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Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to Europe and southwestern Asia.^[1][2] It is the type species of the genus Valeriana.^[3]

It grows up to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, rarely to 2 m (7 ft). The stems are erect, usually unbranched, with pinnately divided leaves up to 20 cm long, the leaflets with irregularly toothed to toothless margins. The flowers are produced from June to August, and are 2.5–5 mm diameter with a five-lobed corolla, sweetly scented, pale pink, occasionally white, grouped in both compound and secondary clusters.^[4][5][6]

Three subspecies are accepted by the Plants of the World Online (POWO) database:^[2]

• Valeriana officinalis subsp. officinalis — throughout most of the range
• Valeriana officinalis subsp. nemorensis (B.Turk) F.Martini & Soldano — Italy, northwest Balkans
• Valeriana officinalis subsp. tenuifolia (Vahl) Schübl. & G.Martens — central and northern Europe

Two other subspecies, not distinguished by POWO, are accepted by some other authors:^[7]

• Valeriana officinalis subsp. collina — on dry chalk soils
• Valeriana officinalis subsp. sambucifolia — on wetter marshy sites

It is native from Iceland south to Portugal, north to central Scandinavia, east to European Russia, and southeast to Iran.^[1][2] The plant is typically found in wet and dry meadows, wet woodlands, and marshes;^[4][5] plants adapted to drier chalk grassland soils are sometimes distinguished as V. o. subsp. collina.^[7]

The flowers attract many fly species, especially hoverflies of the genus Eristalis.^[8] The plant is consumed as food by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species, including the grey pug.

Valerian has concern as an invasive species in many locations outside of its natural range, being considered potentially invasive by the US state of Connecticut where it is officially banned,^[9] and in New Brunswick, Canada, where it is listed as a plant of concern.^[10]

The name of the herb is derived from the personal name Valeria and the Latin verb valere (to be strong, healthy).^[11][12] Other names used for this plant include garden valerian (to distinguish it from other Valeriana species), garden heliotrope (although not related to Heliotropium), setwall (though this originally meant zedoary, from which it is etymologically derived) and all-heal (which is also used for plants in the genus Stachys).^[13] Valeriana phu is also known as garden valerian.^[14] Valeriana rubra, red valerian, often grown in gardens, is also sometimes referred to as “valerian”, but is a different species. Valerian is also called cat’s love due to its catnip-like effects.^[13]