VALERIANA OFFICINALIS. WILD VALERIAN. 
VALERIANA. Linn. Gem Pj. TrianpriaA Monoeynta. 
| Cal. o. Cor. 1. petala, bafi hinc gibba, fupera. 
Ran Syn. Gen.io. HERB FLORE PERFECTO SIMPLICI, SEMINIBUS NUDIS SO- 
LITARIIS, SEU AD SINGULOS FLORES SINGULIS. 
VALERIANA officinalis floribus triandris, foliis omnibus pinnatis. Linn. Sy. Vegeta. ed. 14. Murr. 
p. 80. Sp. Pl ed. 2. p. 40. FI. Suec. n. 34. Scop. Fl. Carn. ed. 9. n. 39. Berg. Mar. 
Med. p. 30. Hudfon Fi. Angi. ed. 9. p. 12. Lightfoot Scot. V. 1. p. 85. 
^ — VALERIANA foliis pinnatis, pinnis dentatis. Hu//. Hl. n. 210. 
VALERIANA fylveftris major. Bauh. Pin. 164: Ger. Herb. p. 917. fig. 9. Great Wilde Valerian, 
ia, emac. 1075. fig. 2. Threlk Syn. 
VALERIANA fylveftris. Wilde Valerian. Park. Th. p. 123. f. 19. 
VALERIANA Vc magna aquatica. Jf. Baub. Il. 9. 211. Rari Sym. ed. 3. p. 200. Great Wild | 
alerian. 

RADIX perennis, fubpramorfa, fibrofa, fibris plurimis, 0 ROOT perennial, fomewhat ftumped, fibrous, fibres 
majufculis, ftolonem unum alterumve longe 9 numerous; large, fending out from its crown 
| protenfum e caudice emittens. ! 9 one or more long-extended creeping fhoots. 
CAULIS pedalis ad tripedalem, et ultra, erectus, teres, 6 STALK from oné to three feet or more in height, up- 
fulcatus, fiftulofus, hinc hirfutulus, terminans right, round, grooved, hollow, in fome parts 
in ramos floriferos brachiatim difpofitos. Q hairy, terminating in flowering branches dif- 
Q |. pofed cxoffwife. 
FOLIA oppofita, connata, bafi fubtus barbata, pinnata; 9 LEAVES oppofite, connate, bearded at the bafe on 
Cofta leviter pubefcens; Foliola 11 ad 19, the under fide, pinnated; the Midrib fome- 
nunc oppofita, nunc alterna, fubdecurrentia, what downy ; the Leaflets or Pinnz 11 to 1 5 
lanceolato-oblonga, acutiufcula, inzqualiter 6 fometimes oppofite, fometimes alternate, 
remoteque dentata, venofo-rugofa, fubtus pal- flightly decurrent, lanceolate-oblong, rather 
lidiora, pilofiufcula, foliolum terminale trilo- | pointed, unevenly and diftantly toothed, 
batum ; Folia fuprema floralia trifida, et fub- € veiny, wrinkled, paler on the underfide, 
fimplicia. 6 flightly hairy; the terminating Leaflet three- 
Q 
lobed; the uppermoft leaves on the flower- 
i ing branches trifid, and fometimes entire. 
FLOWERS growing in a kind of corymbus, terminal, 
of a pale flefh colour, and fingular fmell; 
FrLowzn-SrALKs much branched, and many 
times divided. 
FLORAL-LEAVES, lanceolate, acuminated, connate, 
whitifh, with a green midrib. 
CALYX none, a flight margin on the top of the Germen, 
C 
FLORES fubcotymbofi terminales, —albido-carnei, 
odore fingulari prediti; PrepuwcurI ramo- 
fiffimi, multoties dichotomi. 
(m 
nervo viridi. 
BRACTEE lanceolate, acuminate, connate, albentes, i 
Q 
CALYX nullus, margo fuperus mintitus, fig. 1. 
Q 
COROLLA tubulofa, tubo a latere inferiore ne€tari- OROLLA tubular, the tube producing from its lowe? 
fero, gibbo, ig. 2. ‘Limbo quinquefido, laci- 
niis obtufis, fg. 9. : 
STAMINA: FiLAMENTA tria, ereéta, Corolla longiora, 
amiffo polline recurvantia; ANTHER# lubro- 
tunde, floribus concolores, fg. 4. 
