精油功效分享 - 纈草 Valerian

纈草 Valerian  - 失眠救星

纈草（學名：Valeriana officinalis）是一種多年生耐寒開花植物，在北半球每年6月至9月是其花期，會開出芬芳的白色或粉紅色花朵。當花朵被放在花瓶裡時，其散發出來的香味因過於濃烈，會令人難以忍受。 纈草原產於亞洲部分地區和歐洲，現在已被栽培到北美洲。

其莖葉被一些鱗翅目物種（蝴蝶及蛾）的幼蟲當作食物。 纈草在藥理學和本草療法中是一種草藥，其根部作為膳食補充劑使用。纈草經浸軟、研磨、脫水後被放入方便的包裝中，如膠囊，具有鎮靜和抗焦慮等作用。而16世紀時人們曾利用纈草製作香料。纈草常用於治療失眠，它可以被認為是安眠藥物的替代療法。它有時也被用作鎮靜劑，如在治療某些焦慮症苯二氮平的替代藥物。 人體必需胺基酸中的纈胺酸就是根據此植物命名的。

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) root has been used for thousands of years for its calming, grounding, and emotionally balancing influences. During the last three decades, it has been clinically investigated for its relaxing properties. Researchers have pinpointed the sesquiterpenes, valerenic acid, and valerone as the active constituents that exert a calming and restorative effect on the central nervous system.*

German health authorities have pronounced valerian to be an effective aid for the body's needs. Valerian has an approximate ORAC of 61,935 (TE/L). TE/L is expressed as micromole Trolox equivalent per liter.