerian root help with blood pressure? What the research does and doesn't show
No trial has tested valerian root in people with diagnosed high blood pressure; the only placebo-controlled human data comes from a small trial of healthy young adults under the acute stress of dental surgery, at a dose far below what most valerian trials use.
The evidence doesn't support valerian root as a way to lower or manage blood pressure. No trial has tested it in people with diagnosed hypertension; the only placebo-controlled human data comes from a small trial of healthy young adults under the acute stress of dental surgery, at a dose far below what most valerian trials use.
What the evidence doesn't support
It doesn't support valerian root — extract, whole root, or tea — as a way to lower blood pressure in someone with hypertension, and it doesn't support adjusting or stopping blood pressure medication in favor of a supplement. Nothing below shows a confirmed blood-pressure-lowering effect in a population with high blood pressure.
What the trials found
A placebo-controlled trial gave a single 100 mg dose of valerian, or placebo, to 20 healthy volunteers ages 17-31, one hour before having an impacted lower third molar (wisdom tooth) removed — a procedure that reliably raises blood pressure and heart rate through anxiety and stress. Researchers tracked systolic blood pressure and heart rate before and after surgery. Valerian was associated with steadier systolic blood pressure and heart rate afterward than placebo, meaning less of a stress-related rise in both (PMID 24741279). That's a single small trial in healthy young people under acute dental stress, at 100 mg — well below the 225-1,215 mg/day range used in valerian's sleep trials — and it measured blood pressure as one marker of anxiety control during a procedure, not as an outcome in someone with hypertension. It isn't evidence that valerian lowers blood pressure that's already elevated, or that it would do anything measurable to blood pressure outside that specific acute-stress setting.
No trial has tested valerian alongside blood pressure medication. The available drug-interaction data on valerian doesn't address blood pressure drugs specifically and is itself mixed: a 2005 human study found 28 days of valerian produced no significant change in four major liver-metabolizing enzymes, while a 2004 lab (in vitro) study found valerian extracts inhibited one of those same enzymes, CYP3A4, in a test tube (PMID 15900287, PMID 15367385). Neither result is a blood-pressure finding on its own, but both are relevant to anyone combining valerian with a medication metabolized the same way.
Questions people ask
Can valerian root lower blood pressure?
No trial has tested that question in people with high blood pressure. The one placebo-controlled trial that measured blood pressure found a small, acute-stress effect in healthy young adults at a low single dose — not evidence it lowers blood pressure that's already elevated.
Can valerian root raise blood pressure?
No trial reviewed here found valerian raising blood pressure. The one placebo-controlled trial that measured it found the opposite direction — less of a stress-related rise than placebo — though that was in a specific acute-stress setting, not a general answer for every situation (PMID 24741279).
Can I take valerian root with blood pressure medication?
No dedicated trial tests that combination, so any interaction isn't established either way. Ask a doctor before combining the two, especially given the mixed in-vitro and human data on how valerian affects liver drug-metabolizing enzymes.
Is valerian root good for high blood pressure?
No trial has tested valerian in people with diagnosed hypertension. It isn't a substitute for blood pressure treatment or monitoring.
When to talk to a doctor
High blood pressure needs a doctor's ongoing monitoring and, often, medication — valerian root is not a treatment for it. If you take blood pressure medication or have diagnosed hypertension, ask a doctor before adding valerian in any form, since no dedicated interaction trial exists.
Related reading: valerian root and medications: what to check, does valerian root help with heart disease?, and valerian root benefits: what the research does and doesn't show.
Sources
- Valeriana officinalis L. for conscious sedation of patients submitted to impacted lower third molar surgery: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled split-mouth study A small placebo-controlled trial found a single 100 mg dose of valerian, given before dental surgery, was linked to steadier systolic blood pressure and heart rate afterward than placebo, in 20 healthy young volunteers.
- In vivo effects of goldenseal, kava kava, black cohosh, and valerian on human cytochrome P450 1A2, 2D6, 2E1, and 3A4/5 phenotypes A 2005 study found 28 days of valerian supplementation produced no significant change in four major drug-metabolizing liver enzymes in 12 healthy adults, unlike goldenseal and kava tested in the same study.
- In vitro activity of commercial valerian root extracts against human cytochrome P450 3A4 A 2004 lab (in vitro) study found real variation between labeled and measured valerenic acid content across 14 commercial valerian products.
*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.