Drug & supplement interaction

Boswellia Serrata + Agomelatine

Agomelatine brand name: Valdoxan.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Agomelatine falls into 3 drug categories that Boswellia Serrata can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, Boswellia serrata might increase the levels of CYP2C19 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions3
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Boswellia Serrata and Agomelatine

These two interact in 3 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 3 Interactions?

Boswellia Serrata interacts with whole categories of medication. Agomelatine falls into 3 of those categories, so it can interact with Boswellia Serrata in 3 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) SUBSTRATES

1 of 3

Why this applies to Agomelatine

Agomelatine falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) SUBSTRATES — the group Boswellia Serrata interacts with.

Theoretically, Boswellia serrata might increase the levels of CYP2C19 substrates.
In vitro research shows that Boswellia serrata gum resin inhibits CYP2C19 enzymes.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the short version for agomelatine (Valdoxan). Your body uses liver enzymes to clear this drug, and one of them is CYP2C19. In test-tube studies, the boswellic acids in Boswellia appear to slow that enzyme down a bit. If that happened in real life, agomelatine could clear a little more slowly and build up, which might nudge up its usual effects, things like drowsiness, dizziness, headache, or nausea.

I want to be honest, though: this is a theoretical concern based only on lab data, not real patient reports, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Agomelatine already needs liver monitoring, so if you'd like to add Boswellia, just run it by your pharmacist or doctor first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Frank A, Unger M. Analysis of frankincense from various Boswellia species with inhibitory activity on human drug metabolising cytochrome P450 enzymes using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry after automated on-line extraction. J Chromatogr A 2006;111 PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

2 of 3

Agomelatine also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, Boswellia serrata might increase the levels of CYP1A2 substrates.
In vitro research shows that Boswellia serrata gum resin inhibits CYP1A2 enzymes.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist for agomelatine (Valdoxan): your body relies heavily on a liver enzyme called CYP1A2 to break this medication down. Lab studies suggest boswellic acids from Boswellia may slow that same enzyme. If that happened in real life, agomelatine could clear more slowly and build up, which might mean stronger effects and more side effects like drowsiness, dizziness, headache, or nausea. Agomelatine is not a prodrug, so more drug in your system means a bigger effect, not a smaller one.

That said, this is only a theoretical concern based on test-tube research, not real patients, so I wouldn't panic. Since agomelatine already needs liver monitoring, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before combining them.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Frank A, Unger M. Analysis of frankincense from various Boswellia species with inhibitory activity on human drug metabolising cytochrome P450 enzymes using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry after automated on-line extraction. J Chromatogr A 2006;111 PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES

3 of 3

Agomelatine also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, Boswellia serrata might increase the levels of CYP2C9 substrates.
In vitro research shows that Boswellia serrata gum resin inhibits CYP2C9 enzymes.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist with Boswellia and agomelatine (Valdoxan). Boswellia's active compounds (boswellic acids) appear to slow down a liver enzyme called CYP2C9, which is one of the pathways that helps break agomelatine down. If that pathway runs slower, a bit more agomelatine could linger in your system. In theory, that might nudge up its effects and side effects, like daytime drowsiness, dizziness, headache, nausea, or stomach upset.

I want to be honest, though: this is only a theoretical concern based on lab (test-tube) data, not real patient reports, so it may not amount to much in practice. Still, agomelatine already needs liver monitoring, so it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before pairing the two.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Frank A, Unger M. Analysis of frankincense from various Boswellia species with inhibitory activity on human drug metabolising cytochrome P450 enzymes using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry after automated on-line extraction. J Chromatogr A 2006;111 PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Boswellia Serrata Also Interacts With Other Medications

Boswellia Serrata has 951 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Agomelatine one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 951 No known interaction 1,879 (incl. Agomelatine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Boswellia Serrata

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Agomelatine

This page covers Boswellia Serrata only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Agomelatine page lists 135 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Adrafinil (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate), Artichoke (moderate) and Ashitaba (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 94 moderate · 40 minor.

Open the Agomelatine interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Boswellia Serrata as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 1,914 real supplement products containing Boswellia Serrata, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Boswellia Serrata. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Agomelatine too, on top of Boswellia Serrata — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Boswellia Serrata and Agomelatine 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 Boswellia Serrata
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Agomelatine
Steady interest

#2,121 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.

Supplement

About Boswellia Serrata

What is Boswellia Serrata?

Boswellia Serrata
  • Osteoarthritis joint pain
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Inflammation
  • Asthma
  • Inflammatory bowel conditions

Boswellia serrata is a tree resin used in traditional medicine, mainly for joint pain and inflammation. Some studies suggest it may help with osteoarthritis symptoms, but the overall evidence is limited and more research is needed. It is generally well tolerated, but you should check with your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Read the full Boswellia Serrata monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Boswellia Serrata

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

0Major
951Moderate
0Minor
1,878No known interaction
951 Moderate 1,878 No interaction
Moderate

951 interactions

Showing 60 of 951 moderate interactions — see all 951 on the Boswellia Serrata page.

No interaction 1,878 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Boswellia Serrata against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,878 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Boswellia Serrata list.

See the full Boswellia Serrata interactions page
See every supplement checked against Agomelatine, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
Boswellia Serrata monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Agomelatine supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Agomelatine, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Boswellia Serrata and Agomelatine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Boswellia Serrata with Agomelatine?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 3 interactions listed for Boswellia Serrata and Agomelatine?
Agomelatine belongs to more than one drug category, and Boswellia Serrata interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Boswellia Serrata and Agomelatine interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

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

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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.