Drug & supplement interaction

Ground Ivy + Valacyclovir

Valacyclovir brand name: Valtrex.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Ground Ivy and Valacyclovir 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 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

Ground Ivy and Valacyclovir

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 Valacyclovir and Ground Ivy 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Ground Ivy at all — not against Valacyclovir, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Ground Ivy safety at a glance

Ground Ivy overall Use caution Limited safety data exist, and high doses or essential oil may be harmful.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When used orally because of abortifacient activity; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Avoid There is not enough safety information, so it is best avoided while breastfeeding.

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 Valacyclovir and Ground Ivy? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Ground Ivy and Valacyclovir May Share a Side Effect

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.

  • Itching Additional detail

    Ground Ivy

    “Orally and topically, ground ivy seems to be well tolerated. However, a thorough evaluation of safety outcomes has not been conducted.

    Topically: Itching and stinging.”

    Ground Ivy · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in pruritus.

    “Skin stinging and itching has been reported in patients applying a ground ivy extract 1% lotion twice daily. This occurred during the first two weeks of treatment, but disappeared upon further treatment.”

    Ground Ivy · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in pruritus.

    1 source cited
    1. 95014. Ha JH, Kang WH, Lee JO, et al. Clinical evaluation of the depigmenting effect of Glechoma Hederacea extract by topical treatment for 8 weeks on UV-induced pigmentation in Asian skin. Eur J Dermatol. 2011;21(2):218-22. PubMed

    Valacyclovir

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

Effects for Valacyclovir come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Ground Ivy 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.

Special populations

Ground Ivy in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Likely Unsafe

When used orally because of abortifacient activity; 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

From our Q&A

Questions About Ground Ivy or Valacyclovir

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

This page covers Ground Ivy only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Valacyclovir page lists 27 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), African Wild Potato (moderate), Banderol (moderate), Biofeedback (moderate) and Caffeic Acid (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 17 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Valacyclovir page

“Valacyclovir (Valtrex) works against herpes outbreaks only if enough of it gets absorbed into your blood, and most of this list threatens exactly that. Of the 27 supplements on file, 17 can change how well oral medicines like this one are absorbed, and the single major-rated entry, activated charcoal, binds drugs in the gut outright.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Valacyclovir interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 11 real supplement products containing Ground Ivy, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Ground Ivy. Even though Ground Ivy itself has no known interaction with Valacyclovir, 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 Ground Ivy and Valacyclovir 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 Ground Ivy
Steady interest

#1,072 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Valacyclovir
Top 5%

#30 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 Ground Ivy reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Ground Ivy and Valacyclovir records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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 Ground Ivy

What is Ground Ivy?

Ground Ivy
  • Coughs and upper respiratory complaints
  • Digestive upset
  • Kidney and bladder complaints
  • Mild inflammation or arthritis
  • Menstrual irregularities

Ground ivy is a creeping plant in the mint family that has a long history of folk use for coughs, digestive problems, and urinary complaints. Modern human studies are lacking, so its benefits are unproven. Because of safety concerns, it should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding and used cautiously by everyone else.

Glechoma hederacea · Lamiaceae · Above-ground parts (leaves, flowers, and stems) · Tea, tincture, dried herb, capsules, and occasionally fresh herb

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

Ground Ivy: dosing

There is no well-established or standardized dose for ground ivy. Traditional use most often involved a tea made from the dried leaves and flowering tops, or a tincture.Because product strength varies widely and reliable dosing studies are lacking, the safest approach is to follow the directions on a specific product's label and to start low.

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

Read the full Ground Ivy monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Valacyclovir

What Is Valacyclovir Used For?

Brand name: Valtrex

Valacyclovir tablets are used in adults to treat cold sores (herpes labialis), genital herpes (initial and recurrent episodes), and shingles (herpes zoster). They can also be taken daily as suppressive therapy to reduce how often genital herpes outbreaks occur, and to lower the risk of passing genital herpes to a partner.

In children and adolescents, valacyclovir tablets are used to treat cold sores in those aged 12 and older, and chickenpox in those aged 2 to under 18. Valacyclovir has not been established as safe and effective for most uses in immunocompromised patients, with the exception of suppressive therapy for genital herpes in HIV-infected adults.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Valacyclovir

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (70,056 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 4,317 reports
Nausea 3,985 reports
Diarrhea 3,648 reports
Headache 2,964 reports
Fever 2,753 reports
See full Valacyclovir drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Ground Ivy

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Ground Ivy list.

See the full Ground Ivy interactions page
See every supplement checked against Valacyclovir, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Ground Ivy References

The 2 references that drive our Ground Ivy 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. Newall CA, Anderson LA, Philpson JD. Herbal Medicine: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals. London, UK: The Pharmaceutical Press, 1996.
  2. Ha JH, Kang WH, Lee JO, et al. Clinical evaluation of the depigmenting effect of Glechoma Hederacea extract by topical treatment for 8 weeks on UV-induced pigmentation in Asian skin. Eur J Dermatol. 2011;21(2):218-22. 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 Ground Ivy and Valacyclovir Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Ground Ivy with Valacyclovir?
We do not list a known interaction between Ground Ivy and Valacyclovir. 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 Ground Ivy and Valacyclovir have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to one 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.
Does Valacyclovir interact with any supplements?
Yes. Valacyclovir has documented interactions with 27 supplements in our database — Ground Ivy is not one of them. The Valacyclovir 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

Ground Ivy monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Valacyclovir drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Valacyclovir supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Valacyclovir, 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 2 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Valacyclovir and Ground Ivy?

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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.