What happens when you take valerian tea with benzodiazepines?
Valerian root (Valeriana officinalis) is one of the oldest sleep and anxiety remedies in Western herbalism. Its constituents include valerenic acid and related compounds, which appear to act on the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA-A) receptor — the same inhibitory neurotransmitter receptor that benzodiazepines target. Because the two work on overlapping machinery, the concern is that their sedative effects can add together.
- Both reach the same receptor system. Valerenic acid behaves as a positive allosteric modulator of GABA-A receptors, while benzodiazepines bind to a separate site on the same receptor complex to increase how often its chloride channel opens.
- Valerian may support GABA signalling in other ways. Laboratory work suggests valerian extract can also slow the breakdown and reuptake of GABA, nudging inhibitory neurotransmission upward.
- The effects can be additive. When both push the same system in the same direction, the plausible result is deeper sedation, slower reflexes, and a sedative effect that lingers longer than the benzodiazepine alone would produce.
It is worth being clear about the strength of evidence: this interaction rests mainly on the shared mechanism, animal studies, and isolated case reports rather than large human trials. The direction is well supported, but the size of the effect in any one person is uncertain — which is exactly why a cautious, individualised approach makes sense.
Why is this important?
Benzodiazepines such as alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), diazepam (Valium), clonazepam (Klonopin), and temazepam (Restoril) are central nervous system depressants in their own right. They are sedating, they can impair driving and memory, and they raise the risk of falls in older adults. Layering another sedative on top — even a gentle herbal one — can magnify those everyday effects.
The trouble is that valerian tea feels like a harmless bedtime ritual, so people often do not think of it as a drug and do not mention it to a prescriber. That can make the combination matter in a few practical ways:
- More morning grogginess or a next-day "hangover" feeling.
- Slower reaction time, particularly the morning after an evening dose.
- Higher fall risk for older adults, especially getting up at night.
- Harder clinical interpretation: if valerian is not on the record, it is tougher to tell whether a new symptom comes from the medication or the herb.
The concern grows when other depressants are in the mix — alcohol, opioids, sleep medications like zolpidem (Ambien) or eszopiclone (Lunesta), sedating antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, or other calming herbs like kava and hops.
What should you do?
The simplest rule is to treat valerian as a second sedative and keep your prescriber in the loop rather than deciding alone.
Before any change: Tell your prescriber if you already drink valerian tea, or ask before adding valerian to an existing benzodiazepine prescription. If you have just been prescribed a benzodiazepine and you drink valerian regularly, mention it so the two can be weighed together.
Every day, if you continue both: Do not drive or operate dangerous machinery until you know how the combined evening dose affects you. Keep the benzodiazepine and the tea at the same time of evening so the sedation does not drag into the morning. Avoid alcohol, and be cautious with other sedating medicines and supplements.
After a change — or during a taper: If you are tapering off a benzodiazepine under medical supervision, do not start valerian as a self-directed substitute without telling the clinician overseeing the taper, since it can mask early withdrawal signals. Watch for unusual daytime drowsiness or unsteadiness in the days after starting or stopping either one, and report it.
Extra care applies to adults over 65, people with sleep apnea, those on opioid pain medications, and anyone with a history of falls.
Which specific products are affected?
On the medication side, this applies across the benzodiazepine class, including alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), diazepam (Valium), clonazepam (Klonopin), temazepam (Restoril), oxazepam (Serax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), midazolam (Versed), and triazolam (Halcion). The same shared-mechanism reasoning extends to the Z-drugs — zolpidem (Ambien), zaleplon (Sonata), and eszopiclone (Lunesta) — and to barbiturates.
On the valerian side, it covers any preparation that delivers the herb: valerian tea bags marketed for sleep, loose valerian root infusions, valerian tinctures and liquid extracts, standardized valerian capsules and tablets, and combination sleep blends pairing valerian with hops, lemon balm, passionflower, chamomile, or melatonin.
The science behind it
The evidence here is modest and consistent rather than large or definitive:
- The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements Valerian fact sheet states that valerian might have additive sedative effects when combined with benzodiazepines and other central nervous system depressants (ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Valerian-HealthProfessional).
- The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center integrative-medicine monograph on valerian describes the shared GABA-A mechanism and cites animal data plus a case report of prolonged sedation when valerian was combined with a benzodiazepine (mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/valerian).
Taken together, these support the mechanism and the direction of the interaction but stop short of quantifying it in humans — the reason this is treated as a moderate, manage-with-care interaction rather than an absolute contraindication.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it dangerous to drink valerian tea while on a benzodiazepine?
For most people it is a manageable interaction rather than an emergency, but it is not something to do casually. The realistic risk is extra drowsiness and slower reactions, which matter most around driving, machinery, and night-time falls. Clear it with your prescriber first.
How much valerian is too much with a benzodiazepine?
There is no reliable threshold, and that is part of the problem — herbal teas vary widely in strength. Rather than chasing a number, treat any regular valerian use as a second sedative and review it with your doctor or pharmacist.
Can I use valerian to help me come off a benzodiazepine?
Not on your own. Substituting valerian during a supervised taper can blunt the early signs of withdrawal and confuse your clinician's read on how the taper is going. Discuss it before making any swap.
What about Z-drugs like Ambien or Lunesta?
They act on the same GABA-A receptor system, so the same additive-sedation reasoning applies. Treat valerian with a Z-drug the same way you would with a benzodiazepine.
Who should be most careful?
Adults over 65, people with sleep apnea, anyone taking opioids or drinking alcohol, and people with a history of falls. In these groups even a small added sedative load can have outsized consequences.
I drink valerian tea most nights — do I need to stop immediately?
Don't make abrupt changes on your own. Most moderate valerian users can stop the herb without withdrawal, but the right move is to tell your prescriber and decide together which sedative pathway to keep.
Key takeaways
- Valerian and benzodiazepines act on the same GABA-A receptor system, so their sedative effects can add together.
- The evidence is mechanism-, animal-, and case-based, so this is a moderate, manage-with-care interaction — not an absolute ban.
- If you take a benzodiazepine, treat valerian like a second sedative: clear it with your prescriber and avoid alcohol and other depressants.
- Don't drive after a first combined dose until you know the effect, and take extra care if you are over 65 or have sleep apnea.
- Review any valerian use with your doctor or pharmacist rather than adjusting on your own.