Drug & supplement interaction

Valerian + Valsartan

Valsartan brand names: Diovan, Prexxartan.

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 Valerian and Valsartan 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

Valerian and Valsartan

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 Valsartan and Valerian 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.

Valerian safety at a glance

Valerian overall Use caution Generally well tolerated short-term, but long-term safety is not well studied.
Pregnancy Avoid Safety has not been established, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information, so avoid while breastfeeding.

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

Pharmacist analysis

While there is no known interaction between valerian and the drug in question here, it does have potential interactions with other drugs that are important to be aware of.

For example, valerian may enhance the effects of central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates. This means that combining valerian with these drugs can lead to excessive sedation and other side effects, such as dizziness and impaired coordination.

Similarly, if you take a drug that causes you to feel tired (e.g., Benadryl), valerian may enhance that effect.

Valerian may also interact with certain medications metabolized by the liver, such as statins and some antidepressants, as it can affect the liver enzymes that break down these drugs. For example, valerian may affect drugs metabolized via the CYP3A4 enzyme.

This can result in increased levels of these medications in the bloodstream, leading to potential side effects and toxicity.

We have hundreds of interactions listed for valerian that you can find in this interaction tool, but as always, if you are taking any prescription medications, it is important to talk to your healthcare provider before using valerian or any other supplements to ensure they are safe and appropriate for you.

—

Still wondering about combining Valsartan and Valerian? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Valsartan

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Valsartan is filed under 4 classifications — including angiotensin receptor blockers (arbs), cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) substrates, antihypertensive drugs. Valerian has documented interactions with 6 drug classes — the most serious being alcohol (ethanol) (moderate), alprazolam (xanax) (moderate) and cns depressants (moderate) — and none of Valsartan’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

Valerian Does Interact With Other Medications

Valerian has 338 moderate, 564 minor known drug interactions in our database — Valsartan isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 338 Minor 564 No known interaction 1,928 (incl. Valsartan)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Valerian

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Valerian and Valsartan 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Heart failure Worth acting on Additional detail

    Valerian

    “When used orally in high doses for an extended period of time, valerian withdrawal has been associated with tachycardia and high output cardiac failure in one patient with a history of coronary artery disease. Chest tightness has been reported for an 18-year-old female who took 40-50 capsules containing valerian 470 mg/capsule.”

    Valerian · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in coronary heart disease (chd).

    3 sources cited
    1. 3487. Garges HP, Varia I, Doraiswamy PM. Cardiac complications and delirium associated with Valerian root withdrawal. [Letter to the Editor]. JAMA 1998;280:1566-7. PubMed
    2. 659. Willey LB, Mady SP, Cobaugh DJ, Wax PM. Valerian overdose: a case report. Vet Hum Toxicol 1995;37:364-5.
    3. 81734. Wells SR. International intravenous administration of a crude valerian root extract. NACCT 1995;33:542.

    Valsartan

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

  • Low blood pressure reported in 6.1% of FDA reports for Valsartan Additional detail

    Valerian

    Recorded for Valerian in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Heart failure above.

    Valsartan

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

  • Tiredness reported in 10.0% of FDA reports for Valsartan Additional detail

    Valerian

    “Orally, valerian might cause dizziness, headaches, fatigue, sleepiness, and mental dullness. The severity of adverse effects appears to increase with higher doses. However, taking valerian extracts in doses up to 1800 mg does not appear to significantly affect mood or psychomotor performance. Valerian does not usually have a negative impact on reaction time, alertness, and concentration the morning after intake.”

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

    6 sources cited
    1. 3484. Klepser TB, Klepser ME. Unsafe and potentially safe herbal therapies. Am J Health Syst Pharm 1999;56:125-38. PubMed
    2. 17578. National Toxicology Program, US Department of Health and Human Services. Chemical Information Review Document for Valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) [CAS No. 8057-49-6] and Oils [CAS No. 8008-88-6]. Supporting Nomination for Toxicological Evaluation by t
    3. 19411. Diaper A, Hindmarch I. A double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation of the effects of two doses of a valerian preparation on the sleep, cognitive and psychomotor function of sleep-disturbed older adults. Phytother Res. 2004 Oct;18:831-6. PubMed
    4. 19422. Cuellar NG, Ratcliffe SJ. Does valerian improve sleepiness and symptom severity in people with restless legs syndrome? Altern Ther Health Med 2009;15:22-8.
    5. 81723. National Toxicology Program, US Department of Health and Human Services. Chemical Information Review Document for Valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) [CAS No. 8057-49-6] and Oils [CAS No. 8008-88-6]. 2009;
    6. 89407. Mirabi P, Mojab F. The effects of valerian root on hot flashes in menopausal women. Iran J Pharm Res 2013;12(1):217-22.

