This checklist is built around a single question — which species is this? — because on valerian it subsumes almost everything else. And there is a convenient shortcut: the same assay that answers it also measures potency, so a supplier who runs it properly has demonstrated two capabilities with one number.
Three Disqualifying Red Flags
- Will not state the binomial in writing. Several distinct plants trade as valerian. A supplier writing only "valerian extract" on a specification is either indifferent to the ambiguity or relying on it.
- Sells on extract ratio with no valerenic acid figure. As covered in our standardisation guide, a "4:1 valerian extract" with no assay conceals potency and species simultaneously. It is the single most common valerian specification and the weakest.
- Offers a valepotriate-standardised grade without flagging the stability problem. Valepotriates degrade in storage, so the figure cannot be verified on receipt. A supplier selling this as a headline specification either does not know that or is not saying.
The one-question filter: "Which Valeriana species, and will you state the binomial and a valerenic acid figure on every batch CoA?" Both cost a competent manufacturer nothing. And because valerenic acids are characteristic of V. officinalis, a supplier agreeing to the assay has effectively agreed to species verification whether or not they frame it that way — the number cannot be met by another species.
The Scoring Framework
Weighted to 100 points, with species identity carrying 35.
1. Species Identity — 35 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Binomial Valeriana officinalis L. declared on every batch CoA | 12 |
| Valerenic acids by HPLC on every batch (the species check) | 10 |
| Identity by TLC / HPLC against authentic V. officinalis reference | 7 |
| Raises the Indian valerian (V. jatamansi) distinction unprompted | 6 |
That last row is the strongest single signal in this checklist. An Indian supplier who volunteers that V. jatamansi is locally abundant and confirms which species they are quoting is telling you they understand their own market's risk. One who has never mentioned it may not have considered which species their own raw material is.
2. Assay and Specification Quality — 20 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Valerenic acids quoted on dry, carrier-free basis | 6 |
| Individual acids (valerenic, acetoxyvalerenic) reported | 5 |
| Assay figure supplied even on native-ratio grades | 5 |
| Does not push a valepotriate specification without caveat | 4 |
3. Material and Part Control — 15 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Root and rhizome only, declared on the CoA | 5 |
| Acid-insoluble ash limited (NMT 2%) — soil on an underground part | 5 |
| Collection status declared (cultivated / wild-collected) | 3 |
| Carriers declared and assay quoted carrier-free | 2 |
4. CITES and Regulatory Awareness — 10 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Aware that Nardostachys jatamansi is a distinct, CITES Appendix II plant | 5 |
| Uses full binomials rather than vernacular names in documentation | 3 |
| EU pesticide MRL screening and non-ETO declaration | 2 |
The CITES row is a genuine competence check, not trivia. The epithet jatamansi attaches to both Indian valerian (Valeriana jatamansi) and spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi) — different plants with different legal status for export. A supplier who can distinguish them is handling Himalayan botanical documentation carefully.
5. Grade Capability and Terms — 20 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Deodorised grade genuinely available (not just offered) | 5 |
| Honest about what deodorisation removes | 4 |
| Multiple assay levels (0.4% / 0.8%) and water-soluble grade | 4 |
| Three consecutive batch CoAs with consistent species and assay | 3 |
| Incoterms and written payment terms properly quoted | 2 |
| Technical questions answered by someone who understands the chemistry | 2 |
Interpreting the Score
| Score | Reading |
|---|---|
| 85–100 | Qualified for bulk supply. Proceed to sample and pre-shipment verification. |
| 70–84 | Workable with conditions. Close the gaps in writing before first bulk order. |
| 55–69 | Trial quantities only, with independent species and assay verification per lot. |
| Below 55 | Not a supplier for a regulated market. |
Apply a hard floor on section 1: below 20 of 35, decline. Everything else on a valerian specification is secondary to knowing which plant you bought — and unlike most quality questions, this one is fully answerable before you place the order.
The Sample Stage
- Check the CoA names the binomial and a valerenic acid figure. Absent on the sample, absent on bulk.
- Ask which species their raw material is, and where it is grown or collected. An Indian supplier with a real answer has a real chain.
- Smell it — but do not judge on it. All valerian species smell strongly, so odour confirms nothing about identity. Use it to check for musty or off notes indicating poor drying, not for species.
- For odour-sensitive formats, request both standard and deodorised samples and bench them in your actual matrix before committing.
- Ask what deodorisation removes. A supplier who says "nothing" is either not deodorising or not being straight with you.
- Did they ask about your format? Capsule versus gummy changes the grade entirely; a supplier who does not ask cannot advise.
First-Order Protocol
- Nominate an independent laboratory — Eurofins, SGS or Intertek — with valerenic acids by HPLC in the scope. This single test verifies species and potency together, which makes valerian unusually cheap to verify properly.
- Where the stakes justify it, add botanical identification against V. officinalis reference material as a second, independent line of evidence.
- Treat a materially low result as an identity finding, not a potency shortfall, and investigate it as such rather than negotiating a price adjustment.
- Retain a sealed, dated sample — sealed genuinely, or it will scent your retention store.
- Re-verify at batch three, then annually, and always on a change of raw-material origin — origin change is where species change hides.
SV Botanica declares Valeriana officinalis by binomial on every batch, assays valerenic acids by HPLC with the individual acids reported, identifies against authentic reference material, supplies root and rhizome only, and offers deodorised grades with a straight account of what they remove. Buyer-nominated third-party pre-shipment testing is welcome and encouraged. See the product page, the buyer's guide, or species substitution and authenticity.
Source Species-Verified Valerian Root Extract from India
Valeriana officinalis declared by binomial · valerenic acids 0.8% by HPLC, an assay that verifies the species · deodorised grades · CoA-backed · samples for qualified buyers