Valerenal is a sesquiterpene aldehyde best known as a recurrent marker constituent of valerian root oil and, in the AromaForge archive, as a notable component of valerian-root and spikenard-adjacent profiles. The evidence base is strongest for identity and repeated occurrence in Valeriana officinalis chemistry, with a much smaller and older constituent-level pharmacology record than exists for whole-valerian preparations. Archive-safe positioning is that valerenal is a valerian-associated aroma constituent with limited preclinical sedative-screening history and substantial modern mechanism, clinical, and standalone safety gaps.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem identifies valerenal as C15H22O. It is an unsaturated sesquiterpene aldehyde rather than the better-known valerianic-acid derivatives often emphasized in herbal valerian reviews. Within this archive, valerenal is already used as a chemotype-shaping marker for valerian root oil and appears as a named peak in spikenard records as well.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, balsamic, musky, earthy descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Compare the recorded goal signals with the intended purpose, while keeping model assumptions separate from observed study outcomes.
- Review the flagged use concerns across every contributing oil and the selected dilution.
- Read the route, preparation and experimental context before using a study finding to choose an oil.
Reported benefits and effects
Findings retain their study context. An animal or laboratory result describes that experiment.
A 1981 Planta Medica paper directly screened valerenal and related valerian-oil constituents in preclinical pharmacology models, establishing that isolated valerenal had measurable activity rather than being only a composition marker.
A 1981 Planta Medica paper directly screened valerenal and related valerian-oil constituents in preclinical pharmacology models, establishing that isolated valerenal had measurable activity rather than being only a composition marker.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2004 cultivar study found valerenal among the major constituents of both tested Valeriana officinalis oils and reported that valerenal, valerenic acid, and alpha-humulene increased as plants aged.
A 2004 cultivar study found valerenal among the major constituents of both tested Valeriana officinalis oils and reported that valerenal, valerenic acid, and alpha-humulene increased as plants aged.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A 2023 Polish diversity study again identified valerenal as one of the dominant compounds across both wild-growing and cultivated common valerian populations.
A 2023 Polish diversity study again identified valerenal as one of the dominant compounds across both wild-growing and cultivated common valerian populations.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
How it contributes to goal calculations
Model markers guide the formulation score. They are separate from the source findings above.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernFlagged
Flagged in the constituent reference; assess the source, route and finished-product concentration.
Phototoxicity concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Oxidation concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Penetration enhancementNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
No numeric constituent-specific use limit is available here. Missing is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No standalone modern fragrance-safety monograph or human clinical tolerability study specific to isolated valerenal was verified in this pass.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Because the located constituent-level pharmacology is old and preclinical, archive copy should avoid sedative or sleep claims for isolated valerenal.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Constituents it may interact with
No constituent-pair interaction is recorded for this identity. The report does not assume either amplification or incompatibility.
How the effects were investigated
central_nervous_system_depressant_screening_signal
Later summaries of the 1981 screening paper describe valerenal as active in mouse sedative-type assays, but a modern receptor-level mechanism for isolated valerenal was not verified in this pass.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
What this report cannot establish
- A reported constituent percentage does not establish an effective human therapeutic dose or the amount absorbed into the body.
- The presence of a constituent does not guarantee a clinical benefit, rash treatment or sleep improvement from a custom blend.
- An unflagged concern or missing use limit does not establish safety for ingestion, inhalation, skin exposure or a particular person.
- A candidate constituent interaction does not establish that two oils amplify one another at the selected proportions.
- Constituent descriptors alone do not establish a precise top, heart or base lifetime in a finished blend.
Known data gaps (5)
- A modern isolated-valerenal mechanism study was not verified in this pass.
- Human clinical evidence for isolated valerenal was not verified.
- Most clinically oriented valerian literature discusses extracts or valerenic-acid-related fractions rather than purified valerenal.
- No constituent-specific numeric dermal reference is available here.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.