Drug & supplement interaction

Foxglove + Valproic Acid

Valproic Acid brand names: Depakene, Depacon, Valproate.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Foxglove and Valproic Acid 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 Valproic Acid 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

Foxglove and Valproic Acid

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 Valproic Acid and Foxglove 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.

Foxglove safety at a glance

Foxglove overall Avoid Foxglove is poisonous and can cause fatal heart rhythm problems; it should never be self-used.
Pregnancy Unsafe When used orally for self-medication; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Unsafe When used orally for self-medication; avoid using. Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Valproic Acid and Foxglove? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Valproic Acid

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Valproic Acid is filed under 8 classifications — including valproate, anticonvulsants, serotonergic drugs. Foxglove has documented interactions with 6 drug classes — the most serious being digoxin (lanoxin) (major), quinine (major) and diuretic drugs (moderate) — and none of Valproic Acid’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

Foxglove Does Interact With Other Medications

Foxglove has 3 major, 130 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Valproic Acid isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 3 Moderate 130 No known interaction 2,697 (incl. Valproic Acid)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Foxglove

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Foxglove and Valproic Acid 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.

  • A slow heartbeat Worth acting on Additional detail

    Foxglove

    “Orally, acute poisoning of foxglove includes electrolyte disturbances, strong slow pulse, atrial arrhythmias, bradycardia, AV block, cardiovascular shock, and death (6,159,501,94836,94837,94838,102790,102791,105852). In some cases, the digoxin antibody or Digibind is administered to reverse foxglove-induced cardiac toxicity, but oftentimes it is not effective.”

    Foxglove · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in arrhythmia.

    6 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 159. Gossel TA, Bricker JD. Principles of Clinical Toxicology. New York, NY:Raven Press, 1994.
    3. 501. De Smet PAGM, Keller K, Hansel R, Chandler RF, Eds. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 1. Verlag, Berlin: Springer, 1992. DOI
    4. 94836. Janssen RM, Berg M, Ovakim DH. Two cases of cardiac glycoside poisoning from accidental foxglove ingestion. CMAJ. 2016;188(10):747-50. PubMed
    5. 94837. Lin CC, Yang CC, Phua DH, Deng JF, Lu LH. An outbreak of foxglove leaf poisoning. J Chin Med Assoc. 2010;73(2):97-100. PubMed
    6. 94838. Wu IL, Yu JH, Lin CC, Seak CJ, Olson KR, Chen HY. Fatal cardiac glycoside poisoning due to mistaking foxglove for comfrey. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2017:1-4. PubMed

    Valproic Acid

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

  • Seizures / Confusion Worth acting on reported in 6.1% of FDA reports for Valproic Acid Additional detail

    Foxglove

    “Orally, acute poisoning of foxglove includes symptoms of dizziness, stupor, confusion, convulsions, fatigue and sometimes vision disturbances (6,159,501,102790,105852). Chronic use of foxglove can lead to intoxication symptoms including visual halos and yellow-green vision (6).”

    Foxglove · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in fatigue.

    5 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 159. Gossel TA, Bricker JD. Principles of Clinical Toxicology. New York, NY:Raven Press, 1994.
    3. 501. De Smet PAGM, Keller K, Hansel R, Chandler RF, Eds. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 1. Verlag, Berlin: Springer, 1992. DOI
    4. 102790. Negroni MS, Marengo A, Caruso D, et al. A case report of accidental intoxication following ingestion of foxglove confused with borage: High digoxinemia without major complications. Case Rep Cardiol. 2019;2019:9707428. PubMed
    5. 105852. Rouault E, Ghnassia C, Filippi-Codaccioni E, Maillard N. Dose and efficacy of repeated administrations of digoxin-specific antibody fragments: Case report of foxglove poisoning. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2021;128(1):183-186. PubMed

    Valproic Acid

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Valproic Acid, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Blurred vision Additional detail

    Foxglove

    “Orally, acute poisoning of foxglove includes contracted pupils and blurred vision (6,159,501,102791).”

    Foxglove · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in poisoning.

