Drug & supplement interaction

Baikal Skullcap + Venlafaxine

Venlafaxine brand names: Effexor XR, Effexor.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Baikal Skullcap and Venlafaxine in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Venlafaxine states a food rule worth keeping to, and the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Baikal Skullcap and Venlafaxine

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Venlafaxine and Baikal Skullcap in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Baikal Skullcap safety at a glance

Baikal Skullcap overall Use caution Often used in traditional medicine, but human safety data are limited and quality of products varies.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information; avoid use during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information; avoid while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Venlafaxine and Baikal Skullcap? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Venlafaxine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Venlafaxine is filed under 8 classifications — including antidepressant drugs, qt interval-prolonging drugs, serotonergic drugs. Baikal Skullcap has documented interactions with 12 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate), antidiabetes drugs (moderate) and antihypertensive drugs (moderate) — and none of Venlafaxine’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Baikal Skullcap Does Interact With Other Medications

Baikal Skullcap has 594 moderate, 352 minor known drug interactions in our database — Venlafaxine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Baikal Skullcap

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Baikal Skullcap. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Baikal Skullcap and Venlafaxine May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do. 3 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Shortness of breath Worth acting on Additional detail

    Baikal Skullcap

    “A specific combination product (Limbrel, Primus Pharmaceuticals) containing flavocoxid, a mixture of Baikal skullcap flavonoid extract and catechu extract, has been linked to several reports of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, cough, chronic bronchitis, shortness of breath, weight loss, and fatigue.”

    Baikal Skullcap · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in acute bronchitis.

    1 source cited
    1. 106042. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA Alerts Consumers About Potentially Life-Threatening Health Problems Linked to Limbrel. December 19, 2017. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-alerts-consumers-about-pot

    Venlafaxine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Venlafaxine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Liver problems Worth acting on Additional detail

    Baikal Skullcap

    “A specific combination product (Limbrel, Primus Pharmaceuticals) containing flavocoxid, a mixture of Baikal skullcap flavonoid extract and catechu extract, has been linked to several reports of acute liver damage. There have been at least five published reports of liver damage associated with this product. In all cases, the patients were females aged 54-68 years taking doses of 250-500 mg twice daily for 1-3 months.”

    Baikal Skullcap · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in myasthenia gravis.

    6 sources cited
    1. 18009. Chalasani N, Vuppalanchi R, Navarro V, et al. Acute liver injury due to flavocoxid (Limbrel), a medical food for osteoarthritis: a case series. Ann Intern Med 2012;156:857-60. PubMed
    2. 96282. Papafragkakis C, Ona MA, Reddy M, Anand S. Acute hepatitis after ingestion of a preparation of Chinese skullcap and black catechu for joint pain. Case Reports Heptal 2016;2016:4356749. PubMed
    3. 18010. Reichenbach S, Juni P. Medical food and food supplements: not always as safe as generally assumed. Ann Intern Med 2012;156:894-5. PubMed
    4. 106042. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA Alerts Consumers About Potentially Life-Threatening Health Problems Linked to Limbrel. December 19, 2017. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-alerts-consumers-about-pot
    5. 33460. Linnebur, S. A., Rapacchietta, O. C., and Vejar, M. Hepatotoxicity associated with chinese skullcap contained in Move Free Advanced dietary supplement: two case reports and review of the literature. Pharmacotherapy 2010;30(7):750, 258e-750, 262e. PubMed
    6. 101737. Braude MR, Bassily R. Drug-induced liver injury secondary to Scutellaria baicalensis (Chinese skullcap). Intern Med J. 2019;49(4):544-546. PubMed

    Venlafaxine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Venlafaxine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • An allergic reaction Worth acting on Additional detail

    Baikal Skullcap

    Recorded for Baikal Skullcap in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Liver problems above.

    Venlafaxine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Venlafaxine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Weight loss / Chills / Tiredness Additional detail

    Baikal Skullcap

    Recorded for Baikal Skullcap in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Shortness of breath above.

    Venlafaxine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Venlafaxine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Constipation / Diarrhea Additional detail

    Baikal Skullcap

    “Orally, use of Baikal skullcap has been associated with epigastric pain, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.”

    Baikal Skullcap · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    2 sources cited
    1. 101738. Shin NR, Gu N, Choi HS, Kim H. Combined effects of Scutellaria baicalensis with metformin on glucose tolerance of patients with type 2 diabetes via gut microbiota modulation. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2020;318(1):E52-E61.
    2. 105867. Li WJ, Bao J, Zheng DC, et al. Treatments of Peyronie's disease with Scutellaria baicalensis and surgery according to the disease course: a single-center retrospective study of 261 patients. Ann Palliat Med. 2021 Mar;10(3):2979-2989. PubMed

    Venlafaxine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Venlafaxine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Itching / A skin rash Additional detail

    Baikal Skullcap

    “Orally, taking Baikal skullcap may cause erythema and pruritus. Intravenously, Baikal skullcap as part of a Tanreqing injection has been associated with reports of skin reactions in some pediatric patients.

