What are valerian’s main benefits?

Valerian supplements are commonly used to address sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia) as an alternative to conventional medications. Research has shown that supplementation with valerian may improve subjective sleep quality when compared to placebo. However, its effectiveness has not yet been demonstrated through quantitative or objective measurements (e.g., sleep latency time, visual analogue scales).^[1][2] Other randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have noted that valerian may have therapeutic applications beyond treating insomnia, such as brain and menstrual health.