Valerianis most commonly used for sleep disorders,especially the inability to sleep (insomnia). It is frequently combined withhops, lemon balm, or other herbs that also cause drowsiness. Some people who are trying to withdraw from the use of "sleeping pills" use valerian to helpthem sleep after they have tapered the dose of the sleeping pill. There is some scientific evidence that valerian works for sleepdisorders, although not all studies are positive.

Valerian is also used for conditions connected to anxiety and psychological stress including nervous asthma, hysterical states,excitability, fear of illness (hypochondria), headaches, migraine, and stomachupset.

Some people use valerian for depression, mildtremors, epilepsy,attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and chronicfatigue syndrome (CFS). Valerian is used for muscle and joint pain.Some women use valerian for menstrual crampsand symptoms associated with menopause, including hot flashesand anxiety. Sometimes, valerian is added to bath water to help with restlessness and sleepdisorders.