Valerian and Damotu are practically useless for chronic stress. Because these drugs cannot affect the mechanisms of severe anxiety (excitement, etc.) or effectively reduce cortisol levels.
Medianews.az reports, citing Publika.az, that this opinion was stated by Russia's well-known neurologist Mariya Lavrenova. In an interview with the local media, she said that the mentioned herbal medicines act like a placebo effect.
"The calming effects of Valerian and Damotu are very weak and clinically contradictory. Extensive systematic studies show that these herbal medicines often work at a placebo level in the body and can only have minimal calming effects on the nervous system," the doctor noted.
According to the specialist, herbal medicines may help people with episodic and mild sleep problems. The herbs contained in the medicines simply have a mild relaxing effect that helps people fall asleep after ordinary daily fatigue or short-term anxiety: "In such cases, the main factor is the person's belief that 'this medicine relaxes' and trusting it. Such a belief, that is, the acceptance of those medicines in the form of drops or tablets as a tranquilizer, and the transformation of the process into a kind of 'evening ritual' also plays an important role in helping the person fall asleep quickly."
The doctor specifically emphasized that long-term stress affects the maintenance of high cortisol hormone levels, and plant extracts usually cannot cope with this hormone. The weak effects of these herbs are not enough to relieve the tension.
It should be noted that the over-the-counter Valerian medicine has been popular since the Soviet era. This plant-based medicine is present in almost every home.