Drug & supplement interaction

African Wild Potato + Glimepiride

Glimepiride brand name: Amaryl.

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

Glimepiride 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 2C9 (CYP2C9).

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 Glimepiride

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. Glimepiride 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 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Glimepiride

Glimepiride falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES — the group African Wild Potato interacts with.

In vitro research shows that African wild potato extract inhibits cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9). 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 CYP2C9 substrates might increase the risk for adverse effects from these substrates. Some of these drugs include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren), ibuprofen (Motrin), meloxicam (Mobic), and piroxicam (Feldene); celecoxib (Celebrex); amitriptyline (Elavil); warfarin (Coumadin); glipizide (Glucotrol); losartan (Cozaar); 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

Here's the gist with glimepiride: your liver uses an enzyme called CYP2C9 to break it down and clear it out. In lab (test tube) studies, African wild potato appears to slow that enzyme down. If that same effect happened in people, glimepiride could hang around longer and hit harder than intended.

For a blood sugar medicine, that mostly means a higher chance of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), shakiness, sweating, dizziness, hunger, or feeling confused. I want to be honest, though: this is only seen in a lab so far, not in actual patients, so it's a theoretical concern, not a proven one. Still, since low blood sugar is no joke, please check with your pharmacist or doctor before combining them, and keep an eye on your glucose readings.

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

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

2 of 2

Glimepiride also falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS.

Evidence from animal research suggests that African wild potato lowers blood glucose levels. So far, this effect has not been shown in humans. Theoretically, concomitant use of African wild potato and antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia. Dose adjustments might be necessary. Some antidiabetes drugs include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), 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

Here's the gist: glimepiride already works hard to bring your blood sugar down by nudging your pancreas to release more insulin. In animal studies, African Wild Potato also appeared to lower blood sugar. If both are pushing in the same direction, the worry is that your numbers could dip too low. With a sulfonylurea like glimepiride, a low blood sugar can show up as shakiness, sweating, a racing heart, confusion, or feeling lightheaded.

I want to be straight with you, though: this is based on lab and animal work, not on people, so the evidence is weak and the risk is mostly theoretical. Still, since you can check your own sugars, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before combining them, and keep an eye on your readings if you do.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. 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

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 Glimepiride 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. Glimepiride)
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 Glimepiride

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 Glimepiride, 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 Glimepiride

This page covers African Wild Potato only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Glimepiride page lists 306 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Acai (moderate), Adrafinil (moderate) and Agaricus Mushroom (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 256 moderate · 48 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Glimepiride page

“Glimepiride (Amaryl) is a sulfonylurea, a diabetes pill that prompts the pancreas to release insulin, so anything that further lowers blood sugar can tip you into hypoglycemia, and that describes most of this list. Of the 306 supplement and herbal ingredients on file, 239 can move blood sugar on their own.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Glimepiride 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 Glimepiride 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 Glimepiride 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Glimepiride
Top half

#821 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 Glimepiride

What Is Glimepiride Used For?

Brand name: Amaryl

Glimepiride tablets are used to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. It is always used together with a healthy diet and regular exercise — not as a standalone treatment.

Glimepiride is not appropriate for type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis (a serious complication where the body produces high levels of blood acids called ketones), as it would not work in those situations.

See full Glimepiride 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 Glimepiride, 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 Glimepiride supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Glimepiride, ranked by severity Glimepiride 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 Glimepiride Together: Common Questions

Can you take African Wild Potato with Glimepiride?
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 Glimepiride?
Glimepiride 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 Glimepiride 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 Glimepiride 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.