Sedative and sleep enhancing properties of linarin, a flavonoid isolated from Valeriana officinalis.

SEBASTIÁN FERNÁNDEZ; CRISTINA WASOWSKI; ALEJANDRO C. PALADINI; MARIEL MARDER

PHARMACOLOGY BIOCHEMISTRY AND BEHAVIOR

Elsevier

Año: 2004 vol. 77 p. 399 - 404

0091-3057

We have recently reported the presence of the anxiolytic flavone 6-methylapigenin (MA) and of the sedative and sleep-enhancing flavanone glycoside 2S (-) hesperidin (HN) in Valeriana officinalis and Valeriana wallichii. MA, in turn, was able to potentiate the sleepinducing properties of HN. The present paper reports the identification in V. officinalis of the flavone glycoside linarin (LN) and the discovery that it has, like HN, sedative and sleep-enhancing properties that are potentiated by simultaneous administration of valerenic acid (VA). These effects should be taken into account when considering the pharmacological actions of valeriana extracts.