Drug & supplement interaction

African Wild Potato + Ganciclovir

Ganciclovir brand names: Cytovene, Cytovene Injection.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between African Wild Potato and Ganciclovir in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

African Wild Potato and Ganciclovir

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Ganciclovir and African Wild Potato in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

African Wild Potato safety at a glance

African Wild Potat... overall Use caution Limited human safety data and unclear effective doses mean it should be used cautiously.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid No reliable safety data, so avoid while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Ganciclovir and African Wild Potato? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ganciclovir

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Ganciclovir is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. African Wild Potato has documented interactions with 9 drug classes — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate), cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) substrates (moderate) and cytochrome p450 2b6 (cyp2b6) substrates (moderate) — and none of Ganciclovir’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

African Wild Potato Does Interact With Other Medications

African Wild Potato has 1,005 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Ganciclovir isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 1,005 No known interaction 1,825 (incl. Ganciclovir)
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.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests African Wild Potato and Ganciclovir May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Diarrhea / Vomiting / Nausea reported in 4.3% of FDA reports for Ganciclovir Additional detail

    African Wild Potato

    “There is limited information available about the adverse effects of African wild potato. Some studies have evaluated constituents isolated from African wild potato, including beta-sitosterol and hypoxoside. Side effects reported with beta-sitosterol include nausea, indigestion, gas, diarrhea, constipation, erectile dysfunction, and loss of libido.”

    African Wild Potato · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anxiety.

    4 sources cited
    1. 5327. Berges RR, Windeler J, Trampisch HJ, et al. Randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of beta-sitosterol in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Beta-sitosterol Study Group. Lancet 1995;345:1529-32.
    2. 5328. Klippel KF, Hiltl DM, Schipp B. A multicentric, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of beta-sitosterol (phytosterol) for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Br J Urol 1997;80:427-32.
    3. 5942. Berges RR, Windeler J, Trampisch HJ, et al. Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of beta-sitosterol in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Lancet 1995;345:1529-32.
    4. 13584. Smit BJ, Albrecht CF, Liebenberg RW, et al A phase I trial of hypoxoside as an oral prodrug for cancer therapy--absence of toxicity. S Afr Med J 1995;85:865-70.

    “Orally, specific beta-sitosterol extracts from African wild potato (Azuprostat, Harzol) can cause nausea, indigestion, gas, diarrhea, or constipation. Hypoxoside, an African wild potato constituent, has been reported to cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea in one small, uncontrolled study.”

    African Wild Potato · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    3 sources cited
    1. 5327. Berges RR, Windeler J, Trampisch HJ, et al. Randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of beta-sitosterol in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Beta-sitosterol Study Group. Lancet 1995;345:1529-32.
    2. 5328. Klippel KF, Hiltl DM, Schipp B. A multicentric, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of beta-sitosterol (phytosterol) for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Br J Urol 1997;80:427-32.
    3. 13584. Smit BJ, Albrecht CF, Liebenberg RW, et al A phase I trial of hypoxoside as an oral prodrug for cancer therapy--absence of toxicity. S Afr Med J 1995;85:865-70.

    Ganciclovir

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Ganciclovir, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for African Wild Potato but not commonly for Ganciclovir: erection problems, a change in sex drive, constipation and stomach upset.

Effects for Ganciclovir come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for African Wild Potato come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 10,879 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Ganciclovir that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ganciclovir

This page covers African Wild Potato only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ganciclovir page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ganciclovir page

“Everything on this list threatens ganciclovir (Cytovene) the same way, by getting between the pill and your bloodstream. Ganciclovir fights cytomegalovirus in people whose immune systems are weakened, so a dose that only partly absorbs can let the virus regain ground and grow resistant.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ganciclovir 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. Even though African Wild Potato itself has no known interaction with Ganciclovir, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where African Wild Potato and Ganciclovir 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ganciclovir
Top half

#1,071 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.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every African Wild Potato reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The African Wild Potato and Ganciclovir records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
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.

