Sleepy Valerian & Hops Hot Chocolate Recipe

Valerian & hops couple well together.  This recipe might just be better then a beer, to slowly sip on a cold Winter’s eve.  There is nothing like a special hot chocolate treat to help you fall asleep at night.  Valerian & hops have shown in human studies to aid in sleeping.  So, if all of the holiday planning has affected your slumber time, mix up a mug of this dreamy drink.  Below is a list of some studies showing valerian & hops have improved sleeping.

and if it worked for Santa…

Human Studies on Valerian & Hops for Sleeping

• In a multicenter, placebo-controlled study of 184 participants, a valerian & hops combination reduced insomnia (3).
• Of 202 patients with insomnia, valerian was just as effective as oxazepam.  It also had less adverse effects (4).
• This systematic review of 16 studies and 1093 patients concluded valerian to be effective in aiding sleep (5).
• Improved sleep quality was shown in a randomized trial of 100 post menopausal women.  Participants were given 530 mg of concentrated valerian extract twice a day for 4 weeks.  This group had better sleep than the placebo group (6).
• A four week study was conducted to treat patients with insomnia.  Results showed: a combination of valerian & hops were more effective than both the placebo and valerian alone. (7).
• In this double blind, placebo controlled, EEG  study of sleep, a valerian & hops combination improved sleep measurements (8).
• A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter study showed improved sleep with a lemon balm and valerian blend (9).
• In a study of 17 nurses who drank beer with supper for 14 days, night sleep quality was improved (10) 

Cheers!  Here is the recipe.

Sleepy Valerian & Hops Hot Chocolate Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbsp of dried valerian root
• 1 Tbsp of dried hops
• Some peel from one orange
• 6 cups of milk
• ​2 ounces of dark chocolate (cut into small pieces)
• ​1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp of honey​

​Sleepy Valerian & Hops Hot Chocolate Instructions

In a saucepan, gently heat the dried herbs, orange peel, and hops in the milk for 10-15 minutes.  Then, remove from heat.  Next, strain out the herbs and peel.  Then, with the hot milk in the sauce pan, stir in the chocolate, honey, and vanilla into the milk until melted.  Serve immediately. Makes 3 large servings.

Try this delicious chocolate drink just before bedtime!

Contraindications:  Avoid hops and valerian during pregnancy and lactation.  Avoid with sedative medications and hormone therapies and conditions.  May interfere with other medications; consult your Doctor with questions.  With a potential sedative effect, avoid taking valerian and hops and operating heavy machinery.

Pictured: Hops

Sleepy Valerian & Hops Hot Chocolate Research

1. Stevinson, C., & Ernst, E. (2000). Valerian for insomnia: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Sleep medicine, 1(2), 91-99.
2. Fernández-San-Martín, M. I., Masa-Font, R., Palacios-Soler, L., Sancho-Gómez, P., Calbó-Caldentey, C., & Flores-Mateo, G. (2010). Effectiveness of Valerian on insomnia: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Sleep medicine, 11(6), 505-511.
3. Morin, C. M., Koetter, U., Bastien, C., Ware, J. C., & Wooten, V. (2005). Valerian-hops combination and diphenhydramine for treating insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. SLEEP-NEW YORK THEN WESTCHESTER-, 28(11), 1465.
4. Ziegler, G., Ploch, M., Miettinen-Baumann, A., & Collet, W. (2002). Efficacy and tolerability of valerian extract LI 156 compared with oxazepam in the treatment of non-organic insomnia–a randomized, double-blind, comparative clinical study. European journal of medical research, 7(11), 480-486.
5. Bent, S., Padula, A., Moore, D., Patterson, M., & Mehling, W. (2006). Valerian for sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The American journal of medicine, 119(12), 1005-1012.
6. Taavoni, S., Ekbatani, N., Kashaniyan, M., & Haghani, H. (2011). Effect of valerian on sleep quality in postmenopausal women: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Menopause, 18(9), 951-955.
7. Koetter, U., Schrader, E., Käufeler, R., & Brattström, A. (2007). A randomized, double blind, placebo‐controlled, prospective clinical study to demonstrate clinical efficacy of a fixed valerian hops extract combination (Ze 91019) in patients suffering from non‐organic sleep disorder. Phytotherapy research, 21(9), 847-851.
8. Dimpfel, W., & Suter, A. A. (2008). Sleep improving effects of a single dose administration of a valerian/hops fluid extract. A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled sleep-EEG study in a parallel design using the electrohypnogram. Zeitschrift für Phytotherapie, 29(S 1), P06.
9. Cerny, A., & Schmid, K. (1999). Tolerability and efficacy of valerian/lemon balm in healthy volunteers (a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study). Fitoterapia, 70(3), 221-228.
10. Franco, L., Sánchez, C., Bravo, R., Rodríguez, A. B., Barriga, C., Romero, E., & Cubero, J. (2012). The sedative effect of non-alcoholic beer in healthy female nurses. PloS one, 7(7), e37290.

Click Here for More Research on Herbs for Insomnia

By: Kathy Sadowski, MS in Aromatherapy, RA (ARC), Professional NAHA and AIA Member, LMT

Post Updated: 12/12/18

The listings of research represent a compilation of scientific articles found on the species, with a very brief overview description of each article/study.  Research found is catalogued by therapeutic action.  This categorized compilation of research articles does not necessarily imply that there are adequate results to demonstrate safe and/or effective human use. These statements are not meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any diseases. The information at this page has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Consult a Doctor before using herbs and essential oils if you have medical conditions, are taking medications, or have questions.