Drug & supplement interaction

Red Maple + Valproic Acid

Valproic Acid brand names: Depakene, Depacon, Valproate.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Red Maple 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.

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Interaction report

Red Maple 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 Red Maple 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 Red Maple at all — not against Valproic Acid, 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.

Red Maple safety at a glance

Red Maple overall Not established Human safety data is very limited, so use cautiously and only under guidance.
Pregnancy Avoid There is not enough safety information, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety while breastfeeding is unknown, so avoid medicinal use.

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

Still wondering about combining Valproic Acid and Red Maple? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Valproic Acid’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Red Maple. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Valproic Acid’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you take both. 10 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Mania or an unusually elevated mood Worth acting on
  • Hearing loss Worth acting on
  • Bone thinning Worth acting on
  • Pain or burning when passing urine Worth acting on
  • Memory problems Worth acting on
  • Low sodium Worth acting on
  • Unsteadiness Worth acting on
  • A slow heartbeat Worth acting on
  • Seizures Worth acting on mentioned in 6.1% of FDA reports for Valproic Acid
  • Hallucinations Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 72 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Valproic Acid. Read the label on DailyMed › 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. Red Maple’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Red Maple side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Red Maple has no side effects.

How to take them

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

At least one FDA label for a product containing Valproic Acid says to take it with food. If you take Red Maple 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Red Maple 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 Red Maple 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 Red Maple 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

How much people look this up

Where Red Maple 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 Red Maple
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Valproic Acid
Top 25%

#320 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.
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Red Maple and Valproic Acid records this page draws on were last updated June 22, 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 Red Maple

What is Red Maple?

  • Eye and skin irritation (traditional washes)
  • Coughs and sore throat
  • Digestive complaints
  • General tonic
  • Source of edible sap and syrup

Red maple is a common North American tree best known as a source of maple sap, with a long history of traditional Native American medicinal use of its bark and leaves. There is very little modern human research to support any health benefit, so it should not be relied on to treat any condition. Importantly, red maple leaves are highly toxic to horses, and people should use caution and talk to a healthcare provider before using any red maple product.

Acer rubrum · Sapindaceae · Bark, leaves, and sap · Tea, bark decoction, tinctures, and sap/syrup (food use)

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

Red Maple: dosing

There is no established or standardized medicinal dose for red maple. Traditional preparations were made as teas or decoctions of the bark or leaves, but amounts varied widely and were not measured in a consistent way.If you choose to use a commercial product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them.

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

Read the full Red Maple 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 & Red Maple

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Red Maple — 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
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

We checked Red Maple against Valproic Acid in the Natural Medicines interaction database and found no documented interaction on file. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus, and supplement label details from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database.

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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Red Maple and Valproic Acid Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Red Maple with Valproic Acid?
We do not list a known interaction between Red Maple 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.
Should I take Red Maple 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 Red Maple 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.
Does Valproic Acid interact with any supplements?
Yes. Valproic Acid has documented interactions with 173 supplements in our database — Red Maple 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

Still Have a Question About Valproic Acid and Red Maple?

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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.