Drug & supplement interaction

Laurelwood + Valacyclovir

Valacyclovir brand name: Valtrex.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Laurelwood 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

Laurelwood 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 Laurelwood 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 Laurelwood 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.

Laurelwood safety at a glance

Laurelwood overall Use caution Generally used on the skin only; it can cause allergic reactions and should not be swallowed.
Pregnancy Use caution Limited safety data; topical use may be acceptable but check with your doctor first.
Breastfeeding Use caution Not enough reliable information, so use caution and keep it off the nipple area if nursing.

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

Still wondering about combining Valacyclovir and Laurelwood? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Laurelwood and Valacyclovir 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.

  • Dizziness / Headache Additional detail

    Laurelwood

    “There is currently a limited amount of information available about the adverse effects of laurelwood. Orally, calanolide A, a constituent of laurelwood, has been reported to cause an oily aftertaste, nausea, dizziness, and headache. Topically, tamanu oil from the laurelwood nut has been reported to cause allergic contact dermatitis.”

    Laurelwood · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    2 sources cited
    1. 4290. Reuters Health. Anti-HIV herbal product shows therapeutic potential in phase I trial. November 1, 1999.
    2. 76959. Oku, H., Ueda, Y., Iinuma, M., and Ishiguro, K. Inhibitory effects of xanthones from guttiferae plants on PAF-induced hypotension in mice. Planta Med 2005;71(1):90-92. PubMed

    “Orally, the use of calanolide A, a laurelwood constituent, can cause dizziness and headache.”

    Laurelwood · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    1 source cited
    1. 4290. Reuters Health. Anti-HIV herbal product shows therapeutic potential in phase I trial. November 1, 1999.

    Valacyclovir

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

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Laurelwood

    “Topically, there is one case report of allergic contact dermatitis related to the use of tamanu oil from the nut of laurelwood.”

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

    1 source cited
    1. 76958. Le Coz, C. J. Allergic contact dermatitis from tamanu oil (Calophyllum inophyllum, Calophyllum tacamahaca). Contact Dermatitis 2004;51(4):216-217. PubMed

    Valacyclovir

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

  • Nausea Additional detail

    Laurelwood

    “Orally, the use of calanolide A, a laurelwood constituent, can cause an oily aftertaste and nausea.”

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

    1 source cited
    1. 4290. Reuters Health. Anti-HIV herbal product shows therapeutic potential in phase I trial. November 1, 1999.

    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 Laurelwood 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Laurelwood 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 Laurelwood 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 Laurelwood 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

How much people look this up

Where Laurelwood 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 Laurelwood
Steady interest

#1,257 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Valacyclovir
Top 5%

#31 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 Laurelwood reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Laurelwood and Valacyclovir 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 Laurelwood

What is Laurelwood?

  • Skin care and moisturizing
  • Minor wounds and scars
  • Acne-prone skin
  • Dry or irritated skin
  • Soothing minor burns or insect bites

Laurelwood, the source of tamanu oil, is a tropical tree whose seed oil is used mainly on the skin for moisturizing, soothing irritation, and supporting wound healing. Most evidence is preliminary or based on laboratory studies, and it is meant for external use only. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid swallowing the oil.

Calophyllum inophyllum · Calophyllaceae · Seeds (pressed into oil), and at times the bark and leaves · Tamanu oil (cold-pressed seed oil), creams, balms, and topical skincare products

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

Laurelwood: dosing

There is no official or standardized dose for laurelwood (tamanu) oil. It is used topically, and the amount depends on the product and the area being treated.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and to start with a small amount on a small area.

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

Read the full Laurelwood 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 & Laurelwood

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Laurelwood — 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
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Laurelwood References

The 3 references that drive our Laurelwood 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. Reuters Health. Anti-HIV herbal product shows therapeutic potential in phase I trial. November 1, 1999.
  2. Le Coz, C. J. Allergic contact dermatitis from tamanu oil (Calophyllum inophyllum, Calophyllum tacamahaca). Contact Dermatitis 2004;51(4):216-217. PubMed
  3. Oku, H., Ueda, Y., Iinuma, M., and Ishiguro, K. Inhibitory effects of xanthones from guttiferae plants on PAF-induced hypotension in mice. Planta Med 2005;71(1):90-92. 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 Laurelwood and Valacyclovir Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Laurelwood with Valacyclovir?
We do not list a known interaction between Laurelwood 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 Laurelwood and Valacyclovir have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 4 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 — Laurelwood 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

Still Have a Question About Valacyclovir and Laurelwood?

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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.