    “In a case report, combined intake of valerian and passionflower caused throbbing and muscular fatigue when taken concomitantly with lorazepam.”

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

    1 source cited
    1. 19429. Carrasco MC, Vallejo JR, Pardo-de-Santayana M, et al. Interactions of Valeriana officinalis L. and Passiflora incarnata L. in a patient treated with lorazepam. Phytother Res. 2009 Dec;23:1795-6.

    Valsartan

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

  • Dizziness / Headache reported in 6.2% of FDA reports for Valsartan Additional detail

    Valerian

    Recorded for Valerian in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Heart failure above.

    Valsartan

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

  • Stomach pain / Diarrhea Additional detail

    Valerian

    “Orally, valerian has been associated with increased incidence of gastrointestinal problems including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain. In one individual, taking 20 times the normal dose caused abdominal cramping.”

    Valerian · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    6 sources cited
    1. 15046. Jacobs BP, Bent S, Tice JA, et al. An internet-based randomized, placebo-controlled trial of kava and valerian for anxiety and insomnia. Medicine (Baltimore) 2005;84:197-207. PubMed
    2. 19406. Fernández-San-Martín MI, Masa-Font R, Palacios-Soler L, et al. Effectiveness of Valerian on insomnia: a meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials. Sleep Med. 2010 Jun;11:505-11. PubMed
    3. 19407. Coxeter PD, Schluter PJ, Eastwood HL, et al. Valerian does not appear to reduce symptoms for patients with chronic insomnia in general practice using a series of randomised n-of-1 trials. Complement Ther Med. 2003 Dec;11:215-22. PubMed
    4. 19422. Cuellar NG, Ratcliffe SJ. Does valerian improve sleepiness and symptom severity in people with restless legs syndrome? Altern Ther Health Med 2009;15:22-8.
    5. 110712. Hajizadeh I, Jamshidi M, Kazemi M, Kargar H, Sadeghi T. Comparison the effect of valerian and gabapentin on RLS and sleep quality in hemodialysis patients: A randomized clinical trial. Ther Apher Dial 2023.
    6. 659. Willey LB, Mady SP, Cobaugh DJ, Wax PM. Valerian overdose: a case report. Vet Hum Toxicol 1995;37:364-5.

    Valsartan

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

Reported for Valerian but not commonly for Valsartan: stomach upset, dependence or withdrawal symptoms, kidney problems and memory problems.

Effects for Valsartan come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Valerian come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 242,792 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Valsartan 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Valerian or Valsartan

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

This page covers Valerian only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Valsartan page lists 182 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Tyramine (major) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 145 moderate · 33 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Valsartan page

“Of the 182 supplements and herbs on file for valsartan (Diovan), a medication for high blood pressure and heart failure, most either deepen its blood-pressure-lowering effect or work against it, and the four rated major deserve genuine respect before the rest of the page. Activated charcoal can cut the absorption of oral doses, and the…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Valsartan interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 2,185 real supplement products containing Valerian, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Valerian. Even though Valerian itself has no known interaction with Valsartan, 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 Valerian and Valsartan 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 Valerian
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Valsartan
Top 5%

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

What is Valerian?

Valerian
  • Insomnia and poor sleep
  • Anxiety and stress
  • Restlessness
  • Muscle tension or cramps
  • Menstrual discomfort

Valerian is an herb whose root is widely used as a natural sleep aid and for calming nerves. The evidence is mixed and often weak, so it may help some people sleep but does not work reliably for everyone. It is generally well tolerated for short-term use, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before starting it.

Valeriana officinalis · Caprifoliaceae · Root and rhizome · Capsules, tablets, tinctures, liquid extracts, teas

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

Valerian: dosing

There is no single standardized dose of valerian that is proven best. Products vary widely in strength and in how they are prepared, and some are standardized to a certain amount of valerenic acid while others are not.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and to start with the lowest suggested amount. When used for sleep, it is often taken a short time before bedtime.

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

Read the full Valerian monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Valsartan

What Is Valsartan Used For?

Brand names: Diovan, Prexxartan

Valsartan is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) in adults and children, heart failure in adults, and to lower the risk of cardiovascular death in adults who have had a heart attack and have reduced heart function. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack.

