Drug & supplement interaction

Water Avens + Valacyclovir

Valacyclovir brand name: Valtrex.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Water Avens 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.

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Interaction report

Water Avens 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 Water Avens 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 Water Avens 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.

Water Avens safety at a glance

Water Avens overall Not established Little modern safety data exists, so caution is advised.
Pregnancy Avoid Safety is not established, so avoid use during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety is not established, so avoid use while breastfeeding.

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

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

What Valacyclovir’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Water Avens. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Valacyclovir’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
  • Dehydration Worth acting on
  • Unsteadiness Worth acting on
  • Hallucinations Worth acting on
  • Confusion Worth acting on
  • A severe skin reaction Worth acting on
  • Seizures Worth acting on
  • Low mood Worth acting on
  • A low platelet count Worth acting on
  • Kidney problems Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 35 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 Valacyclovir. Read the label on DailyMed › Water Avens’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Water Avens side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Water Avens has no side effects.

From our Q&A

Questions About Water Avens 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 Water Avens 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 Water Avens 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 Water Avens 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 Water Avens
Steady interest

#926 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. Water Avens is not yet covered by that licensed database, so its write-up cites publicly available medical sources directly (see the references below).
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Water Avens reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Water Avens 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 Water Avens

What is Water Avens?

  • Diarrhea and digestive upset
  • Sore throat and mouth irritation
  • Mild fever
  • General tonic
  • Astringent for minor wounds

Water avens is a traditional herb whose root has been used as an astringent for diarrhea, sore throats, and digestive complaints. There is very little modern scientific research to confirm that it works or to define a safe dose, so use it cautiously and talk with a pharmacist or doctor first.

Geum rivale · Rosaceae · Root and rhizome (occasionally aerial parts) · Dried root, tea/decoction, tincture

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

Water Avens: dosing

There is no established or standardized dose for water avens. Traditional use involved teas (decoctions) of the dried root or tinctures, but reliable, research-based dosing is not available.If you choose to use a product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them.

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

Read the full Water Avens 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 & Water Avens

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Water Avens — 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

Water Avens References

The 2 sources that drive our Water Avens monograph — publicly available pages from reputable medical and government organizations. Every link was verified to work before publishing. Water Avens is not covered by the licensed Natural Medicines interaction database, so its page cites these public sources directly.

  1. Herbs at a Glance — NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Source
  2. Herbs and Supplements — MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Source

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 Water Avens and Valacyclovir Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Water Avens with Valacyclovir?
We do not list a known interaction between Water Avens 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.
Does Valacyclovir interact with any supplements?
Yes. Valacyclovir has documented interactions with 27 supplements in our database — Water Avens 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 Water Avens?

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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.