Tranquilizers - How Is It Taken?

How Is It Taken?

Most tranquilizers are taken by mouth in pill, capsule, or liquid form. If a pill or capsule is taken, doctors recommend drinking a full glass of water along with each dose. Since most pills or capsules are formulated to release the medication in the body slowly, it is important not to chew or break them. Concentrated liquid forms should be diluted, or mixed with another liquid, such as coffee, milk, tea, water, or fruit juice. Tranquilizers also can be injected into a vein or administered rectally in a suppositoryMedicine that is delivered through the anus.. Illegal tranquilizers, like Rohypnol (roh-HIPP-nahl) or ketamine (KETT-uh-meen), are sometimes dissolved in drinks, snorted, or sprinkled on tobacco or marijuana and then smoked. (Entries on Rohypnol and ketamine are included in this encyclopedia.)

A History of Valerian

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a natural herbal remedy that has been popular throughout history for its sedative and hypnotic (sleep-producing) properties. In more contemporary times, it has been used as an anxiolytic drug with mixed success. The rhizomes (RYE-zohmz), or underground stems, of the plant are used to make teas and other herbal remedies for nervous tension and insomnia. Dosages of 300 to 600 milligrams of valerian are said to help people fall asleep faster.

Valerian grows in Europe, North America, and the northern part of Asia. It has been used since the time of the ancient Greeks. The Greek physician Hippocrates (430–370 BCE) wrote about valerian, and the renowned Greek physician Galen (131–203 CE) prescribed it for insomnia. It was very popular in the Middle Ages (c. 500– c. 1500), when it was used to treat tremors, nervous conditions, and heart palpitations. In World War II (1939–1945), it was used by the British to relieve the massive stress brought on during nightly air raids by the Germans.

There are more than 150 species of valerian root. All of them contain rare oils that are known to produce nerve-calming, sedative effects on the body. Valerian is also well known for its extremely unpleasant odor, which is described as being similar to sweaty feet and dirty socks.