Valerian Root in Treating Sleep Problems and Associated Disorders-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
The most recent valerian meta-analysis could not show a significant effect on sleep overall — is there any reason to expect the particular product I'd buy to do better?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: The abstract's conclusion — that "valerian could be a safe and effective herb to promote sleep" — is not supported by the review's own primary pooled result, whose confidence interval crosses zero. The whole-root subgroup finding that the authors lean on rests on four trials and a confidence interval that nearly touches zero, and it is a post-hoc subgroup analysis, the weakest kind of evidence. One co-author is affiliated with Heartwood Education, a UK herbal-medicine education organisation, so the review is not independent of the herbal-medicine field it evaluates.
Valerian is sold in the United States as a dietary supplement under DSHEA, so it needs no FDA review of efficacy, safety, or potency before sale, and it has never been FDA-approved to treat insomnia, anxiety, or anything else.
This review pooled 10 randomised placebo-controlled trials (n=1,065) for subjective sleep quality and found a combined effect size of 0.36 with a 95% confidence interval of -0.08 to 0.81 — that is, not statistically significant — alongside severe heterogeneity (I-squared 85%) and a funnel plot showing missing studies. The same pattern appeared for anxiety across seven trials, with significant publication bias and I-squared of 93%. The authors attribute the inconsistency to variation in preparation, reporting a larger effect for whole root or rhizome (0.83, 95% CI 0.03-1.62, 4 trials) than for extracts (0.10, 95% CI -0.02 to 0.22, 6 trials).
Worth asking
The most recent valerian meta-analysis could not show a significant effect on sleep overall — is there any reason to expect the particular product I'd buy to do better?
Source
Valerian Root in Treating Sleep Problems and Associated Disorders-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. — Shinjyo N, Waddell G, Green J. (2020)
Indexed peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1177/2515690X20967323
DOI: 10.1177/2515690X20967323
How this was scored
- Study design
- Meta-analysis of randomised trials
- Funding
- No external funding
- Published in
- Indexed peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 1,065
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- No
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Where we put this study in context
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 75 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: The abstract's conclusion — that "valerian could be a safe and effective herb to promote sleep" — is not supported by the review's own primary pooled result, whose confidence interval crosses zero. The whole-root subgroup finding that the authors lean on rests on four trials and a confidence interval that nearly touches zero, and it is a post-hoc subgroup analysis, the weakest kind of evidence. One co-author is affiliated with Heartwood Education, a UK herbal-medicine education organisation, so the review is not independent of the herbal-medicine field it evaluates. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Valerian Root in Treating Sleep Problems and Associated Disorders-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. — Shinjyo N, Waddell G, Green J. (2020). Published in: Indexed peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1177/2515690X20967323. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Meta-analysis of randomised trials. Funding: No external funding. The researchers were not independent of whoever benefits from the result. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is valerian, valeriana officinalis, valerian root, all-heal, garden heliotrope, setwall, li 156, sedonium FDA approved for this use?
No. Its current status is: Not FDA-evaluated for this use. Valerian is sold in the United States as a dietary supplement under DSHEA, so it needs no FDA review of efficacy, safety, or potency before sale, and it has never been FDA-approved to treat insomnia, anxiety, or anything else.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.