When it comes to supplements to help me sleep, I usually lean toward choosing something “natural” and simple. The soothing effects of a warm drink coupled with folk remedy herbs make Nighty Night Valerian Herbal Tea (spoiler alert on this review!) a great choice to aid relaxation and induce sleep. This tea is a part of Traditional Medicinals’ relaxation teas line, and it contains only pharmacopeial grade herbs. As a fan of a good cup of tea, I’ve used this product for over a year — but now it’s time to officially review Nighty Night Valerian.
Stated Use
Helps you mellow out and promotes a good night’s sleep.
Active Ingredients
- Organic Valerian Root — This fragrant herb has been historically used as a sedative and pain reliever and prescribed by ancient Greek physicians as a treatment for insomnia.
- Organic Passion Flower Herb — This plant extract helps boost your GABA (as evidenced in this study) helping mitigate both nervousness and insomnia.
- Organic Lemon Balm Leaf — An herb from the mint family, it is known for its ability to induce sleep.
Proprietary Blend:
- Organic Caraway Fruit — This fruit has been used in folk medicine as an analgesic, and there is evidence of adaptogenic (antistress) properties.
- Organic Licorice Root — This root has been used in folk medicine to treat digestive system issues, sore throat, bronchitis, and cough.
My Experience
I followed the directions on the box by pouring 8 ounces of freshly boiled water over one tea bag. I had one cup 30 minutes before bed. The tea smells great, and it tastes herbaceous and earthy. I did feel calm and relaxed while drinking it, but it took me a little while to actually fall asleep. Once I fell asleep, I did stay asleep, and there wasn’t any grogginess in the morning. My sleep tracker didn’t record much deep sleep, and I’m interested to pair this with something like melatonin or L-tryptophan for even better results.
Pros
- Very gentle
- No grogginess or fogginess in the morning
- Tastes great
Cons
- Takes time to prepare
The Final Word
Nighty Night Valerian Tea is one of the mildest sleep supplements I’ve found, and it carries the added benefit of the ritual of having a cup of tea before bed. I will experiment stacking it with both tryptophan and melatonin, and will add it to my travel carry-on to enjoy on longer flights (just ask the flight attendant for hot water!). I feel like the smell alone has a calming “aromatherapy” effect on me, and I will continue to make this tea, especially during the winter.