How much valerian root should you take a day?

There's no official recommended dose of valerian root, unlike vitamins and minerals with a government-set intake range. What exists instead is a wide scatter of amounts used in research and sold on shelves — from about 225 mg to 1,215 mg a day in clinical trials, and 75 mg to 3,000 mg a day in commercial products.

What trials have actually tested

A 2006 review of 16 placebo-controlled trials found doses ranging from 225 mg to 1,215 mg of valerian extract a day, with only 2 of those trials specifying a standardized amount of valerenic acid — the compound most researchers believe is behind any effect (PMID 17145239). Individual trials since then have tested amounts across that same range: 300 mg standardized to 0.8% valerenic acid, taken 30 minutes before bed for 2 weeks; 405 mg taken an hour before a sleep study, either as a single dose or three times a day for a week; 450 or 900 mg as a single bedtime dose; and 600 mg a day for 14 days in a trial of 405 people (PMID 33086877). None of these amounts consistently outperformed placebo on objective measures — see valerian root benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for what each trial actually found.

What's sold doesn't match what's studied

A 2006 survey of 13 valerian products commonly sold in the US found recommended doses ranging from 75 mg to 3,000 mg a day — a wider range than anything tested in a trial, in either direction. Most of the standardized extracts on that list were standardized to 0.8% valerenic acid, the same standard used in some, though not all, clinical trials (PMID 17145239). A separate lab analysis of 14 commercial valerian products found real variation between the valerenic acid content stated on the label and what was actually measured (PMID 15367385) — a reason a milligram number on any valerian label is a starting point for comparison, not a guarantee of what's inside.

Is there a maximum, or a dose that's "too much"?

Valerian doesn't have an established upper intake level the way magnesium or vitamin D do — no government body has set one. The highest dose tested in a placebo-controlled trial we found was 1,215 mg a day; products sold with directions up to 3,000 mg a day exist, but a higher number on a label isn't the same as a dose shown to do more. In one small trial comparing 300 mg and 600 mg of valerian against placebo, drowsiness was reported more often at the lower 300 mg dose (12 reports) than at 600 mg (4 reports) or placebo (8 reports) — a result that doesn't show a clean dose-response relationship for side effects, let alone for any benefit (PMID 33086877). See valerian root side effects for more on what's been reported.

Dosing by body weight, and questions about pets

Weight-based dosing shows up often in searches about giving valerian to dogs. This page and its citations cover valerian as a human supplement; none of the research here was conducted in animals, and scaling a human supplement label down for a pet isn't something a vet would recommend doing on your own. Ask a veterinarian for guidance specific to an animal.

Questions people ask

Is 1,200 mg of valerian root too much?

There's no established maximum to compare it against. The highest dose in the placebo-controlled trials we reviewed was 1,215 mg a day, so 1,200 mg sits inside the range that's actually been tested — though nothing shows that amount works better than a lower one.

Is 2,400 mg of valerian root too much?

That's above the highest dose used in the trials reviewed here (1,215 mg a day). Some commercial products are sold with directions up to 3,000 mg a day, but that's not evidence a higher amount does more. If you're considering more than a product's own label directs, ask a doctor or pharmacist first.

How much valerian root is too much, or can you overdose?

No formal overdose threshold has been established in the research reviewed here. Case reports of liver-related problems and of withdrawal symptoms after stopping long-term, high-dose use exist at various doses (see valerian root side effects and who should not take valerian root?) — a better reason for caution than any single "too much" number.

How much valerian root should I take a day?

There's no single research-backed answer. Trials have tested amounts from 225 mg to 1,215 mg a day; commercial products range even wider. Following the directions on whatever product you're using, and checking with a pharmacist if you're unsure, is more reliable than a number pulled from this literature.

How often can you take valerian root?

Trials have tested it once a day, and split into two or three doses a day, without anything establishing that one schedule outperforms another. See when is the best time to take valerian root? for what the timing in those trials looked like.

How much valerian root for dogs?

This page covers human dosing research only. Ask a veterinarian before giving valerian to a dog.

Related reading: what is valerian root? A plain guide, when is the best time to take valerian root?, and how to choose a good valerian root.