Valerian, St. John's Wort & Passionflower: Can You Take Them Together?

Valerian, St. John's wort, and passionflower – hardly any calming or sleep shelf is complete without this trio. Often, all three even sit together in a single capsule. But at the latest when you glance at the label, a question comes up: are you actually allowed to take these classics together – or do they clash? And what about the vitamin B12 that many products throw in as well?

In short: yes, valerian and passionflower traditionally combine well – they come from the same "calming" plant world and complement each other in numerous combination products. The real caution applies to St. John's wort: it can weaken the effect of many medications – above all the contraceptive pill. If you regularly take medication, you should therefore check the combination with a doctor beforehand.

No health claims are currently authorised in the EU for valerian, passionflower, or St. John's wort – so here we classify them neutrally, in the context of their traditional use. Vitamin B12 is different: officially authorised claims exist for this nutrient, which we touch on briefly further below.

Why This Trio So Often Appears Together

Across much of Europe, valerian, passionflower, and St. John's wort look back on a long history in traditional, experience-based medicine. Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is traditionally used for nervous tension and to support calm sleep – the EMA monograph lists the root as a traditional herbal medicine precisely for this area. The EMA classifies passionflower herb in a very similar way: it's traditionally considered a herb for periods of mild inner restlessness. St. John's wort, in turn, has long been associated in tradition with emotional balance and a stable mood.

It's exactly this division of roles that explains why the three so often appear together. Valerian and passionflower cover the "calm and sleep" side, St. John's wort the "mood and balance" side. A combination product therefore bundles two needs that often coincide in daily life: staying balanced during the day and winding down well in the evening. It's important to know that "traditional use" rests on long-standing experience and explicitly makes no claim of a proven healing effect. For a food supplement, this experience-based framework is exactly the right one – it's about gentle everyday support, not about treating complaints. If you'd like to understand the individual plants in more depth, it's worth taking a look at Valerian, Explained Plainly and Passionflower for Calming.

The Three Plants in Brief

Before we get to the combination, a sober overview helps. The table below sums up what the three plants traditionally stand for and at what time of day they're classically used.

What stands out is how closely valerian and passionflower align – both clearly belong to the field of calming herbs and are mostly used in the evening. St. John's wort dances a little out of step here: it's used more during the day and on a regular basis, and – unlike the other two – it comes with a relevant interaction profile. You can read in detail how the two heavyweights, valerian and St. John's wort, differ from each other in St. John's Wort or Valerian Compared. We've also put together a separate, detailed look at the use, forms, and interactions of St. John's wort in St. John's Wort: Use & Interactions.

Can You Take Valerian, St. John's Wort, and Passionflower Together?

From the perspective of traditional use, nothing speaks against combining the three plants – on the contrary, they've long been processed together in teas and combination products. Valerian and passionflower are considered a duo that works well together; and the question "can you take passionflower together with St. John's wort?" can also be answered with a basic yes, purely from a combination standpoint. The widespread worry that the plants might "neutralise" each other doesn't hold up from the perspective of traditional use. Ready-made complexes take the dosing work off your hands here, since the composition is already tuned to work together – one example is the "Inner Balance" complex, which brings together exactly these three plants with vitamin B12.

Two caveats matter, though. First, "traditionally combinable" doesn't replace a doctor's sign-off if you take medication or have pre-existing conditions – more on that shortly. Second, the same principle applies to plants as to anything else: more isn't better. Stick to one source, or one product, and don't stack several valerian or St. John's wort products on top of each other just to increase the amount.

A word on the forms available: as a tea, the plants are mild, and the amount you take in naturally varies from cup to cup. Capsules with standardised extracts, by contrast, deliver a consistent dose, and a complex combines several of these extracts into a defined daily amount – which makes intake straightforward and easy to plan. Anyone who tends to react sensitively can ease in gently and first observe how they tolerate the combination, before making it a fixed part of their routine.

Timing and Order: When to Take What

There's no fixed "correct order" for these three plants – what matters more is the time of day that fits their traditional role. Valerian and passionflower are classically used in the later afternoon and evening, since their field is winding down. St. John's wort, by contrast, is more often taken regularly throughout the day, frequently with a meal.