Hypoxis hemerocallidea · Hypoxidaceae · Corm (underground tuber/rootstock) · Capsules, tablets, tinctures, dried corm extracts, traditional decoctions

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether African Wild Potato is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our African Wild Potato record says about it on its own.

African Wild Potato: dosing

There is no well-established, standardized dose for African Wild Potato. Products vary widely in strength and in how they are prepared, so it is hard to compare one to another.If you choose to use it, follow the directions on the product label and do not exceed them. A pharmacist can help you review a specific product, check for quality concerns, and make sure it is appropriate for you. Choose products from reputable manufacturers, since supplement quality is not tightly regulated.

From our African Wild Potato monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full African Wild Potato monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ganciclovir

What Is Ganciclovir Used For?

Brand names: Cytovene, Cytovene Injection

Ganciclovir injection (Cytovene, Ganciclovir, and ganciclovir sodium) is used to treat CMV retinitis — a serious eye infection caused by cytomegalovirus — in adults with weakened immune systems, including those with AIDS. It is also used to prevent CMV disease in adult transplant recipients who are at risk.

Zirgan ophthalmic gel is a separate ganciclovir product used to treat acute herpetic keratitis — painful corneal ulcers caused by the herpes simplex virus — in adults and children aged 2 years and older.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Ganciclovir

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (10,879 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Cytomegalovirus infection 1,266 reports
Drug resistance 731 reports
Fever 620 reports
Neutropenia 598 reports
Pancytopenia 554 reports
See full Ganciclovir 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
1,005Moderate
0Minor
1,824No known interaction
1,005 Moderate 1,824 No interaction
Moderate

1,005 interactions

Showing 60 of 1,005 moderate interactions — see all 1,005 on the African Wild Potato page.

No interaction 1,824 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 1,824 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 Ganciclovir, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

African Wild Potato References

The 10 references that drive our African Wild Potato monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Berges RR, Windeler J, Trampisch HJ, et al. Randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of beta-sitosterol in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Beta-sitosterol Study Group. Lancet 1995;345:1529-32.
  2. Klippel KF, Hiltl DM, Schipp B. A multicentric, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of beta-sitosterol (phytosterol) for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Br J Urol 1997;80:427-32.
  3. Berges RR, Windeler J, Trampisch HJ, et al. Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of beta-sitosterol in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Lancet 1995;345:1529-32.
  4. Berges RR, Kassen A, Senge T. Treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia with beta-sitosterol: an 18-month follow-up. BJU Int 2000;85:842-6.
  5. Mahomed IM, Ojewole JA. Hypoglycemic effect of Hypoxis hemerocallidea corm (African potato) aqueous extract in rats. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol 2003;25:617-23. PubMed
  6. Smit BJ, Albrecht CF, Liebenberg RW, et al A phase I trial of hypoxoside as an oral prodrug for cancer therapy--absence of toxicity. S Afr Med J 1995;85:865-70.
  7. Wilt TJ, Ishani A, Rutks I, et al. Phytotherapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Public Health Nutr 2000;3(4A):459-472. PubMed
  8. 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
  9. 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.
  10. Havenga K, Abay E, Wiesner L, Viljoen A, Steyn D, Hamman J. The in vitro and in vivo effects of Hypoxis hemerocallidea on indinavir pharmacokinetics: modulation of efflux. Planta Med. 2018;84(12-13):895-901. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking African Wild Potato and Ganciclovir Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take African Wild Potato with Ganciclovir?
We do not list a known interaction between African Wild Potato and Ganciclovir. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do African Wild Potato and Ganciclovir have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 3 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
How was the African Wild Potato and Ganciclovir combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ganciclovir is filed under 1 classification, and African Wild Potato has documented interactions with 9 drug classes — none of Ganciclovir's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does African Wild Potato interact with any other medications?
Yes. African Wild Potato has 1,005 documented drug interactions in our database — Ganciclovir is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Ganciclovir interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ganciclovir has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — African Wild Potato is not one of them. The Ganciclovir interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

African Wild Potato monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Ganciclovir drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Ganciclovir supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Ganciclovir, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 10 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Ganciclovir 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.