Drug & supplement interaction

Astragalus + nilotinib

nilotinib brand name: Tasigna.

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

Astragalus has a moderate interaction with nilotinib. 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 nilotinib

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

Moderate

IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS

Why this applies to nilotinib

nilotinib 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 thing to know about pairing astragalus with nilotinib (Tasigna). Astragalus is thought to give the immune system a little nudge to be more active. Nilotinib works in the opposite direction by quieting overactive white blood cells in chronic myeloid leukemia. So in theory, astragalus could push against what your medication is trying to do and make it work a bit less well.

I want to be honest about the strength of this: it comes only from lab and animal studies, not real patients, so it's more of a caution than a proven problem. Still, because nilotinib is treating a serious condition, I wouldn't add astragalus on your own. Run it by your oncologist or pharmacist 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 nilotinib 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. nilotinib)
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 nilotinib

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 nilotinib, 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 nilotinib

This page covers Astragalus only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the nilotinib page lists 221 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major), Beer (major) and Cesium (major).

By severity: 11 major · 176 moderate · 34 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the nilotinib page

“Nilotinib (Tasigna) is a targeted therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia, cleared by the liver enzyme CYP3A4 and known to affect heart rhythm, so its supplement list calls for genuine care. Eleven of the 221 ingredients here carry a major rating, and those belong at the top of your reading.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the nilotinib 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 nilotinib 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 nilotinib 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 nilotinib
Top half

#1,275 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 Nilotinib

What Is Nilotinib Used For?

Brand name: Tasigna

  • Nilotinib is used to treat certain types of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML; a type of cancer of the white blood cells) who have recently found to have this condition in adults and children 1 year of age and older. It is also used to treat certain types of CML in adults whose disease could not be treated successfully with imatinib (Gleevec) or adults who cannot take imatinib because of side effects. Nilotinib is also used to treat certain types of CML in children 1 year of age or older whose disease could not be treated successfully with other tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapies or who cannot take these medications because of side effects. Nilotinib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of the abnormal protein that signals cancer cells to multiply. This helps to stop or slow the spread of cancer cells.

See full Nilotinib 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 nilotinib, 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 nilotinib supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against nilotinib, ranked by severity Nilotinib 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 nilotinib Together: Common Questions

Can you take Astragalus with nilotinib?
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 nilotinib 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 nilotinib 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.