Can you take valerian root and ashwagandha together?

No trial has tested valerian root and ashwagandha taken together. Valerian's largest sleep reviews disagree with each other; ashwagandha's sleep trials are smaller, and used either an unconfirmed extract dose or a root-powder dose several times higher than a typical capsule, in older men with diagnosed insomnia rather than a general population.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support a claim that valerian and ashwagandha work better together than either alone — that combination has never been tested. It doesn't support treating either as a treatment for insomnia or any diagnosed sleep disorder. And it doesn't support assuming a typical ashwagandha capsule dose behaves like the higher extract- or root-powder-based doses used in the sleep trials below.

What the trials found

Valerian's sleep evidence disagrees with itself. A 2006 meta-analysis of 16 trials found a modest benefit on a simple yes/no sleep-improvement measure, but flagged evidence of publication bias (PMID 17145239). A 2020 review of 10 trials with numeric outcomes found a small, not-statistically-significant effect (PMID 33086877). A 2024 umbrella review of the field concluded there's no empirical support for treating insomnia with valerian by objective measures (PMID 38359657).

Ashwagandha's sleep evidence is smaller and comes with its own caveats. An 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 80 adults — 40 healthy, 40 with diagnosed insomnia — found a root extract improved several sleep measures versus placebo, with a bigger effect in the insomnia group, though the exact daily dose isn't confirmed from the published abstract (PMID 32818573). A separate 30-day trial gave 27 elderly men with diagnosed primary insomnia 6 grams a day of root powder at night; sleep-quality scores improved substantially versus their own baseline, with no placebo group to rule out other explanations. Six grams a day is roughly 4.6 times a typical 1,300 mg/day root-powder capsule dose, and the population — elderly men with a diagnosed sleep disorder — isn't a general healthy adult (PMID 35370376).

Neither ashwagandha trial tested valerian, and valerian's own trial base doesn't include ashwagandha. No study has measured what, if anything, changes when the two are taken at the same time.

Ingredient	Best evidence	Population	Dose in that trial
Valerian root	Meta-analyses that disagree with each other; no benefit on objective measures per 2024 umbrella review	Adults, pooled across trials	225-1,215 mg/day across trials
Ashwagandha	Improved sleep scores vs baseline or placebo, larger in those with insomnia	Half healthy / half diagnosed insomnia (n=80); elderly men with insomnia (n=27)	Extract, dose unconfirmed; 6 g/day root powder
Both together	No trial exists

Questions people ask

Can you take valerian root and ashwagandha together?

There's no trial of the combination, so there's no research describing an added effect from taking them together beyond what either does on its own. Both are commonly reported to cause drowsiness, and combining two ingredients that can each make you sleepy — especially alongside alcohol or a sedative — is a reasonable thing to be cautious about, particularly the first time you try that combination or before driving. A doctor or pharmacist can weigh that against anything else you take.

Can you take valerian root with ashwagandha?

Same answer: no dedicated trial has tested it, so there's no data showing a specific interaction, positive or negative — only an absence of testing.

Does valerian root work better with ashwagandha for sleep?

That comparison hasn't been run. Both have their own separate, mixed sleep evidence; nothing in the research supports a combined effect being larger than either alone.

Which is better, valerian root or ashwagandha, for sleep or anxiety?

See valerian root vs ashwagandha for the two literatures compared side by side. This page doesn't rank one over the other.

When to talk to a doctor

Trouble sleeping that lasts more than a few weeks, or that affects daily functioning, is worth bringing to a doctor. Neither valerian nor ashwagandha is a treatment for insomnia or a diagnosed sleep disorder, and nothing in the evidence above supports using either, alone or combined, as a substitute for medical evaluation. Ashwagandha in particular should be discussed with a doctor if you're pregnant or nursing, have a thyroid condition, or take a sedative or other medication — see ashwagandha interactions.