Drug & supplement interaction

Ephedra + Diazepam

Diazepam brand names: Valium, Valium injection, Diastat AcuDial, Valtoco.

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

Diazepam falls into 2 drug categories that Ephedra can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, ephedra might decrease levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Ephedra and Diazepam

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Ephedra interacts with whole categories of medication. Diazepam falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Ephedra in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Diazepam

Diazepam falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES — the group Ephedra interacts with.

Theoretically, ephedra might decrease levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.
Some animal research suggests that ephedra induces CYP1A2 and increases the clearance of CYP1A2 substrates such as caffeine.
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 diazepam (Valium) and ephedra. The lab-based theory is that ephedra may rev up an enzyme called CYP1A2, which could clear some drugs out of your system a little faster. If diazepam falls into that group, the worry would be slightly lower diazepam levels, meaning it might not calm anxiety, muscle spasms, or seizures quite as well.

Honestly, this is a weak, theoretical concern that only showed up in animal and test-tube studies, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. The far bigger issue is ephedra itself, a banned stimulant that can spike your blood pressure and heart rate, working against the very calm diazepam is meant to bring. Please skip ephedra and chat with your pharmacist or doctor about safer options.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Tang J, Zhou X, Ji H, Zhu D, Wu L. Effects of ephedra water decoction and cough tablets containing ephedra and liquorice on CYP1A2 and the pharmacokinetics of theophylline in rats. Phytother Res. 2012;26(3):470-4. PubMed
Moderate

ANTICONVULSANTS

2 of 2

Diazepam also falls under ANTICONVULSANTS.

Theoretically, ephedra may reduce the effects of anticonvulsants.
Ephedra has been associated with reports of seizure.
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 basic idea with ephedra and diazepam (Valium). Diazepam is a calming medicine that quiets overactive signals in the brain, and one of its jobs is helping to control seizures. Ephedra works in the opposite direction. It's a strong stimulant that revs up the nervous system, and it has actually been tied to reports of seizures itself.

So the worry is that ephedra could work against what diazepam is trying to do, possibly making it less effective at keeping seizures or anxiety under control. I'll be honest, this is a theoretical concern based on how the two behave, not something proven in studies. Still, ephedra is banned in U.S. supplements for good reason, and I wouldn't pair it with diazepam. Please check with your doctor or pharmacist about safer options.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Haller CA, Meier KH, Olson KR. Seizures reported in association with use of dietary supplements. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2005;43:23-30. 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

Ephedra Also Interacts With Other Medications

Ephedra has 337 major, 495 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Diazepam one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 337 Moderate 495 No known interaction 1,998 (incl. Diazepam)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Ephedra

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Ephedra or Diazepam

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Ephedra or Diazepam, 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 Diazepam

This page covers Ephedra only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Diazepam page lists 244 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (ghb) (major) and Grapefruit (major).

By severity: 9 major · 191 moderate · 44 minor.

Open the Diazepam interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 37 real supplement products containing Ephedra, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Ephedra. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Diazepam too, on top of Ephedra — 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 Ephedra and Diazepam 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 Ephedra
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Diazepam
Top 5%

#128 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 Ephedra

What is Ephedra?

Ephedra
  • Weight loss
  • Nasal and sinus congestion
  • Asthma and breathing problems
  • Boosting energy and athletic performance
  • Allergies

Ephedra (ma huang) contains powerful stimulants like ephedrine that affect the heart and nervous system. Because it has been linked to serious harms including high blood pressure, stroke, and death, it is banned for use in dietary supplements in the U.S. and many other countries. We do not recommend using ephedra-containing supplements; talk to your pharmacist or doctor about safer, approved options.

Read the full Ephedra monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Diazepam

What Is Diazepam Used For?

Brand names: Valium, Valium injection, Diastat AcuDial, Valtoco

  • Diazepam is used to relieve anxiety and to control agitation caused by alcohol withdrawal. It is also used along with other medications to control muscle spasms and spasticity caused by certain neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy (condition that causes difficulty with movement and balance), paraplegia (inability to move parts of the body), athetosis (abnormal muscle contractions), and stiff-man syndrome (a rare disorder with muscle rigidity and stiffness). Diazepam is also used along with other medications to control seizures. Diazepam is in a class of medications called benzodiazepines. It works by calming abnormal overactivity in the brain.

See full Diazepam drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Ephedra

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

337Major
495Moderate
0Minor
1,997No known interaction
337 Major 495 Moderate 1,997 No interaction
Major

337 interactions

Showing 60 of 337 major interactions — see all 337 on the Ephedra page.

Moderate

495 interactions

Showing 60 of 495 moderate interactions — see all 495 on the Ephedra page.

No interaction 1,997 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,997 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Ephedra list.

See the full Ephedra interactions page
See every supplement checked against Diazepam, 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
Ephedra monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Diazepam supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Diazepam, ranked by severity Diazepam drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication 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 Ephedra and Diazepam Together: Common Questions

Can you take Ephedra with Diazepam?
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 2 interactions listed for Ephedra and Diazepam?
Diazepam belongs to more than one drug category, and Ephedra 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 Ephedra and Diazepam 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

Still Have a Question About Diazepam and Ephedra?

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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.