    Topically, several cases of allergic contact dermatitis have been reported after applying sunscreen containing Baikal skullcap extract.”

    Baikal Skullcap · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    5 sources cited
    1. 105867. Li WJ, Bao J, Zheng DC, et al. Treatments of Peyronie's disease with Scutellaria baicalensis and surgery according to the disease course: a single-center retrospective study of 261 patients. Ann Palliat Med. 2021 Mar;10(3):2979-2989. PubMed
    2. 96281. Lin H, Zhou J, Lin K, et al. Efficacy of Scutellaria baicalensis for the treatment of hand, foot, and mouth disease associated with encephalitis in patients infected with EV71: a multicenter, retrospective analysis. Biomed Res Int 2016;2016:5697571.
    3. 105869. Adam T, Bursztejn AC, Schmutz JL. Facial eczema from a sunscreen: Scutellaria baicalensis, a novel allergen beginning to attract attention. Contact Dermatitis. 2020 Apr;82(4):253-254.
    4. 105870. Luna-Bastante L, Gatica-Ortega ME, Pastor-Nieto MA, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis to Tinosorb S, Scutellaria baicalensis, and other emerging allergens in cosmetics. Contact Dermatitis. 2020 May;82(5):307-309.
    5. 110024. Badaoui A. Allergic contact dermatitis to resveratrol and Scutellaria baicalensis root extract in a cosmetic product. Contact Dermatitis 2022.

    Venlafaxine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Venlafaxine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Showing the 10 most notable of 13 shared effects — ranked by how unusual each one is, not just whether both lists mention it.

Reported for Baikal Skullcap but not commonly for Venlafaxine: stomach pain, kidney problems, yellowing of the skin or eyes and cough.

Effects for Venlafaxine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Baikal Skullcap come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Venlafaxine Products Have a Food Rule — Baikal Skullcap Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Venlafaxine says to take it with food. If you take Baikal Skullcap on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Venlafaxine with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Venlafaxine products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Take once daily with food.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Venlafaxine — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Overlapping uses

What Venlafaxine Is Prescribed For, and What Baikal Skullcap Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Venlafaxine is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Baikal Skullcap is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Venlafaxine is prescribed for: Venlafaxine is used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) across all available formulations. Extended-release capsules (including Effexor XR) are also approved for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and panic disorder (PD). Extended-release tablets are approved for major depressive disorder and social anxiety disorder. Immediate-release venlafaxine tablets are indicated for major depressive disorder only.

Baikal Skullcap has been studied for:

  • Anxiety studied, not established Baikal Skullcap has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Baikal Skullcap for anxiety

    Although there has been interest in using oral Baikal skullcap for anxiety, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of Baikal skullcap for this purpose.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Venlafaxine on your own; if you are taking Baikal Skullcap for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Baikal Skullcap or Venlafaxine

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Baikal Skullcap or Venlafaxine, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Venlafaxine

This page covers Baikal Skullcap only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Venlafaxine page lists 110 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major), Cesium (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 8 major · 82 moderate · 20 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Venlafaxine page

“Venlafaxine (Effexor, Effexor XR) is an antidepressant that raises serotonin, which is exactly where part of the danger on this page sits, and its 110 interactions deserve genuine respect. Eight carry a major rating, most tied to heart rhythm: several ingredients, grapefruit among them, can stretch the QT interval and add to a strain v…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Venlafaxine interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Baikal Skullcap as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 737 real supplement products containing Baikal Skullcap, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Baikal Skullcap. Even though Baikal Skullcap itself has no known interaction with Venlafaxine, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Baikal Skullcap and Venlafaxine Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Baikal Skullcap
Top 25%

#201 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Venlafaxine
Top 5%

#115 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Baikal Skullcap reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Baikal Skullcap and Venlafaxine records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Baikal Skullcap

What is Baikal Skullcap?

Baikal Skullcap
  • Inflammation
  • Allergies
  • Anxiety and sleep
  • Immune support
  • Respiratory infections

Baikal skullcap is a traditional Chinese herb (Huang Qin) used for inflammation, allergies, and infections, with active compounds like baicalin and baicalein studied mostly in the lab. Human evidence remains limited, so it should not replace proven treatments. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Scutellaria baicalensis · Lamiaceae · Root · Capsules, tablets, tinctures, dried root, teas, and standardized extracts

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Baikal Skullcap is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Baikal Skullcap record says about it on its own.

Baikal Skullcap: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose of Baikal skullcap. Products differ widely in their strength and in how much baicalin or baicalein they contain.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

From our Baikal Skullcap monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Baikal Skullcap monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Venlafaxine

What Is Venlafaxine Used For?

Brand names: Effexor XR, Effexor

Venlafaxine is used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) across all available formulations. Extended-release capsules (including Effexor XR) are also approved for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and panic disorder (PD).

