Does valerian root affect heart disease or cause heart palpitations? What the research does and doesn't show

The evidence doesn't support valerian root as a treatment or preventive for heart disease or heart attack. No trial has tested it in people with diagnosed cardiovascular disease. The most notable cardiac-related finding in the published record is a case report of complications after someone abruptly stopped long-term, high-dose use — not a finding about taking it.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support valerian root as a treatment or preventive measure for heart disease, coronary artery disease, or heart attack, in any form or dose. It doesn't support taking valerian in place of managing a diagnosed heart condition or its medications. Nothing below is evidence that valerian protects the heart or improves a cardiac outcome.

What the trials found

A published case report describes cardiac complications, along with delirium, in a person after they abruptly stopped taking valerian root following long-term, high-dose use (PMID 9820254). A second published case report describes delirium alone after a different person stopped valerian following prolonged use (PMID 32576405). Both are withdrawal effects — reported after stopping, not while someone was taking valerian — and both are single published cases, not evidence of how often this happens or a controlled comparison against placebo.

The only placebo-controlled human trial that measured heart rate found the opposite of a warning sign: a single 100 mg dose of valerian, given to 20 healthy volunteers ages 17-31 before dental surgery, was associated with a steadier heart rate afterward than placebo, meaning less of a stress-related rise (PMID 24741279). That's a small trial in a healthy population under acute dental stress, at a dose well below what most valerian trials use, and it isn't evidence about heart disease, palpitations outside that setting, or long-term cardiac safety.

No case reports of heart palpitations occurring while someone was taking valerian, rather than after stopping it, were found for this page. No trial has tested valerian in people with coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, or any other diagnosed heart condition.

Questions people ask

Can valerian root cause heart palpitations?

No case reports of palpitations while taking valerian were found for this page, and the one placebo-controlled trial that measured heart rate found a steadier rate than placebo, not an increase. Cardiac symptoms have instead been reported in case reports of withdrawal, after long-term, high-dose use was stopped abruptly (PMID 9820254).

Can valerian root cause a heart attack?

No trial or case report identified for this page links valerian to a heart attack. That's an absence of evidence, not proof of safety in every circumstance — no dedicated safety research in people with heart disease exists either way.

Is valerian root safe for people with heart disease?

No dedicated trial has tested valerian in people with diagnosed heart disease, and no trial tests it alongside heart medications. Ask a doctor before adding valerian root, in any form, if you have a diagnosed heart condition.

When to talk to a doctor

Heart disease needs a doctor's ongoing management, and valerian root is not a treatment or preventive for it. If you have a diagnosed heart condition or take heart medication, ask a doctor before adding valerian in any form. If you've used valerian long-term at a high dose, don't stop abruptly — taper with medical guidance, given the published case reports of withdrawal complications.

Related reading: does valerian root help with blood pressure?, valerian root side effects, and valerian root and medications: what to check.