The short answer
Avoid adding Valeriana officinalis to clorazepate without prescriber review. Official guidance cautions against combining valerian with sedatives.
What this answer covers
Oral Valeriana officinalis root preparations; other species, extracts and mixed products remain distinct.
- Supplement or preparation
- Valeriana officinalis
- Medication ingredient
- clorazepate
Start with the botanical identity
Confirm that the label says Valeriana officinalis and identify the root extract and other sleep ingredients. Different preparations need separate assessment.
What the guidance supports
NCCIH advises against Valeriana officinalis with sedatives because sleep-inducing effects are possible. This precaution depends on identifying the actual product.
The metabolism study has a narrow meaning
In a small study of a specific valerian extract, alprazolam peak concentration rose modestly but overall exposure and half-life did not change significantly. This was a different medicine and did not settle clinical sedation safety.
Watch for impaired alertness
Clorazepate can affect alertness and coordination. Avoid driving if affected. Seek urgent help for severe difficulty waking or breathing, and tell the prescriber about alcohol, opioids and all other sedating products.
Evidence and practical considerations
Side effects & toxicity
Identity-specific review and conditional alertness precaution are appropriate; exact-pair risk magnitude remains unmeasured.
- Exact scope
- Oral Valeriana officinalis root preparations; other species, extracts and mixed products remain distinct. with Exact oral clorazepate dipotassium tablets. Rapid oral decarboxylation forms nordiazepam, with essentially no circulating parent; nordiazepam half-life about 40-50 hours. Human-serum-albumin binding of the swallowed parent is not an in vivo metabolite study. RxNorm IN 2353 relates to PIN 2607 dipotassium, matching the label.
- Medication form and route
- oral
- Timing or duration
- Source-specific single-dose, repeated-dose and observational exposures distinguished.
What remains uncertain
- An alprazolam probe study does not establish clinical safety with this medicine, and cannot identify an unspecified root product.
Factors that may matter: preparation and plant part; clinical indication; dose; other medicines; baseline alertness.
Read the supporting source summaries
Source 1: current product label
dailymed.nlm.nih.gov · Source check Sep 10, 2026
Population: Patients prescribed oral clorazepate.
Can impair alertness and coordination; other CNS depressants can increase impairment. Opioid combinations have a specific respiratory-depression warning. Dependence and withdrawal require supervised changes. Rapid oral decarboxylation forms nordiazepam, with essentially no circulating parent; nordiazepam half-life about 40-50 hours. Human-serum-albumin binding of the swallowed parent is not an in vivo metabolite study. RxNorm IN 2353 relates to PIN 2607 dipotassium, matching the label.
How this applies: Exact IN and labeled oral formulation; route, salt and metabolite distinctions retained.
No quantified risk for every herb or universal protective spacing interval. Opioid-specific evidence does not prove equal botanical respiratory risk.
Source 2: official guidance
nccih.nih.gov · Source check Sep 10, 2026
Population: People considering the specified supplement.
Possible but unproven sleep-inducing effect; advises against use with alcohol or sedatives. Mental dullness can occur; long-term safety is uncertain.
How this applies: Preparation-specific context; not a directly measured clorazepate interaction.
No clorazepate interaction trial. Chronic use can be followed by withdrawal symptoms when stopped abruptly.
Source 3: original human study
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · Source check Sep 10, 2026
Population: Twelve healthy volunteers.
Alprazolam peak concentration increased modestly, but AUC and elimination half-life did not change significantly.
How this applies: Original named medication and preparation only; indirect evidence for clorazepate. Comparator arms are not coadministration.
PK study is not a clinical sedation safety trial. Exact extract/species cannot resolve an unidentified valerian-root inventory item.
Research assessment: · Open full citations ↗
Review and change history
- Publication status
- Published research summary
- Clinical review
- Not yet recorded
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| Article prepared | |
| Current exact available claims adjudicated using original captures and explicit identity and comparator limits. | |
| Research summary published |
Article revision: 06c096987185a16b
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.