Drug & supplement interaction

Artemisia Herba-alba + Insulin (Pork)

Insulin (Pork) brand names: Lente Iletin II, NPH Iletin, Regular Iletin, NPH Iletin II, Regular Iletin II, and others.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Artemisia Herba-alba has a moderate interaction with Insulin (Pork). Theoretically, concomitant use with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.

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

Artemisia Herba-alba and Insulin (Pork)

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Insulin (Pork)

Insulin (Pork) falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Artemisia Herba-alba interacts with.

Theoretically, concomitant use with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Low quality research shows that Artemisia herba-alba lowers blood glucose.
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: pork insulin already lowers your blood sugar, and there's some early evidence that Artemisia herba-alba may nudge blood sugar down too. Put the two together and the worry is that they could stack up, pushing your levels too low. That's hypoglycemia, and with insulin it can show up as shakiness, sweating, a racing heart, confusion, or feeling faint.

I want to be honest about the strength of this concern. It's mostly theoretical, based on low quality lab and animal studies, so it isn't a sure thing. Still, since insulin doses are precise and lows can come on fast, it's worth a heads up. Please don't change your insulin on your own. Just check in with your pharmacist or doctor first, and watch your sugars a bit more closely if you do start the herb.

References
  1. Marrif HI, Ali BH, Hassan KM. Some pharmacological studies on Artemisia herba-alba (Asso.) in rabbits and mice. J Ethnopharmacol 1995;49:51-5. PubMed
  2. al-Shamaony L, al-Khazraji SM, Twaij HA. Hypoglycaemic effect of Artemisia herba alba. II. Effect of a valuable extract on some blood parameters in diabetic animals. J Ethnopharmacol 1994;43:167-71. PubMed
  3. al-Khazraji SM, al-Shamaony LA, Twaij HA. Hypoglycaemic effect of Artemisia herba alba. I. Effect of different parts and influence of the solvent on hypoglycaemic activity. J Ethnopharmacol 1993;40:163-6. PubMed
  4. Twaij HA, Al-Badr AA. Hypoglycemic activity of Artemisia herba alba. J Ethnopharmacol 1988;24:123-6. 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

Artemisia Herba-alba Also Interacts With Other Medications

Artemisia Herba-alba has 85 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Insulin (Pork) 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 Artemisia Herba-alba

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Artemisia Herba-alba. Pick one to open its full report.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Insulin (Pork)

This page covers Artemisia Herba-alba only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Insulin (Pork) page lists 242 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Chelation Therapy Products (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Acai (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Agaricus Mushroom (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 211 moderate · 29 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Insulin (Pork) page

“Siberian cocklebur is the entry to know first on this page. For anyone using pork insulin (Regular Iletin, NPH Iletin, Hypurin Porcine Neutral), it has caused severe hypoglycemia, dangerously low blood sugar, soon after eating it and worsening over time.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Insulin (Pork) interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Artemisia Herba-alba and Insulin (Pork) 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 Artemisia Herba-alba
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Insulin (Pork)
Top half

#1,278 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 Artemisia Herba-alba

What is Artemisia Herba-alba?

Artemisia Herba-alba
  • Diabetes and blood sugar
  • Digestive upset
  • Intestinal worms and parasites
  • Cough and respiratory complaints
  • Antimicrobial uses

Artemisia herba-alba is a desert shrub used in North African and Middle Eastern folk medicine, most often for digestion, diabetes, and parasites. Human evidence is very limited, and most findings come from lab or animal studies, so its benefits are unproven. Because it can affect blood sugar and contains potentially toxic compounds, talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Read the full Artemisia Herba-alba monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Artemisia Herba-alba

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

0Major
85Moderate
0Minor
2,744No known interaction
Moderate

85 interactions

Showing 60 of 85 moderate interactions — see all 85 on the Artemisia Herba-alba page.

No interaction 2,744 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 Artemisia Herba-alba and Insulin (Pork) Together: Common Questions

Can you take Artemisia Herba-alba with Insulin (Pork)?
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.
How serious is the Artemisia Herba-alba and Insulin (Pork) 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.