Extended-release tablets are approved for major depressive disorder and social anxiety disorder. Immediate-release venlafaxine tablets are indicated for major depressive disorder only.

See full Venlafaxine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Baikal Skullcap

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Baikal Skullcap — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
594Moderate
352Minor
1,883No known interaction
Moderate

594 interactions

Showing 60 of 594 moderate interactions — see all 594 on the Baikal Skullcap page.

Minor

352 interactions

Showing 60 of 352 minor interactions — see all 352 on the Baikal Skullcap page.

No interaction 1,883 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Baikal Skullcap References

The 34 references that drive our Baikal Skullcap monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Huang KC. The pharmacology of Chinese herbs. 2nd ed. New York, NY: CRC Press LLC. 1999;385-6, 400-1.
  2. Hui KM, Wang XH, Xue H. Interaction of flavones from the roots of Scutellaria baicalensis with the benzodiazepine site. Planta Med 2000;66:91-3.
  3. Liao JF, Wang HH, Chen MC, et al. Benzodiazepine binding site-interactive flavones from Scutellaria baicalensis root. Planta Med 1998;64:571-2.
  4. Nishioka T, Kawabata J, Aoyama Y. Baicalein, an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor from Scutellaria baicalensis. J Nat Prod 1998;61:1413-5.
  5. Zhang CZ, Wang SX, Zhang Y, et al. In vitro estrogenic activities of Chinese medicinal plants traditionally used for the management of menopausal symptoms. J Ethnopharmacol 2005;98:295-300. PubMed
  6. Fan L, Zhang W, Guo D, et al. The effect of herbal medicine baicalin on pharmacokinetics of rosuvastatin, substrate of organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B1. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2007;83:471-6. PubMed
  7. Chen C, Mireles RJ, Campbell SD, et al. Differential interaction of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors with ABCB1, ABCC2, and OATP1B1. Drug Metab Dispos 2005;33:537-46. PubMed
  8. Pasanen MK, Fredrikson H, Neuvonen PJ, Niemi M. Different effects of SLCO1B1 polymorphism on the pharmacokinetics of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2007;82:726-33. PubMed
  9. Konig J, Seithel A, Gradhand U, Fromm MF. Pharmacogenomics of human OATP transporters. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg Arch Pharmacol 2006;372:432-43. PubMed
  10. Chalasani N, Vuppalanchi R, Navarro V, et al. Acute liver injury due to flavocoxid (Limbrel), a medical food for osteoarthritis: a case series. Ann Intern Med 2012;156:857-60. PubMed
  11. Reichenbach S, Juni P. Medical food and food supplements: not always as safe as generally assumed. Ann Intern Med 2012;156:894-5. PubMed
  12. Huang, W. M., Yan, J., and Xu, J. [Clinical and experimental study on inhibitory effect of sanhuang mixture on platelet aggregation]. Zhongguo Zhong.Xi.Yi.Jie.He.Za Zhi. 1995;15(8):465-467.
  13. Kim, B. R., Kim, D. H., Park, R., Kwon, K. B., Ryu, D. G., Kim, Y. C., Kim, N. Y., Jeong, S., Kang, B. K., and Kim, K. S. Effect of an extract of the root of Scutellaria baicalensis and its flavonoids on aflatoxin B1 oxidizing cytochrome P450 enzymes. Pl PubMed
  14. Lee, Y., Yeo, H., Liu, S. H., Jiang, Z., Savizky, R. M., Austin, D. J., and Cheng, Y. C. Increased anti-P-glycoprotein activity of baicalein by alkylation on the A ring. J Med Chem 10-21-2004;47(22):5555-5566. PubMed
  15. Huang, Y., Tsang, S. Y., Yao, X., and Chen, Z. Y. Biological properties of baicalein in cardiovascular system. Curr Drug Targets.Cardiovasc.Haematol.Disord 2005;5(2):177-184. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Baikal Skullcap and Venlafaxine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Baikal Skullcap with Venlafaxine?
We do not list a known interaction between Baikal Skullcap and Venlafaxine. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Baikal Skullcap and Venlafaxine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 10 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Should I take Baikal Skullcap and Venlafaxine at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Venlafaxine says to take it with food. If you take Baikal Skullcap on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Venlafaxine with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Venlafaxine products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Are Baikal Skullcap and Venlafaxine used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Baikal Skullcap in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Venlafaxine is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Baikal Skullcap and Venlafaxine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Venlafaxine is filed under 8 classifications, and Baikal Skullcap has documented interactions with 12 drug classes — none of Venlafaxine's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Baikal Skullcap interact with any other medications?
Yes. Baikal Skullcap has 946 documented drug interactions in our database — Venlafaxine is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Venlafaxine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Venlafaxine has documented interactions with 110 supplements in our database — Baikal Skullcap is not one of them. The Venlafaxine interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Venlafaxine and Baikal Skullcap?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.