Abstract:
Sleep plays a vital role in physical and mental health, being essential for growth,
memory and emotional stability. Disorders such as insomnia affect quality of life and
are associated with several conditions, such as obesity and systemic arterial
hypertension. Valeriana officinalis, widely used to treat insomnia, anxiety and other
disorders, has been highlighted as an alternative herbal medicine. This study aims to
evaluate the efficacy and safety of valerian in the treatment of insomnia, based on a
literature review. The methodology involves the analysis of articles, theses and dissertations published since 2010, using the academic databases: PubMED,
SciELO and Google Scholar, in Portuguese. The results indicate that, although
valerian is effective in improving sleep quality and has few adverse effects, its
efficacy in controlled studies is limited, with varied results on sleep improvement. The
plant's compounds act through interaction with GABA receptors, promoting sedative
effects, but their efficacy still lacks greater consistency in clinical studies. We
conclude that Valeriana officinalis is a viable and safe option, although further studies
are needed to prove its efficacy in long-term treatments.
