Drug & supplement interaction

African Wild Potato + Zopiclone

Zopiclone brand names: Rhovane, Imovane, Zimovane, Apo-Zopiclone, Co Zopiclone, and others.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Zopiclone 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 can inhibit cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) enzyme activity by up to 86%.

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 Zopiclone

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. Zopiclone 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 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Zopiclone

Zopiclone falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group African Wild Potato interacts with.

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 gist for your sleep aid. Your body relies partly on an enzyme called CYP3A4 to clear zopiclone out of your system. In lab dishes, African Wild Potato has been shown to slow that enzyme down quite a bit. If that same effect happened in real people, zopiclone could hang around longer than usual, meaning more grogginess, dizziness, a heavy 'next-morning hangover' feeling, and possibly trouble with balance or memory.

The honest part: this concern comes only from test-tube research, not from people, and a human study with a different CYP3A4 drug showed no real effect. So this is more theoretical than proven. Still, since both can make you drowsy, it's worth a quick chat with 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
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2C8 (CYP2C8) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Zopiclone also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C8 (CYP2C8) SUBSTRATES.

In vitro research shows that African wild potato extract might inhibit cytochrome P450 2C8 (CYP2C8). 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 CYP2C8 substrates might increase the risk for adverse effects from these substrates. Some drugs metabolized by CYP2C8 include amiodarone (Cordarone), paclitaxel (Taxol); nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren) and ibuprofen (Motrin); 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 short version: in a lab dish (test tube only, not yet in people), African Wild Potato seemed to slow down a liver enzyme called CYP2C8. The theory is that if that enzyme gets blocked, drugs it helps clear could build up and hit you harder. Zopiclone is an active sleep medicine, not a prodrug, so if its breakdown slowed, you'd expect more of its effects.

In practice, Zopiclone is mainly handled by other enzymes (mostly CYP3A4 and CYP2C8 plays a smaller role), so this concern is mostly theoretical. Still, if you noticed extra next-day grogginess, deeper drowsiness, dizziness, or that bitter metallic taste, that could be a sign. Since the evidence here is weak, don't stop anything, just check with your pharmacist or doctor before combining them.

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 Zopiclone 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 Zopiclone

This page covers African Wild Potato only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Zopiclone page lists 196 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), Beer (major), Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (ghb) (major) and Grapefruit (major).

By severity: 9 major · 149 moderate · 38 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Zopiclone page

“Zopiclone is a prescription sleep aid, which makes this one of the pages I read with real concern, because the most dangerous combinations add sedation of their own. Nearly 80 of these ingredients depress the nervous system, and stacked on a sleeping pill they can bring heavy drowsiness or, at worst, slowed breathing.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Zopiclone 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 Zopiclone 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 Zopiclone 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Zopiclone
Top 25%

#642 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 Zopiclone Together: Common Questions

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