The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.

Common Name: Tobacco Root

General Information

Valeriana obovata is a perennial plant that can grow up to 1.20 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

The plant is considered to be poisonous raw[, ].

Botanical References

,

Range

Western N. America.

Habitat

Open moist sites, moist meadows, ditches, swamps and prairies, sometimes on saline soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.20 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Edible Uses

Root - cooked[, , , ]. It requires a long steaming[]. The Indians would slow-bake it for about 2 days[]. A very strong and peculiar taste that is offensive to some people but agreeable to others[, ]. The root can be cooked and then dried and ground into a powder[, ]. Some caution is advised, see notes above on toxicity.
Seed[]. No more details are given but the seeds of other members of this genus are parched and then eaten.

Medicinal

The whole plant, but especially the root, is antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic, hypnotic, powerfully nervine, sedative and stimulant[]. The crushed root has been rubbed on parts affected by rheumatism, swollen bruises, painful bleeding cuts and wounds[]. The root has been used as a tapeworm medicine[]. Use with caution[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed because it requires light for germination[]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions in the summer if sufficient growth has been made. If the plants are too small to plant out, grow them on in the greenhouse or frame for their first winter and plant them out early in the following summer.
Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.