I accidentally drugged my boyfriend with tea…

My boyfriend works a lot. And sometimes, he gets very stressed with all the weight on his shoulders:

The long list of tasks he has to do,

The money that should already be in his bank account but isn’t because of some problem,

The difficult clients he has to deal with,

And the hard decisions he had to make that week regarding all of the above AND how he balanced his personal and professional life. 

Some days, all of this translates to a hard time relaxing at night, even sleeping. 

It was on one of these nights that I headed to my magic pantry with tons of teas and herbal medicines to see if I had something to help him. Inside, I found an old box with the word valerian handwritten on the side. 

I had bought it long ago from a lady at a medieval fair, put it in the pantry, and forgotten all about it – I wasn’t even sure about the tea’s benefits anymore. But after a quick Google search, I thought it was exactly what he needed. 

So, I prepared us both some (I never had problems sleeping, but if having a better night was possible, why not?) and tried convincing him to drink his. 

He almost said no thanks to the awful smell it had, but with some persistence (and lots of honey), he drank the whole thing. 

In maybe fifteen minutes, we started feeling the effects – heavy eyelids, breathing slowing down, head going lighter. In other words, our bodies were shutting down and commanding us to go to sleep. 

That night, I had the heaviest sleep I’ve ever had (and I’m not a light sleeper). No dreams, no nothing. I've never been under anesthesia, but I’m guessing that’s how I’d feel if I had. 

Twelve hours later, I woke up feeling groggy (I usually sleep around nine or ten). 

Something was off, like I had a cloud over my head and couldn’t get rid of it until hours later. It wasn’t supposed to feel like this…right?

I googled the tea again – we had the wrong dose! We shouldn’t have taken more than 2 grams or half a teaspoon – we had almost triple that amount. 

I also read that even though mixing Valerian with other medications (or even other teas) is dangerous, mixing it with lemon balm was not only safe but more efficient and palatable. 

So, we tried again, this time with a smaller dose and lemon balm. Besides the better flavor, the next morning, we were fine, fully rested, and relaxed without the groggy effects. 

It’s been our go-to ever since. Usually, when we want to wind down before a vacation or time off.

So, do I recommend valerian tea? Absolutely!

However, this is our experience – you should not only do your own research (I’m not a doctor) but also keep these things in mind:

It isn’t safe for children under three and pregnant or breastfeeding women.

It works because valerian tea has components like valerenic acid and valerenol that increase the GABA receptors in the body. GABAs are chemical messengers that regulate our nervous system and sleep. The higher the amount of GABA in our bodies, the more “sedated” we feel. Meaning, the easier we go to sleep.

There isn’t a consensus on how long one can take valerian, but most studies agree on at least a month. 

You should always consult with your doctor before using the tea because of possible complications related to previous conditions. 

But if you already spoke with your doctor and want to buy it (and currently live in the US), you can try buying a mix of lemon balm and valerian at Target for $4,99, pure valerian at Walmart for $7,99, or if you prefer pure, organic tea leaves, you can buy it at Amazon for $14,99.

I don’t make a commission from this – I just want to help. So if you give it a try, let me know how it went!