Drug & supplement interaction

Alpinia + Lansoprazole

Lansoprazole brand name: Prevacid.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Alpinia has a minor interaction with Lansoprazole. Theoretically, alpinia might decrease the effectiveness of PPIs.

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

Alpinia and Lansoprazole

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Minor

PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS (PPIs)

Why this applies to Lansoprazole

Lansoprazole falls under PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS (PPIs) — the group Alpinia interacts with.

Theoretically, alpinia might decrease the effectiveness of PPIs.
There are some reports suggesting that alpinia increases stomach acid.
Severity Minor 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: lansoprazole (Prevacid) works by shutting down the pumps in your stomach that make acid, which calms heartburn and lets an irritated esophagus or ulcer heal. The concern with Alpinia (lesser galangal) is that, in a few reports, it may actually nudge stomach acid up. If that happened, it could work against what your lansoprazole is trying to do, so you might notice a bit more burning, reflux, or stomach discomfort.

I want to be honest about the strength of this, though. It's mostly theoretical and based on weak, anecdotal reports, not solid studies. A little galangal in cooking is very unlikely to matter. If you're thinking about a concentrated supplement, just run it by your pharmacist or doctor first.

References
  1. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.

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

Alpinia Also Interacts With Other Medications

Alpinia has 36 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Lansoprazole one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Alpinia

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Alpinia or Lansoprazole

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Alpinia or Lansoprazole, 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 Lansoprazole

This page covers Alpinia only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Lansoprazole page lists 153 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 101 moderate · 49 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Lansoprazole page

“Heartburn and reflux send plenty of people toward both lansoprazole (Prevacid) and the supplement aisle, and that pairing calls for genuine care, since three of the 153 ingredients on file here carry major-rated interactions. Most of the list works through the liver enzymes that clear lansoprazole, either slowing them down (grapefruit,…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Lansoprazole interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Alpinia as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 5 real supplement products containing Alpinia, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Alpinia. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Lansoprazole too, on top of Alpinia — 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 Alpinia and Lansoprazole 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 Alpinia
Steady interest

#1,054 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Lansoprazole
Top 25%

#488 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 Alpinia

What is Alpinia?

Alpinia
  • Digestive upset and bloating
  • Nausea
  • Anti-inflammatory support
  • Respiratory and cough complaints
  • Antimicrobial
  • Appetite stimulant

Alpinia (lesser galangal) is a ginger-family root long used in Asian cooking and traditional medicine, mainly for digestive and inflammatory complaints. Most of its proposed health benefits come from laboratory and animal studies, and strong human evidence is lacking. Food amounts are generally well tolerated, but talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements.

Read the full Alpinia monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Lansoprazole

What Is Lansoprazole Used For?

Brand name: Prevacid

Lansoprazole is prescribed for a range of conditions where excess stomach acid is the problem. It treats active stomach and duodenal ulcers (sores in the stomach or upper small intestine), helps heal ulcers caused by NSAID pain relievers, and can reduce the risk of those ulcers coming back.

It's also used for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), erosive esophagitis (acid damage to the esophagus), and rare conditions where the stomach makes far too much acid — like Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. When combined with antibiotics, it helps wipe out H. pylori bacteria that cause recurring ulcers.

See full Lansoprazole drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Alpinia

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

0Major
0Moderate
36Minor
2,793No known interaction
Minor

36 interactions

No interaction 2,793 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 Alpinia and Lansoprazole Together: Common Questions

Can you take Alpinia with Lansoprazole?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Alpinia and Lansoprazole interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Lansoprazole and Alpinia?

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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.