Drug & supplement interaction

African Wild Potato + Cefuroxime

Cefuroxime brand names: Ceftin, Kefurox, Zinacef.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Cefuroxime falls into 2 drug categories that African Wild Potato can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. In vitro evidence shows that African wild potato extract inhibits OAT3.

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 Cefuroxime

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. Cefuroxime 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

ORGANIC ANION TRANSPORTER 3 (OAT3) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Cefuroxime

Cefuroxime falls under ORGANIC ANION TRANSPORTER 3 (OAT3) SUBSTRATES — the group African Wild Potato interacts with.

In vitro evidence shows that African wild potato extract inhibits OAT3. This drug transport protein is involved in renal tubular uptake of some drugs from the blood and then elimination in the urine. Inhibition of this transporter decreases renal elimination and increases drug levels in the body. The clinical significance of this in humans is not known.
Some substrates of OAT3 include cephalosporins, famotidine (Pepcid), furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), methotrexate, NSAIDs, probenecid, ranitidine (Zantac).
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 simple version. Your kidneys help flush cefuroxime out of your body, partly using a tiny transporter called OAT3. In lab dish studies, African wild potato seems to block that transporter. If that same effect happened in people, your body would clear the antibiotic a little slower, so levels could climb a bit higher than usual.

For most folks this is more of a theoretical concern. The evidence is only from lab and animal work, not from real patients, so we honestly don't know if it matters in everyday life. Higher cefuroxime levels could mean a bit more chance of stomach upset, diarrhea, or nausea. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, but please run it past your pharmacist or doctor before combining the two.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
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

ORGANIC ANION TRANSPORTER 1 (OAT1) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Cefuroxime also falls under ORGANIC ANION TRANSPORTER 1 (OAT1) SUBSTRATES.

In vitro research shows that African wild potato extract inhibits OAT1. This drug transport protein is involved in renal tubular uptake of some drugs from the blood and then elimination in the urine. Inhibition of this transporter decreases renal elimination and increases drug levels in the body. The clinical significance of this in humans is not known.
Some substrates of OAT1 include acyclovir (Zovirax), adefovir (Hepsera), cephalosporins, cidofovir (Vistide), cimetidine (Tagamet), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), NSAIDs, oseltamivir (Tamiflu), pravastatin (Pravachol), probenecid, simvastatin (Zocor), and zidovudine (Retrovir).
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 short version: your kidneys help flush cefuroxime out of your body, partly using a transporter called OAT1. In lab studies (test tube only, not people), African Wild Potato seemed to block that transporter. In theory, slowing that exit route could let a bit more cefuroxime hang around, which might mean a slightly higher chance of typical side effects like an upset stomach, diarrhea, or nausea.

I want to be honest with you though: this is based only on early laboratory work, so we really don't know if it matters in real life. Cefuroxime isn't a prodrug, so this wouldn't make it work better or worse against your infection. Since you're usually on an antibiotic for just a short stretch, the simplest move is to mention the supplement to your pharmacist or doctor and let them weigh in.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
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.

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 Cefuroxime one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 1,004 No known interaction 1,826 (incl. Cefuroxime)
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.

From our Q&A

Questions About African Wild Potato or Cefuroxime

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers African Wild Potato or Cefuroxime, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Cefuroxime

This page covers African Wild Potato only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Cefuroxime page lists 60 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Aristolochia (moderate) and Bacillus Coagulans (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 46 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Cefuroxime page

“Cefuroxime (Ceftin, Zinacef) treats everyday infections like sinusitis and bronchitis, and three of its 60 listed supplement interactions rate major, enough that this page deserves unhurried attention. Two of those majors, Siberian cocklebur and asarabacca, can injure the kidneys on their own, an added burden for a drug your kidneys mu…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Cefuroxime 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 Cefuroxime 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 Cefuroxime 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Cefuroxime
Top half

#1,290 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
Medication

About Cefuroxime

What Is Cefuroxime Used For?

Brand names: Ceftin, Kefurox, Zinacef

Cefuroxime Axetil tablets treat several common bacterial infections in adults and children, including strep throat, ear infections (in children who can swallow tablets), sinus infections, acute flare-ups of chronic bronchitis, uncomplicated skin infections, urinary tract infections, uncomplicated gonorrhea, and early Lyme disease.

The injectable forms — Cefuroxime and Cefuroxime sodium — are used in hospital or clinical settings to treat more serious infections, including pneumonia and other lower respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, skin and skin-structure infections, septicemia (blood infection), meningitis (infection of the brain and spinal cord lining), gonorrhea, and bone and joint infections. The injectable forms are also used to help prevent infections in certain surgical procedures.

See full Cefuroxime drug information
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
1,004 Moderate 1,825 No 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

We also checked African Wild Potato against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,825 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full African Wild Potato list.

See the full African Wild Potato interactions page
See every supplement checked against Cefuroxime, ranked by severity
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

Keep exploring
African Wild Potato monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Cefuroxime supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Cefuroxime, ranked by severity Cefuroxime drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking African Wild Potato and Cefuroxime Together: Common Questions

Can you take African Wild Potato with Cefuroxime?
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 Cefuroxime?
Cefuroxime 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 Cefuroxime 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

Still Have a Question About Cefuroxime and African Wild Potato?

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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.