Drug & supplement interaction

African Wild Potato + Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine

Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine brand names: Gesic C8, Gesic C15, Lenoltec 2, Gesic C30, Lenoltec 3, and others.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine falls into 2 drug categories that African Wild Potato can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. In vitro research shows that African wild potato extract inhibits cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2).

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

African Wild Potato and Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

African Wild Potato interacts with whole categories of medication. Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with African Wild Potato in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine

Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES — the group African Wild Potato interacts with.

In vitro research shows that African wild potato extract inhibits cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2). However, this effect has yet to be reported in humans. Until more is known, use with caution. Theoretically, concomitant use of African wild potato with CYP1A2 substrates might increase the risk for adverse effects from these substrates. Some of these drugs include amitriptyline (Elavil), haloperidol (Haldol), ondansetron (Zofran), propranolol (Inderal), theophylline (Theo-Dur, others), verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, others), and others.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

This combination pill has three parts, and the one that matters here is the caffeine. Your liver uses an enzyme called CYP1A2 to clear caffeine out of your system. In test tube studies, African Wild Potato appears to slow that enzyme down. If that also happened in people, caffeine could linger longer than usual, which might leave you feeling jittery, restless, or with a racing heart and trouble sleeping.

I want to be honest about how thin the evidence is. This was only seen in lab dishes, never confirmed in actual humans, so it's more of a theoretical caution than a proven problem. The codeine and acetaminophen aren't really affected by this pathway. Still, if you take this medicine regularly, check with your pharmacist or doctor before adding the supplement.

References
  1. Fasinu PS, Gutmann H, Schiller H, Bouic PJ, Rosenkranz B. The potential of Hypoxis hemerocallidea for herb-drug interaction. Pharm Biol. 2013 Dec;51(12):1499-507.
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES.

In vitro evidence shows that African wild potato extract can inhibit cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) enzyme activity by up to 86%. Theoretically, African wild potato might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4. However, in human research, African wild potato does not seem to affect the pharmacokinetics of Efavirenz, a CYP3A4 substrate. Until more is known, use African wild potato cautiously or avoid in patients taking drugs metabolized by CYP3A4. Some drugs metabolized by CYP3A4 include lovastatin (Mevacor), ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), fexofenadine (Allegra), triazolam (Halcion), and numerous others.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the wrinkle with this combo product: the codeine part is a prodrug. Your body turns codeine into morphine, mostly through a different enzyme (CYP2D6), not the CYP3A4 enzyme that African Wild Potato seems to block in test-tube studies. CYP3A4 actually handles a minor, side pathway for codeine, so blocking it would shunt a little more codeine toward morphine. In theory that could mean slightly stronger codeine effects, like extra drowsiness, constipation, or dizziness.

That said, this is lab-only evidence (test-tube), and in real people African Wild Potato didn't change levels of another CYP3A4 drug. So the real-world risk looks low. Still, because opioids deserve respect, please run this past your pharmacist or doctor before combining them.

References
  1. Jalloh MA, Gregory PJ, Hein D, et al. Dietary supplement interactions with antiretrovirals: a systematic review. Int J STD AIDS. 2017 Jan;28(1):4-15. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

African Wild Potato Also Interacts With Other Medications

African Wild Potato has 1,004 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against African Wild Potato

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against African Wild Potato. Pick one to open its full report.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine

This page covers African Wild Potato only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine page lists 303 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 15 major · 244 moderate · 44 minor.

Open the Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine interaction page

One more smart check

Taking African Wild Potato as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 1 real supplement products containing African Wild Potato, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides African Wild Potato. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine too, on top of African Wild Potato — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where African Wild Potato and Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement African Wild Potato
Top half

#507 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine
Top 5%

#78 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About African Wild Potato

What is African Wild Potato?

  • Immune support
  • Prostate and urinary symptoms
  • Inflammation
  • General tonic/wellness
  • Skin conditions

African Wild Potato (Hypoxis hemerocallidea) is a southern African plant traditionally used as a tonic and for immune, prostate, and inflammatory complaints. Human evidence for these uses is very limited, and safety—especially during pregnancy, breastfeeding, or with serious illness—is not well established. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Read the full African Wild Potato monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & African Wild Potato

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against African Wild Potato — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
1,004Moderate
0Minor
1,825No known interaction
Moderate

1,004 interactions

Showing 60 of 1,004 moderate interactions — see all 1,004 on the African Wild Potato page.

No interaction 1,825 drugs checked — show the list
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking African Wild Potato and Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine Together: Common Questions

Can you take African Wild Potato with Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for African Wild Potato and Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine?
Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine belongs to more than one drug category, and African Wild Potato interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the African Wild Potato and Acetaminophen, Caffeine, Codeine interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.