Drug & supplement interaction

Baikal Skullcap + Afatinib Dimaleate

Afatinib Dimaleate brand name: Gilotrif.

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

Baikal Skullcap has a minor interaction with Afatinib Dimaleate. Theoretically, Baikal skullcap might increase levels of drugs transported by P-glycoprotein.

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

Baikal Skullcap and Afatinib Dimaleate

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

Minor

P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Afatinib Dimaleate

Afatinib Dimaleate falls under P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES — the group Baikal Skullcap interacts with.

Theoretically, Baikal skullcap might increase levels of drugs transported by P-glycoprotein.
In vitro and animal research suggests that baicalein, oroxylin A, and wogonin, constituents of Baikal skullcap, can inhibit P-glycoprotein. This effect has not been reported 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 your lung cancer pill, afatinib (Gilotrif). Your body uses a kind of cellular pump called P-glycoprotein to move afatinib in and out of cells, which helps control how much stays in your bloodstream. In lab and animal studies, certain compounds in Baikal skullcap (baicalein and wogonin) appear to slow that pump down. If the pump works slower, more afatinib could theoretically build up, which might mean stronger side effects like diarrhea, mouth sores, dry or acne-like skin rash, or loss of appetite.

I want to be honest with you, though: this has only been seen in test tubes and animals, never in people, so it's a theoretical concern. Still, since afatinib is serious cancer therapy, please run any skullcap use by your oncologist or pharmacist first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Lee, Y., Yeo, H., Liu, S. H., Jiang, Z., Savizky, R. M., Austin, D. J., and Cheng, Y. C. Increased anti-P-glycoprotein activity of baicalein by alkylation on the A ring. J Med Chem 10-21-2004;47(22):5555-5566. PubMed
  2. Lee, E., Enomoto, R., Suzuki, C., Ohno, M., Ohashi, T., Miyauchi, A., Tanimoto, E., Maeda, K., Hirano, H., Yokoi, T., and Sugahara, C. Wogonin, a plant flavone, potentiates etoposide-induced apoptosis in cancer cells. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2007;1095:521-526. PubMed
  3. Go, W. J., Ryu, J. H., Qiang, F., and Han, H. K. Evaluation of the flavonoid oroxylin A as an inhibitor of P-glycoprotein-mediated cellular efflux. J Nat Prod 2009;72(9):1616-1619. PubMed
  4. Enomoto, R., Koshiba, C., Suzuki, C., and Lee, E. Wogonin potentiates the antitumor action of etoposide and ameliorates its adverse effects. Cancer Chemother.Pharmacol 2011;67(5):1063-1072. 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

Baikal Skullcap Also Interacts With Other Medications

Baikal Skullcap has 594 moderate, 351 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Afatinib Dimaleate one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 594 Minor 351 No known interaction 1,885 (incl. Afatinib Dimaleate)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Baikal Skullcap

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Afatinib Dimaleate

This page covers Baikal Skullcap only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Afatinib Dimaleate page lists 54 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), St. John's Wort (major), Bitter Melon (moderate), Black Pepper (moderate) and Bulbine Natalensis (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 35 moderate · 17 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Afatinib Dimaleate page

“Afatinib (Gilotrif) is a targeted lung cancer therapy, and because its effectiveness depends on keeping a steady blood level, this list deserves genuine care. Most of the 54 supplements here either change how much of the drug the gut absorbs or interfere with P-glycoprotein, a pump that moves afatinib across cell walls, pushing its lev…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Afatinib Dimaleate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 737 real supplement products containing Baikal Skullcap, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Baikal Skullcap. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Afatinib Dimaleate too, on top of Baikal Skullcap — 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 Baikal Skullcap and Afatinib Dimaleate 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 Baikal Skullcap
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Afatinib Dimaleate
Steady interest

#1,936 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 Baikal Skullcap

What is Baikal Skullcap?

Baikal Skullcap
  • Inflammation
  • Allergies
  • Anxiety and sleep
  • Immune support
  • Respiratory infections

Baikal skullcap is a traditional Chinese herb (Huang Qin) used for inflammation, allergies, and infections, with active compounds like baicalin and baicalein studied mostly in the lab. Human evidence remains limited, so it should not replace proven treatments. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Baikal Skullcap monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Afatinib

What Is Afatinib Used For?

Brand name: Gilotrif

Gilotrif (afatinib) is used to treat metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) — cancer that has spread and cannot be removed by surgery. It has two specific approved uses.

First, Gilotrif is used as an initial treatment for metastatic NSCLC when the tumor carries certain EGFR mutations (gene changes in the cancer cells) confirmed by an FDA-approved test — specifically non-resistant mutations. Second, Gilotrif is used to treat metastatic squamous NSCLC (a particular cell type of lung cancer) in patients whose cancer progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

See full Afatinib drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Baikal Skullcap

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

0Major
594Moderate
351Minor
1,884No known interaction
594 Moderate 351 Minor 1,884 No interaction
Moderate

594 interactions

Showing 60 of 594 moderate interactions — see all 594 on the Baikal Skullcap page.

Minor

351 interactions

Showing 60 of 351 minor interactions — see all 351 on the Baikal Skullcap page.

No interaction 1,884 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,884 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Baikal Skullcap list.

See the full Baikal Skullcap interactions page
See every supplement checked against Afatinib Dimaleate, 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
Baikal Skullcap monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Afatinib Dimaleate supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Afatinib Dimaleate, ranked by severity Afatinib 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 Baikal Skullcap and Afatinib Dimaleate Together: Common Questions

Can you take Baikal Skullcap with Afatinib Dimaleate?
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 Baikal Skullcap and Afatinib Dimaleate 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 Afatinib Dimaleate and Baikal Skullcap?

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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.