    4 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 159. Gossel TA, Bricker JD. Principles of Clinical Toxicology. New York, NY:Raven Press, 1994.
    3. 501. De Smet PAGM, Keller K, Hansel R, Chandler RF, Eds. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 1. Verlag, Berlin: Springer, 1992. DOI
    4. 102791. Maes KR, Depuydt P, Vermassen J, De Paepe P, Buylaert W, Lyphout C. Foxglove poisoning: diagnostic and therapeutic differences with medicinal digitalis glycosides overdose. Acta Clin Belg. 2020:1-7. PubMed

    Valproic Acid

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

  • Stomach upset / Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    Foxglove

    “Orally, acute poisoning of foxglove includes nausea, vomiting, and gastrointestinal (GI) upset (6,159,501,102790,102791,105851,105852). Chronic use of foxglove can also lead to intoxication symptoms including GI upset (6).”

    Foxglove · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    6 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 159. Gossel TA, Bricker JD. Principles of Clinical Toxicology. New York, NY:Raven Press, 1994.
    3. 501. De Smet PAGM, Keller K, Hansel R, Chandler RF, Eds. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 1. Verlag, Berlin: Springer, 1992. DOI
    4. 102790. Negroni MS, Marengo A, Caruso D, et al. A case report of accidental intoxication following ingestion of foxglove confused with borage: High digoxinemia without major complications. Case Rep Cardiol. 2019;2019:9707428. PubMed
    5. 102791. Maes KR, Depuydt P, Vermassen J, De Paepe P, Buylaert W, Lyphout C. Foxglove poisoning: diagnostic and therapeutic differences with medicinal digitalis glycosides overdose. Acta Clin Belg. 2020:1-7. PubMed
    6. 105851. Lehmann A, Späni S, Harings-Kaim A, Probst C, Christ A, Leuppi-Taegtmeyer AB. A case of intoxication with tea made from Digitalis purpurea. Glob Cardiol Sci Pract 2021;2021(1):e202102. PubMed

    Valproic Acid

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

  • Tiredness / Dizziness Additional detail

    Foxglove

    Recorded for Foxglove in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Seizures / Confusion above.

    Valproic Acid

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

Reported for Foxglove but not commonly for Valproic Acid: an electrolyte imbalance and muscle weakness.

Effects for Valproic Acid come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Foxglove come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 30,892 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Valproic Acid that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Foxglove in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Unsafe

When used orally for self-medication; avoid using.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

How to take them

Some Valproic Acid Products Have a Food Rule — Foxglove Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Valproic Acid says to take it with food. If you take Foxglove on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Valproic Acid 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 Valproic Acid 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.

irritation may benefit from administration of the drug with food or by slowly building up the dose from an initial low level.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Valproic Acid — 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 Valproic Acid Is Prescribed For, and What Foxglove Has Been Studied For

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

Valproic Acid is prescribed for: Valproic acid capsules (brands Valproic and Valproic Acid) and valproic acid oral solution (brand Valproic Acid) are both used to treat epilepsy. Specifically, they are approved for complex partial seizures (either alone or with other seizure types) as monotherapy or add-on therapy, and for simple and complex absence seizures as sole therapy or add-on therapy. Both forms are intended for adults and pediatric patients. Always follow your prescriber's guidance on which product and regimen is right for you.

Foxglove has been studied for:

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

    Foxglove for epilepsy

    Although there has been interest in using oral foxglove for epilepsy, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of foxglove 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 Valproic Acid on your own; if you are taking Foxglove for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Foxglove or Valproic Acid

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

This page covers Foxglove only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Valproic Acid page lists 173 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 Kava (major).

By severity: 9 major · 147 moderate · 17 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Valproic Acid page

“Anyone taking valproic acid (Depakene, Depacon) for seizures or bipolar disorder should treat this list with genuine care. Of the 173 supplements and herbs on file, nine are rated major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Valproic Acid interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1 real supplement products containing Foxglove, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Foxglove. Even though Foxglove itself has no known interaction with Valproic Acid, 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 Foxglove and Valproic Acid 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 Foxglove
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Valproic Acid
Top half

#773 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 Foxglove reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Foxglove and Valproic Acid 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 Foxglove

What is Foxglove?

  • Heart failure (historical/medical use)
  • Irregular heartbeat (historical/medical use)
  • Fluid retention or 'dropsy' (historical use)
  • Ornamental garden plant

Foxglove is a beautiful but highly poisonous plant that contains powerful heart-affecting compounds called cardiac glycosides. It should never be used as a home remedy or supplement because even small amounts can cause life-threatening heart problems. The purified prescription drugs derived from it (like digoxin) are used only under close medical supervision.

