Drug & supplement interaction

Atractylodes + Olanzapine

Olanzapine brand name: Zyprexa.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Atractylodes has a minor interaction with Olanzapine. Theoretically, atractylodes might decrease the levels of CYP1A2 substrates.

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

Atractylodes and Olanzapine

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

Minor

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Olanzapine

Olanzapine falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES — the group Atractylodes interacts with.

Theoretically, atractylodes might decrease the levels of CYP1A2 substrates.
In animals, atractylodes administered at high doses has been shown to induce CYP1A2 activity. This effect has not been shown in humans.
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 gist for olanzapine (Zyprexa). Your liver uses an enzyme called CYP1A2 to break this medicine down. In animal studies given high doses, atractylodes seemed to speed that enzyme up. If that happened in people, your body could clear olanzapine a bit faster, which might mean it works less well. For someone managing schizophrenia or bipolar symptoms, that could look like mood swings or symptoms creeping back.

That said, this is only a theory from lab and animal research. It has never been shown in humans, and the concern is rated minor. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, but before adding atractylodes, check with your pharmacist or prescriber so they can keep an eye on how you're doing.

References
  1. Muhamad N, Plengsuriyakarn T, Na-Bangchang K. Atractylodes lancea for cholangiocarcinoma: Modulatory effects on CYP1A2 and CYP3A1 and pharmacokinetics in rats and biodistribution in mice. PLoS One 2022;17(11):e0277614. 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

Atractylodes Also Interacts With Other Medications

Atractylodes has 127 moderate, 675 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Olanzapine 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 Atractylodes

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Atractylodes or Olanzapine

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

This page covers Atractylodes only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Olanzapine page lists 160 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Indian Snakeroot (major), Lithium (major), Rauvolfia Vomitoria (major) and 1,3-dmaa (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 118 moderate · 38 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Olanzapine page

“Olanzapine (Zyprexa) is an antipsychotic prescribed for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and adding supplements to it warrants genuine care. Four of the 160 ingredients on file rate major, and those four deserve your attention before anything else: lithium supplements raise the risk of serotonin syndrome, activated charcoal can trap…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Olanzapine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 691 real supplement products containing Atractylodes, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Atractylodes. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Olanzapine too, on top of Atractylodes — 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 Atractylodes and Olanzapine 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 Atractylodes
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Olanzapine
Steady interest

#1,664 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 Atractylodes

What is Atractylodes?

Atractylodes
  • Digestive upset and poor appetite
  • Bloating and fluid retention
  • General fatigue or 'weakness'
  • Diarrhea
  • Support within traditional formulas

Atractylodes is a root used for centuries in traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Thai medicine, mostly for digestive complaints and fatigue, often as part of multi-herb formulas. Modern research is still early and mostly from lab and animal studies, so its true benefits in people are not well proven. If you want to try it, talk with a pharmacist or doctor first, and avoid it during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Atractylodes monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Olanzapine

What Is Olanzapine Used For?

Brand name: Zyprexa

Olanzapine is used for schizophrenia and for manic or mixed episodes of bipolar I disorder, including long-term maintenance treatment. It can also be added to lithium or valproate for manic or mixed episodes. Oral olanzapine is approved for adults and for teens ages 13 to 17.

Olanzapine for injection (intramuscular) is used for sudden agitation linked to schizophrenia or bipolar I mania in adults. Zyprexa Relprevv, a long-acting injection, is used only for schizophrenia. Oral olanzapine taken together with fluoxetine is used for depressive episodes of bipolar I disorder, as covered in the Symbyax labeling.

See full Olanzapine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Atractylodes

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

0Major
127Moderate
675Minor
2,027No known interaction
Moderate

127 interactions

Showing 60 of 127 moderate interactions — see all 127 on the Atractylodes page.

Minor

675 interactions

Showing 60 of 675 minor interactions — see all 675 on the Atractylodes page.

No interaction 2,027 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,027 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Atractylodes 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

Keep exploring
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Atractylodes and Olanzapine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Atractylodes with Olanzapine?
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 Atractylodes and Olanzapine 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 Olanzapine and Atractylodes?

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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.