V. officinalis is a tall, hardy perennial herb with an underground portion made up of a vertical rhizome bearing numerous rootlets and stolons. Stem is hollow, cylindrical, and channeled of about 2 m in height. It is branched in the terminal region bearing opposite exstipulate, pinnatisect, cauline leaves with clasping petioles. Inflorescence is a raceme of cymes whose flowers are small pink or white. Fruits are oblong, four-ridged, single-seeded achenes.

Valerian consists of roots, rhizomes, and stolons carefully dried at temperature not more than 40°C. The erect rhizomes, entire or sliced are yellowish brown and it is accompanied by broken fragments of roots. The dried rhizome occurring as 2–5 cm long, 1–3 cm wide pieces is sometimes crowned by remains of stem bases and scale leaves. It may bear occasional short horizontal branches or scars of roots. Breaking with a short and horny fracture the drug is internally yellowish white. Root fragments are cylindrical, brownish grey externally, striated longitudinally and may bear fibrous lateral rootlets. They are brittle and when broken show a narrow central stele and a wide bark. Normally odorless, the drug develops its characteristic odor during drying and storage due to hydrolytic changes. It has a camphoraceous slightly bitter taste.

Indian valerian largely consisting of dried roots and rhizomes of V. wallichii. A tetraploid, it is an erect perennial of about 1 m height with pinnate, divided leaves and bears clusters of pink or white flowers. It has a large root with short rhizomes. The rhizomes collected in autumn from 2-year-old plants is dried and it occurs as yellowish brown pieces 4–8 cm long and 1 cm thick along with some root fragments. The drug is somewhat flattened and has leaf scars and root scars. Internally it shows a dark pith surrounded by visible xylem bundles and thin dark bark. It has a characteristic odor and a bitter camphoraceous odor.

Nardostachys jatamansii yields dried rhizomes attached a to large root stock. The rhizome pieces are short, thick, dark grey with reddish brown remains of leaf petioles. It has an agreeable odor and a bitter aromatic taste.