Digitalis purpurea · Plantaginaceae · Leaves (the dried leaf was historically the source of medicine) · Not recommended in any form; historically used as dried leaf, tincture, or purified drug (digoxin/digitoxin)

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

Foxglove: dosing

There is no safe home dose of foxglove. Because the strength of the natural plant cannot be measured reliably, it should not be taken in any amount as a supplement, tea, or tincture.If your doctor decides you need the heart medicine derived from this plant, you will receive a purified, prescription product with a precise dose and regular blood tests and monitoring.

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

Read the full Foxglove monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Valproic Acid

What Is Valproic Acid Used For?

Brand names: Depakene, Depacon, Valproate

Valproic acid capsules (brands Valproic and Valproic Acid) and valproic acid oral solution (brand Valproic Acid) are both used to treat epilepsy. Specifically, they are approved for complex partial seizures (either alone or with other seizure types) as monotherapy or add-on therapy, and for simple and complex absence seizures as sole therapy or add-on therapy.

Both forms are intended for adults and pediatric patients. Always follow your prescriber's guidance on which product and regimen is right for you.

See full Valproic Acid drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Foxglove

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

3Major
130Moderate
0Minor
2,696No known interaction
3 Major 130 Moderate 2,696 No interaction
Major

3 interactions

Moderate

130 interactions

Showing 60 of 130 moderate interactions — see all 130 on the Foxglove page.

No interaction 2,696 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,696 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Foxglove list.

See the full Foxglove interactions page
See every supplement checked against Valproic Acid, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Foxglove References

The 19 references that drive our Foxglove 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. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
  2. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  3. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  4. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
  5. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
  6. Gossel TA, Bricker JD. Principles of Clinical Toxicology. New York, NY:Raven Press, 1994.
  7. De Smet PAGM, Keller K, Hansel R, Chandler RF, Eds. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 1. Verlag, Berlin: Springer, 1992. DOI
  8. Burnham TH, ed. Drug Facts and Comparisons, Updated Monthly. Facts and Comparisons, St. Louis, MO.
  9. Ramlakhan, S. L. and Fletcher, A. K. It could have happened to Van Gogh: a case of fatal purple foxglove poisoning and review of the literature. Eur.J Emerg.Med 2007;14(6):356-359. PubMed
  10. Yaginuma, M., Orimo, S., Kurosawa, T., Arai, M., and Hiyamuta, E. [Muscle weakness of the upper arms in the last trimester of administering digitalis]. Rinsho Shinkeigaku 1988;28(3):338-341.
  11. Friedman, P. L. and Smith, T. W. Foxglove and Fab: immunological approaches to digitalis intoxication. Int.J.Cardiol. 1983;3(2):237-240. PubMed
  12. Rich, S. A., Libera, J. M., and Locke, R. J. Treatment of foxglove extract poisoning with digoxin-specific Fab fragments. Ann.Emerg.Med 1993;22(12):1904-1907. PubMed
  13. Janssen RM, Berg M, Ovakim DH. Two cases of cardiac glycoside poisoning from accidental foxglove ingestion. CMAJ. 2016;188(10):747-50. PubMed
  14. Lin CC, Yang CC, Phua DH, Deng JF, Lu LH. An outbreak of foxglove leaf poisoning. J Chin Med Assoc. 2010;73(2):97-100. PubMed
  15. Wu IL, Yu JH, Lin CC, Seak CJ, Olson KR, Chen HY. Fatal cardiac glycoside poisoning due to mistaking foxglove for comfrey. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2017:1-4. 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 Foxglove and Valproic Acid Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Foxglove with Valproic Acid?
We do not list a known interaction between Foxglove and Valproic Acid. 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 Foxglove and Valproic Acid have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 9 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 Foxglove and Valproic Acid at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Valproic Acid says to take it with food. If you take Foxglove on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Valproic Acid with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Valproic Acid products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Are Foxglove and Valproic Acid 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 Foxglove in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Valproic Acid is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Foxglove and Valproic Acid combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Valproic Acid is filed under 8 classifications, and Foxglove has documented interactions with 6 drug classes — none of Valproic Acid'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 Foxglove interact with any other medications?
Yes. Foxglove has 133 documented drug interactions in our database — Valproic Acid 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 Valproic Acid interact with any supplements?
Yes. Valproic Acid has documented interactions with 173 supplements in our database — Foxglove is not one of them. The Valproic Acid interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Foxglove monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Valproic Acid drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Valproic Acid supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Valproic Acid, 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 References The 19 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Valproic Acid and Foxglove?

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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.