The short answer
Check with your prescriber before using borage oil while taking valproate, especially for epilepsy. A case report linked borage seed oil use with a prolonged seizure, but it does not establish that borage oil interacts with valproate.
What this answer covers
Borage seed oil from Borago officinalis. Evidence about leaves, flowers or other oils is not treated as seed-oil evidence.
- Supplement or preparation
- Borage Oil
- Medication ingredient
- valproate
What was reported
An original case report describes status epilepticus after a person consumed borage seed oil for one week. This is a signal to take seriously, but a single report cannot establish how often this happens or whether the oil caused the seizure.
What it means with valproate
The inspected report does not establish that borage oil reduces valproate levels or defeats seizure treatment. Your reason for taking valproate matters: a seizure concern deserves particular attention when it is prescribed for epilepsy.
Check the plant part and product
This evidence concerns seed oil. It does not show that every borage preparation has the same effects. Bring the full label, including other ingredients, to your pharmacist or prescriber rather than relying on the plant name alone.
Timing and next steps
The available evidence does not establish a protective spacing interval. Discuss use before starting, and seek urgent care for a prolonged seizure. Do not abruptly stop valproate prescribed for epilepsy in response to this report.
Evidence and practical considerations
Side effects & toxicity
A reported prolonged seizure after borage seed oil supports caution in people taking valproate for epilepsy, but a pair-specific seizure effect remains unproven.
- Exact scope
- Borage seed oil from Borago officinalis. Evidence about leaves, flowers or other oils is not treated as seed-oil evidence. with Oral valproate active moiety; label evidence is from oral valproic acid capsules, with Depakote exposure identified separately where relevant.
- Medication form and route
- oral valproate; supplement route as specified in source and scope
- Timing or duration
- No safe co-use duration or protective spacing interval established.
What remains uncertain
- One abstract-level report cannot establish causation, a safe dose or a valproate-specific interaction.
Factors that may matter: epilepsy; uncertain product composition.
Read the supporting source summaries
Source 1: current oral product label
dailymed.nlm.nih.gov · Source check Sep 10, 2026
Population: Patients prescribed oral valproic acid capsules.
Label warns of potentially fatal liver injury, especially during the first six months, and thrombocytopenia/coagulation abnormalities. It recommends baseline and follow-up liver and blood assessments. P450 oxidation is a minor metabolic pathway. Aspirin increased free valproate fraction in six pediatric patients; the study is aspirin-specific.
How this applies: Medication risk and identity context for RxCUI 40254 valproate; oral active-moiety bridge only.
Not a study of any of these botanical combinations. Active-moiety identity does not establish interchangeable doses, release kinetics or routes. Aspirin results do not establish salicin or methyl salicylate effects.
Source 2: case report
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · Source check Sep 10, 2026
Population: One person with status epilepticus.
Status epilepticus was reported after a week of borage oil ingestion.
How this applies: A limited seed-oil seizure signal; does not prove an interaction with valproate or establish that all borage oils cause seizures.
The inspected abstract provides no controlled comparison, product assay, or established valproate interaction. Full-text attempts encountered access failures; details returned only in discovery were not used for causal adjudication.
Research assessment: · Open full citations ↗
Review and change history
- Publication status
- Published research summary
- Clinical review
- Not yet recorded
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| Article prepared | |
| Original sources checked and exact-pair evidence package prepared; no clinical review asserted. | |
| Research summary published |
Article revision: 4a49c5d76bec77d1
This guide brings together the evidence records used by our interaction checker. Each finding retains its own preparation limits, research date, and source summaries.
Full citations require verification. Reading this answer and the source summaries does not.
Taking other supplements or medications?
Use the checker to explore your other combinations. Ask a pharmacist to review the exact products, amounts and medical conditions in your complete list.
Open the interaction checkerInformation, not medical advice. Do not change prescribed treatment based on this guide.