With a combination product, the manufacturer takes this fine-tuning off your hands: here, only the serving recommendation on the packaging counts. So take the stated amount exactly as indicated – usually with enough water and, if recommended, with a meal. Don't exceed the recommended daily amount on the assumption that it will then work "faster". And keep in mind: food supplements are no substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.

A realistic outlook also helps: calming herbs traditionally play their role quietly and through a certain regularity, rather than with a noticeable, instant effect. It's best to avoid combining them with alcohol, and especially not to plan valerian and passionflower right before situations where you need to be fully alert – such as driving or operating machinery.

Safety First: The Interactions of St. John's Wort

The most important point in this entire guide isn't about how the three plants interact with each other, but about St. John's wort interacting with medications. St. John's wort can stimulate certain enzymes in the liver that cause drugs to be broken down more quickly. The consequence: the affected medications can work less effectively. Germany's Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice centre) explicitly points out these interactions.

Specifically, St. John's wort can, among other things:

• weaken the effect of the contraceptive pill – contraceptive protection is then no longer reliably guaranteed;
• affect the effect of other medications, such as certain antidepressants, blood thinners (anticoagulants), immunosuppressants, and some heart, blood pressure, and HIV medications;
• increase the skin's sensitivity to sunlight (technical term: photosensitisation) – it's best to avoid intense sun exposure and sunbeds during this time.

That doesn't mean St. John's wort is "dangerous" – it means it wants to be treated with respect. If you take medication long-term, are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a pre-existing condition, or have surgery coming up, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before use. This also applies, incidentally, if you want to stop taking St. John's wort again, since that too can shift the right dose of other medications once more. It's also a good idea to mention that you're taking St. John's wort whenever you're prescribed new medication – that way, your doctor's practice or pharmacy can factor the combination in from the start.

And What About Vitamin B12?

Many combination products – including the one mentioned above – supplement the three plants with vitamin B12. The good news first: combining "St. John's wort and vitamin B12" is unproblematic. B12 is a water-soluble vitamin and carries no known negative interactions with valerian, passionflower, or St. John's wort.

Unlike the three plants, vitamin B12 even has officially authorised claims. Vitamin B12 contributes to normal function of the nervous system and to normal psychological function; it also contributes to normal energy metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. This explains why it fits sensibly into a "calm and balance" complex: it contributes a nutrient-based building block while the plants play their traditional role. People who eat a purely plant-based diet, in particular, tend to keep an eye on their B12 intake anyway, since this vitamin is found mainly in animal-based foods.

Conclusion: Putting the Combination Into Practice

Valerian and passionflower are a traditionally proven, well-combinable calming duo, and St. John's wort can in principle be added too – it's not for nothing that ready-made complexes exist which bring all three together with vitamin B12. The decisive fork in the road isn't between the plants, but in your own situation: if you take no medication and are healthy, the combination within the serving recommendation is a natural choice. If you take the pill or other medications, on the other hand, St. John's wort is the point at which you check with a doctor beforehand – whether as a standalone product or as part of a complex.

In practice, that means: choose one product instead of stacking several, stick to the serving recommendation, think of valerian and passionflower more for the evening, St. John's wort more regularly – and whenever you're unsure, better to ask at the pharmacy once too often than once too few. That way, you make the most of the trio's strengths, without overlooking the one genuine pitfall. And if you're unsure whether your product is right for you, a quick conversation at the pharmacy is the easiest way to get a clear answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you take valerian and St. John's wort together?

From the perspective of traditional use, yes – both have long been used together and appear in many combination products. Just be mindful of St. John's wort: it can weaken the effect of medications. If you take medication, check the combination with a doctor beforehand.

Can you take passionflower together with St. John's wort?

Basically, yes. Passionflower and St. John's wort are often processed together in combination products. The relevant caution concerns St. John's wort alone and its interactions with medications, not passionflower itself.

Does St. John's wort weaken the effect of the pill?

Yes, that's well documented. St. John's wort can weaken the effect of the contraceptive pill, meaning contraceptive protection is no longer reliably guaranteed. Other medications can be affected too. The Verbraucherzentrale explicitly points this out – if in doubt, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Can I take St. John's wort and vitamin B12 together?

Yes, that's unproblematic. Vitamin B12 has no known negative interactions with St. John's wort, valerian, or passionflower, and is added to many combination products.