Drug & supplement interaction

Astragalus + Mycophenolate Mofetil

Mycophenolate Mofetil brand name: CellCept.

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

Astragalus has a moderate interaction with Mycophenolate Mofetil. Theoretically, astragalus might interfere with immunosuppressive therapy.

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

Astragalus and Mycophenolate Mofetil

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

Moderate

IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS

Why this applies to Mycophenolate Mofetil

Mycophenolate Mofetil falls under IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS — the group Astragalus interacts with.

Theoretically, astragalus might interfere with immunosuppressive therapy.
Astragalus seems to stimulate immune function. Theoretically, taking astragalus might decrease the effects of immunosuppressive therapy.
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 concern with pairing astragalus and mycophenolate (CellCept). Your transplant team gives you this medicine to deliberately quiet down your immune system so your body doesn't reject the new organ. Astragalus is traditionally used to do the opposite, to give the immune system a little boost. So in theory, the two could work against each other, and astragalus might chip away at how well CellCept protects your transplant.

I want to be honest about the evidence here, though. This is a theoretical worry based on lab and animal research, not real cases in transplant patients. Still, organ rejection is too serious to gamble on, so I'd steer clear of astragalus while you're on mycophenolate and run any supplement past your transplant pharmacist or doctor first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Upton R, ed. Astragalus Root: Analytical, quality control, and therapeutic monograph. Santa Cruz, CA: American Herbal Pharmacopoeia. 1999:1-25.
  2. Sun Y, Hersh EM, Lee SL, et al. Preliminary observations on the effects of the Chinese medicinal herbs Astragalus membranaceus and Ligustrum lucidum on lymphocyte blastogenic responses. J Biol Response Mod 1983;2:227-37..

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

Astragalus Also Interacts With Other Medications

Astragalus has 207 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Mycophenolate Mofetil one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 207 No known interaction 2,623 (incl. Mycophenolate Mofetil)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Astragalus

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Astragalus or Mycophenolate Mofetil

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

This page covers Astragalus only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Mycophenolate Mofetil page lists 71 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate), Alfalfa (moderate), American Ginseng (moderate) and Andrographis (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 60 moderate · 10 minor.

Open the Mycophenolate Mofetil interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 3,437 real supplement products containing Astragalus, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Astragalus. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Mycophenolate Mofetil too, on top of Astragalus — 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 Astragalus and Mycophenolate Mofetil 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 Astragalus
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Mycophenolate Mofetil
Top 25%

#447 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 Astragalus

What is Astragalus?

Astragalus
  • Immune support
  • Colds and flu
  • Upper respiratory infections
  • Fatigue and stress (adaptogen)
  • Heart health
  • General wellness in traditional medicine

Astragalus is a root used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, mainly to support the immune system and help the body cope with stress. While early studies are interesting, strong human evidence for most uses is still lacking. It is generally well tolerated by healthy adults for short-term use, but should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding due to limited safety data.

Read the full Astragalus monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Mycophenolate Injection

What Is Mycophenolate Injection Used For?

Brand name: CellCept

Mycophenolate mofetil is used to prevent the body from rejecting a transplanted kidney, heart, or liver. It is always used alongside other immunosuppressant medicines, not on its own.

CellCept Intravenous (the injectable form) is specifically for transplant patients who are temporarily unable to take oral medication. It is given by IV infusion and is meant to bridge the gap until the patient can switch to an oral form of CellCept.

See full Mycophenolate Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Astragalus

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

0Major
207Moderate
0Minor
2,622No known interaction
207 Moderate 2,622 No interaction
Moderate

207 interactions

Showing 60 of 207 moderate interactions — see all 207 on the Astragalus page.

No interaction 2,622 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,622 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Astragalus list.

See the full Astragalus interactions page
See every supplement checked against Mycophenolate Mofetil, 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
Astragalus monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Mycophenolate Mofetil supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Mycophenolate Mofetil, ranked by severity Mycophenolate Injection 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 Astragalus and Mycophenolate Mofetil Together: Common Questions

Can you take Astragalus with Mycophenolate Mofetil?
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 Astragalus and Mycophenolate Mofetil 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 Mycophenolate Mofetil and Astragalus?

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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.