Diovan (valsartan) tablets are approved to treat high blood pressure in children as young as 1 year old. Valsartan tablets (generic) are approved for children 6 years and older. Valsartan oral solution is specifically indicated for patients with heart failure or post-heart attack left ventricular dysfunction who are unable to swallow tablets.

See full Valsartan drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Valerian

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

0Major
338Moderate
564Minor
1,927No known interaction
338 Moderate 564 Minor 1,927 No interaction
Moderate

338 interactions

Showing 60 of 338 moderate interactions — see all 338 on the Valerian page.

Minor

564 interactions

Showing 60 of 564 minor interactions — see all 564 on the Valerian page.

No interaction 1,927 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,927 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Valerian list.

See the full Valerian interactions page
See every supplement checked against Valsartan, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Valerian References

The 37 references that drive our Valerian 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. Willey LB, Mady SP, Cobaugh DJ, Wax PM. Valerian overdose: a case report. Vet Hum Toxicol 1995;37:364-5.
  2. Kuhlmann J, Berger W, Podzuweit H, Schmidt U. The influence of valerian treatment on "reaction time, alertness and concentration" in volunteers. Pharmacopsychiatry 1999;32:235-41. PubMed
  3. Klepser TB, Klepser ME. Unsafe and potentially safe herbal therapies. Am J Health Syst Pharm 1999;56:125-38. PubMed
  4. Houghton PJ. The scientific basis for the reputed activity of Valerian. J Pharm Pharmacol 1999;51:505-12. PubMed
  5. Garges HP, Varia I, Doraiswamy PM. Cardiac complications and delirium associated with Valerian root withdrawal. [Letter to the Editor]. JAMA 1998;280:1566-7. PubMed
  6. Budzinski JW, Foster BC, Vandenhoek S, Arnason JT. An in vitro evaluation of human cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibition by selected commercial herbal extracts and tinctures. Phytomedicine 2000;7:273-82. PubMed
  7. MacGregor FB, Abernethy VE, Dahabra S, et al. Hepatotoxicity of herbal remedies. BMJ 1989;299:1156-7. PubMed
  8. Leathwood PD, Chauffard F. Aqueous extract of valerian reduces latency to fall asleep in man. Planta Med 1985;2:144-8. PubMed
  9. Hadley S, Petry JJ. Valerian. Am Fam Physician 2003;67:1755-8..
  10. Glass JR, Sproule BA, Herrmann N, et al. Acute pharmacological effects of temazepam, diphenhydramine, and valerian in healthy elderly subjects. J Clin Psychopharmacol 2003;23:260-8. PubMed
  11. Lefebvre T, Foster BC, Drouin CE, et al. In vitro activity of commercial valerian root extracts against human cytochrome P450 3A4. J Pharm Pharmaceut Sci 2004;7:265-73.
  12. Yuan CS, Mehendale S, Xiao Y, et al. The gamma-aminobutyric acidergic effects of valerian and valerenic acid on rat brainstem neuronal activity. Anesth Analg 2004;98:353-8. PubMed
  13. Donovan JL, DeVane CL, Chavin KD, et al. Multiple night-time doses of valerian (Valeriana officinalis) had minimal effects on CYP3A4 activity and no effect on CYP2D6 activity in healthy volunteers. Drug Metab Dispos 2004;32:1333-6. PubMed
  14. Gurley BJ, Gardner SF, Hubbard MA, et al. In vivo effects of goldenseal, kava kava, black cohosh, and valerian on human cytochrome P450 1A2, 2D6, 2E1, and 3A4/5 phenotypes. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2005;77:415-26. PubMed
  15. Gutierrez S, Ang-Lee MK, Walker DJ, Zacny JP. Assessing subjective and psychomotor effects of the herbal medication valerian in healthy volunteers. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2004;78:57-64. 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 Valerian and Valsartan Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Valerian with Valsartan?
We do not list a known interaction between Valerian and Valsartan. 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 Valerian and Valsartan have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 7 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.
How was the Valerian and Valsartan combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Valsartan is filed under 4 classifications, and Valerian has documented interactions with 6 drug classes — none of Valsartan'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 Valerian interact with any other medications?
Yes. Valerian has 902 documented drug interactions in our database — Valsartan 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 Valsartan interact with any supplements?
Yes. Valsartan has documented interactions with 182 supplements in our database — Valerian is not one of them. The Valsartan 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

Valerian monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Valsartan drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Valsartan supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Valsartan, 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 37 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Valsartan and Valerian?

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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.