The immensely disappointing mid-season finale of the Sopranos let the world in on a little secret – it’s possible to catch a buzz from Valerian Tea. Or-so-they-say.

In the episode Christopher’s girlfriend Julianna suggests that they brew up some tea using 10 bags of valerian, a root that she says is related to and has the same effects as Valium.

Hmmm, interesting. But can it be true?

A little research revealed that Valerian tea is made from the root of the Valerian plant. This plant has been known to science since at least the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, who used it as a medicinal herb, mostly because of it’s calming properties.

Celestial Seasonings’ Sleepytime Extra™ Wellness Tea contains at least some Valerian root:

This powerfully effective Wellness Herb Tea contains a potent herb not found in Sleepytime – valerian – that promotes extra fast, restful, natural sleep.* Valerian is a folklore favorite used for centuries to soothe the mind and body at bedtime.*

Fortunately, I learned long ago not to believe everything you read on product packaging, so I sought out the opinion of a medical professional, one whose livelyhood didn’t depend on selling me tea. Doctor Siegel, in his column that “explain[s] the medical facts behind medical fictions often depicted in the media,” shares the following:

VALERIAN is an herb with sedative properties used to ease insomnia and anxiety. It isn’t chemically related to Valium, and it won’t relieve a cough. Long-term use of the herb has been shown to have addictive properties, but there is no evidence that its use — whether in tea or capsule form — would cause someone to return to drug addiction.

OK, so according to Doc, not related to Valium, but used to cure insominia.

Being something of an insomniac myself, I headed down to my local organic market and purchased a box of Valerian Root tea distributed by Alvita, an herbal tea company owned by nutritional supplement giant Twinlab. I can tell you, first hand, that at least one thing they say about Valerian tea is true – it smells HORRIBLE. As to whether it has any sedative properties or not, I can’t say. It didn’t seem to, at least not in the preparation that I used.