. fide a gibbous ne&tary, fig. 9. the Là di- 
vided into five obtufe legments, fig. 3. 
STAMINA : three upright FILAMENTS, longer than 
i the Corolla, bending back when the an- 
6 there have fhed their pollen; ANTHER& 
j 0 . roundifh, of the fame colourasthe flowers, fig. 4. 
PISTILLUM: GERMEN conicum, inferum; Srvyrus 9 PISTILLUM: the Germe_n conic, beneath the Corolla, 
@ 
g 
© 
filiformis, longitudine ftaminum; StTicma STYLE thread-fhaped, the length of the fta- 
craffiufculum, obtufum, album, trifidum, jg. mina; STi1GMA thickifh, obtufe, white, and 
M: SW A trifid, fig. 5. . 
SEMINA. folitaria, ovato-oblonga, compreffa; Pappus 6 SEEDS fingle, ovato-oblong, compreffed, furnifhed 
radius duodecim plumofis, bafi purpurafcenti- 6 with a Pappus having twelve feathery rays, of 
bus, jig. 6. | Q a purplifh colour at the bafe, jig. 6. 
The Valeriana officinalis here figured, grows wild with us in wet fituations only, it more efpecially is found on 
the edges of wet ditches, often in ofier-grounds, and in fuch fituations is very common in moft of the Southern 
parts of Great-Britain ; fometimes, particularly in the Northern parts of the kingdom, it is found on more elevated 
and drier ground, where it becomes in every refpeti fmaller, and more hairy ; in fuch fituations the roots are 
found to poflefs more fragrance, and are confidered as preferable for medicinal purpofes. 
The flowers, when frefh, diffufe a peculiar kind of odour, almoft too ftrong to be pleafant; the powerful fmell 
of the dried root is known to moft perfons, and of this part of the plant cats are remarkably fond, not only 
eating it, but when they have an opportunity, perfuming themfelves by rolling on it, and that on the frefh as 
well as dried roots; for I have often obferved, that as the roots fpread-out near the furface of the ground, 
they find them out, and in gratifying their paffion frequently deftroy the plant in gardens; whenever they are 
infufferably mifchievous in this or other refpeéts, they may with certainty be caught in a wooden hutch trap, 
baited with Valerian root; we are not however wantonly to facrifice this ufeful animal. 
The officinalis, as well as fome of the other fpecies of Valerian, is very ornamental, but almoft too large for 
the flower-garden, unlefs it be an extenfive one; it flowers in June and July, and is eafily cultivated, as it has 
creeping roots, which for medicinal purpofes fhould be taken up early in the {pring and carefully dried. 
The mountain Valerian root has a ftrong, not agreeable fmell, and an unpleafant, warm, bitterifh, fubacrid 
tafte; the ftrength of the fmell and tafte is the only mark to be depended on of its genuinenefs, and gooduels. 
It is a medicine of great efteem in the prefent practice againft obftinate hemicranie, hyfterical and the different 
kinds of nervous dilorders, and is commonly looked upon as one of the principal antifpafmodics. CoruwwNA 
reports, that he was cured by it of an inveterate epilepfy, after many other medicines had been ufed in vain : on 
more extenfive trials it has been found, in fome epileptic cafes to effect a cure, in feveral to abate the violence or 
frequency of the fits, and in many to prove entirely ineffectual: oftentimes, it either. purges, or operates by fyreat, 
or by urine, or brings away worms before it prevents a fit. The dofe of the root in powder is from a fcruple to a 
dram or two, which may be repeated if the flomach will bear it, two or three times a day. A remarkable 
inflance of its efficacy in a Cataleply is given by Mr. Mupce: dofes of half an ounce of the AE: were 
exhibited twice a day, and a lefs quantity was found ineffectual.— Among the materials I have made trial of for 
covering its flavour, mace feemed to anfwer the beft. Lewis Mat. Med. ed. Aik. 0.659. 
Dr. CurLEN coníiders it as an antifpafmodic medicine of confiderable efficacy, but oblerves, that he has fre- 
quently found it inefficacious, which he attributes partly to the beft remedies failing in difeafes which depend 
on a diverfity of caufes, and partly to the roots being employed in an improper condition; he is of opinion that 
it fhould be given in larger dofes than is commonly done. | 
