ANCHERY DRUGS Thakaram, Indian Valerian, Muskbala, Sugandhbala, Tagar, Valerian Root

Valeriana wallichii is a rhizome herb of the genus Valeriana and the family Valerianaceae also called Indian Valerian or Tagar-Ganthoda, not to be confused with Ganthoda or the Long Pepper. It is an herb useful in Ayurvedic medicine used as an analeptic, antispasmodic, carminative, sedative, stimulant, stomachic, and nervine.It grows in the Northwest Himalayas in places like Astore (Northern Pakistan) and forests in the region.The genus Valeriana, with about 200 species, belongs to the family Valerianaceae and has a distribution throughout the world. The Indian Valerian has long been used in Ayurveda (Charak Samhita and Susruta) and Unani systems of medicine, which describe its use in obesity, skin disease, insanity, epilepsy, and snake poisoning. The crude drugs from roots/ rhizomes and Valerian derived phytomedicines are used as mild sedatives in the pharmaceutical industry. The activity is largely attributed to the presence of valepotriates.