Drug & supplement interaction

Banaba + Clofazimine

Clofazimine brand name: Lamprene.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Banaba and Clofazimine 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 Clofazimine states a food rule worth keeping to, and the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Banaba and Clofazimine

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 Clofazimine and Banaba 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.

Banaba safety at a glance

Banaba overall Use caution Generally well tolerated in short studies, but long-term safety is not well established.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety data, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid No reliable safety information exists for nursing, so avoid use.

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

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

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Clofazimine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Clofazimine is filed under 3 classifications — antibiotic drugs, photosensitizing drugs, oral drugs. Banaba has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate), antihypertensive drugs (moderate) and organic anion-transporting polypeptide substrates (oatp) (moderate) — and none of Clofazimine’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

Banaba Does Interact With Other Medications

Banaba has 299 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Clofazimine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Banaba

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Banaba and Clofazimine May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Dizziness / Headache Additional detail

    Banaba

    “Orally, dizziness, headache, tremor, and weakness have been reported with a specific product containing extracts of banaba leaf and Padang cassia (Inlacin, Dexa Medica); however, it is unclear if these adverse effects were caused by banaba extract, Padang cassia, or the combination.”

    Banaba · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    2 sources cited
    1. 92848. Manaf A, Tjandrawinata RR, Malinda D. Insulin sensitizer in prediabetes: a clinical study with DLBS3233, a combined bioactive fraction of Cinnamomum burmanii and Lagerstroemia speciosa. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2016;10:1279-89. PubMed
    2. 92849. Tjokroprawiro A, Murtiwi S, Tjandrawinata RR. DLBS3233, a combined bioactive fraction of Cinnamomum burmanii and Lagerstroemia speciosa, in type-2 diabetes mellitus patients inadequately controlled by metformin and other oral antidiabetic agents. J Comple

    Clofazimine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Clofazimine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Banaba but not commonly for Clofazimine: stomach upset, a fast or pounding heartbeat, sweating and tremor or shakiness.

Effects for Clofazimine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Banaba come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 6,351 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Clofazimine that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Clofazimine Products Have a Food Rule — Banaba Should Not Break It

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

2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION For dapsone-sensitive lepromatous leprosy, 100 mg (two 50 mg capsules) daily with meals as a part of a combination regimen for at least 2 years is recommended.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Clofazimine — 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.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Clofazimine

This page covers Banaba only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Clofazimine page lists 64 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Alfalfa (moderate), Angelica Archangelica (moderate), Arrach (moderate) and Bacillus Coagulans (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 52 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Clofazimine page

“Clofazimine (Lamprene) treats leprosy for months or years, so anything that quietly drains its blood levels deserves genuine caution. Activated charcoal is the single major-rated interaction among the 64 on file, binding the drug and cutting how much reaches your body.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Clofazimine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 573 real supplement products containing Banaba, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Banaba. Even though Banaba itself has no known interaction with Clofazimine, 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 Banaba and Clofazimine 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 Banaba
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Clofazimine
Top half

#1,278 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 Banaba reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Banaba and Clofazimine records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 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 Banaba

What is Banaba?

Banaba
  • Blood sugar support
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Weight management
  • High blood pressure
  • Cholesterol support

Banaba is a leaf extract most often used to help support healthy blood sugar, and small early studies suggest its active compound corosolic acid may modestly lower glucose. The overall evidence is limited and short-term, so it should not replace prescribed diabetes care. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before trying it, especially if you take blood sugar medicine.

Lagerstroemia speciosa · Lythraceae · Leaves · Capsules, tablets, standardized extracts (e.g., corosolic acid extracts), tea

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

Banaba: dosing

There is no official or well-established standard dose for banaba. Products vary widely, and many are standardized to a certain percentage of corosolic acid.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Banaba monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Clofazimine

What Is Clofazimine Used For?

Brand name: Lamprene

Lamprene (clofazimine) is used to treat lepromatous leprosy — the most severe form of leprosy — including cases where the bacteria have become resistant to dapsone. It is also used when leprosy is complicated by erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL), a painful inflammatory reaction that can occur alongside the infection.

Lamprene is always used as part of a combination regimen with other anti-leprosy drugs. Using it alone for initial treatment raises the risk of drug resistance.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Clofazimine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (6,351 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Electrocardiogram qt prolonged 762 reports
Nausea 563 reports
Vomiting 503 reports
Anemia 474 reports
Dyspnea 403 reports
See full Clofazimine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Banaba

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

0Major
299Moderate
0Minor
2,530No known interaction
Moderate

299 interactions

Showing 60 of 299 moderate interactions — see all 299 on the Banaba page.

No interaction 2,530 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Banaba References

The 7 references that drive our Banaba 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. Judy WV, Hari SP, Stogsdill WW, et al. Antidiabetic activity of a standardized extract (Glucosol) from Lagerstroemia speciosa leaves in Type II diabetics. A dose-dependence study. J Ethnopharmacol 2003;87:115-7. PubMed
  2. Kakuda T, Sakane I, Takihara T, et al. Hypoglycemic effect of extracts from Lagerstroemia speciosa L. leaves in genetically diabetic KK-AY mice. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 1996;60:204-8.
  3. Fukushima, M., Matsuyama, F., Ueda, N., Egawa, K., Takemoto, J., Kajimoto, Y., Yonaha, N., Miura, T., Kaneko, T., Nishi, Y., Mitsui, R., Fujita, Y., Yamada, Y., and Seino, Y. Effect of corosolic acid on postchallenge plasma glucose levels. Diabetes Res C PubMed
  4. Yamaguchi, Y., Yamada, K., Yoshikawa, N., Nakamura, K., Haginaka, J., and Kunitomo, M. Corosolic acid prevents oxidative stress, inflammation and hypertension in SHR/NDmcr-cp rats, a model of metabolic syndrome. Life Sci 11-25-2006;79(26):2474-2479. PubMed
  5. Fuchikami H, Satoh H, Tsujimoto M, Ohdo S, Ohtani H, Sawada Y. Effects of herbal extracts on the function of human organic anion-transporting polypeptide OATP-B. Drug Metab Dispos 2006;34:577-82. PubMed
  6. Manaf A, Tjandrawinata RR, Malinda D. Insulin sensitizer in prediabetes: a clinical study with DLBS3233, a combined bioactive fraction of Cinnamomum burmanii and Lagerstroemia speciosa. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2016;10:1279-89. PubMed
  7. Tjokroprawiro A, Murtiwi S, Tjandrawinata RR. DLBS3233, a combined bioactive fraction of Cinnamomum burmanii and Lagerstroemia speciosa, in type-2 diabetes mellitus patients inadequately controlled by metformin and other oral antidiabetic agents. J Comple

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 Banaba and Clofazimine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Banaba with Clofazimine?
We do not list a known interaction between Banaba and Clofazimine. 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.
Do Banaba and Clofazimine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Should I take Banaba and Clofazimine at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Clofazimine says to take it with food. If you take Banaba on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Clofazimine with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Clofazimine products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Banaba and Clofazimine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Clofazimine is filed under 3 classifications, and Banaba has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Clofazimine'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 Banaba interact with any other medications?
Yes. Banaba has 299 documented drug interactions in our database — Clofazimine 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 Clofazimine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Clofazimine has documented interactions with 64 supplements in our database — Banaba is not one of them. The Clofazimine interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Clofazimine and Banaba?

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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.