Drug & supplement interaction

Ashitaba + Lovastatin

Lovastatin brand names: Mevacor, Altocor.

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

We found no known interaction between Ashitaba and Lovastatin 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 label for Lovastatin states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Ashitaba and Lovastatin

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 Lovastatin and Ashitaba 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.

Ashitaba safety at a glance

Ashitaba overall Use caution Likely safe as a food, but supplement safety has not been well studied.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety data, so avoid concentrated supplements during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety data, so avoid concentrated supplements while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Lovastatin and Ashitaba? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Lovastatin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Lovastatin is filed under 8 classifications — including hmg-coa reductase inhibitors ("statins"), organic anion-transporting polypeptide substrates (oatp), cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) inhibitors. Ashitaba has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) substrates (moderate) — and none of Lovastatin’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

Ashitaba Does Interact With Other Medications

Ashitaba has 186 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Lovastatin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 186 No known interaction 2,644 (incl. Lovastatin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Ashitaba

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

What to actually watch for

What Lovastatin’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Ashitaba. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Lovastatin’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you take both. 10 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • A change in thyroid levels Worth acting on
  • Severe muscle breakdown Worth acting on
  • Muscle weakness Worth acting on
  • Memory problems Worth acting on
  • Pancreatitis Worth acting on
  • Yellowing of the skin or eyes Worth acting on
  • Confusion Worth acting on
  • A severe skin reaction Worth acting on
  • Shortness of breath Worth acting on mentioned in 4.8% of FDA reports for Lovastatin
  • Chest pain Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 50 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Lovastatin. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 25,528 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Lovastatin that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Ashitaba’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Ashitaba side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Ashitaba has no side effects.

How to take them

Some Lovastatin Products Have a Food Rule — Ashitaba Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Lovastatin says to take it with food. If you take Ashitaba on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Lovastatin with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Lovastatin products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Lovastatin tablets USP should be given with meals.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Lovastatin — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

From our Q&A

Questions About Ashitaba or Lovastatin

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

This page covers Ashitaba only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Lovastatin page lists 184 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Beer (major), Grapefruit (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 8 major · 140 moderate · 36 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Lovastatin page

“Lovastatin (Mevacor) lowers cholesterol, and the liver clears it through an enzyme called CYP3A4, which is where most of these 184 supplements collide with it. This list deserves careful attention.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Lovastatin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 41 real supplement products containing Ashitaba, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Ashitaba. Even though Ashitaba itself has no known interaction with Lovastatin, 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 Ashitaba and Lovastatin 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 Ashitaba
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Lovastatin
Steady interest

#1,746 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 Ashitaba reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Ashitaba and Lovastatin records this page draws on were last updated June 22, 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 Ashitaba

What is Ashitaba?

Ashitaba
  • General wellness and longevity
  • Antioxidant support
  • Heart and cholesterol health
  • Digestive and stomach support
  • Anti-inflammatory

Ashitaba is a leafy plant from Japan that is eaten as a vegetable and taken as a supplement for general health, antioxidant, and heart benefits. Most of the supporting research comes from laboratory and animal studies, so its real benefits in people are still uncertain. It appears generally well tolerated as a food, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements.

Angelica keiskei · Apiaceae · Leaves, stems, and roots · Tea, capsules, powder, dried leaves, fresh vegetable, juice

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

Ashitaba: dosing

There is no well-established, standardized dose for Ashitaba supplements. Studies have used different forms and amounts, so a single "correct" dose has not been set.If you choose to use an Ashitaba product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Ashitaba monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Lovastatin

What Is Lovastatin Used For?

Brand names: Mevacor, Altocor

Lovastatin is used to lower high LDL ("bad") cholesterol and total cholesterol in people whose levels have not improved enough with diet alone. It is also used to slow the buildup of plaque in the arteries (coronary atherosclerosis) in people who already have coronary heart disease.

In adults without existing heart disease but with high cholesterol and low HDL ("good") cholesterol, lovastatin tablets are approved to reduce the risk of heart attack, unstable angina, and the need for procedures to open blocked arteries. Lovastatin tablets are also approved for adolescents aged 10–17 with a specific inherited condition called heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (heFH), when diet changes alone haven't been enough.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Lovastatin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (25,528 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 1,535 reports
Nausea 1,401 reports
Diarrhea 1,275 reports
Dyspnea 1,226 reports
Dizziness 1,159 reports
See full Lovastatin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Ashitaba

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

0Major
186Moderate
0Minor
2,643No known interaction
186 Moderate 2,643 No interaction
Moderate

186 interactions

Showing 60 of 186 moderate interactions — see all 186 on the Ashitaba page.

No interaction 2,643 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Ashitaba against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,643 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Ashitaba list.

See the full Ashitaba interactions page
See every supplement checked against Lovastatin, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Ashitaba References

The 2 references that drive our Ashitaba 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. Kwon D, Yoon S, Carter O, Bailey GS, Dashwood RH. Antioxidant and antigenotoxic activities of Angelica keiskei, Oenanthe javanica and Brassica oleracea in the Salmonella mutagenicity assay and in HCT116 human colon cancer cells. Biofactors. 2006;26(4):231
  2. Noh HM, Ahn EM, Yun JM, Cho BL, Paek YJ. Angelica keiskei Koidzumi extracts improve some markers of liver function in habitual alcohol drinkers: a randomized double-blind clinical trial. J Med Food. 2015;18(2):166-72.

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 Ashitaba and Lovastatin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Ashitaba with Lovastatin?
We do not list a known interaction between Ashitaba and Lovastatin. 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.
Should I take Ashitaba and Lovastatin at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Lovastatin says to take it with food. If you take Ashitaba on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Lovastatin with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Lovastatin products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Ashitaba and Lovastatin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Lovastatin is filed under 8 classifications, and Ashitaba has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Lovastatin'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 Ashitaba interact with any other medications?
Yes. Ashitaba has 186 documented drug interactions in our database — Lovastatin 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 Lovastatin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Lovastatin has documented interactions with 184 supplements in our database — Ashitaba is not one of them. The Lovastatin 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

Ashitaba monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Lovastatin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Lovastatin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Lovastatin, 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 2 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Lovastatin and Ashitaba?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.