Drug & supplement interaction

Banaba + Clonidine

Clonidine brand name: Catapres.

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

Banaba has a moderate interaction with Clonidine. Theoretically, concomitant use of banaba and antihypertensive drugs might cause additive effects.

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

Banaba and Clonidine

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

Moderate

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS

Why this applies to Clonidine

Clonidine falls under ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS — the group Banaba interacts with.

Theoretically, concomitant use of banaba and antihypertensive drugs might cause additive effects.
Human and animal research suggests that banaba can lower blood pressure.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Probable Evidence B

Interaction 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..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the thing to know about pairing banaba with clonidine: both can nudge your blood pressure downward. Clonidine already works by calming your nervous system to slow your heart rate and relax your blood vessels. Banaba, in some human and animal studies, also appears to lower blood pressure a bit. Stack the two together and the effects may add up.

In real life, that could mean feeling lightheaded, dizzy, drowsy, or faint, especially when you stand up quickly. The evidence here is fairly limited and the blood-pressure effect of banaba is modest, so it's not a reason to panic. Still, since clonidine is potent, it's smart to check with your pharmacist or doctor before adding banaba, and keep an eye on your numbers.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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

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

Banaba Also Interacts With Other Medications

Banaba has 298 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Clonidine one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 298 No known interaction 2,532 (incl. Clonidine)
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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Banaba or Clonidine

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

This page covers Banaba only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Clonidine page lists 138 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Tyramine (major) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 113 moderate · 21 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Clonidine page

“American hellebore is the ingredient I would want a clonidine (Catapres) patient to know about first. Its alkaloids lower blood pressure even in small doses and slow the heart, both things clonidine already does, so the combination can drop someone dangerously low.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Clonidine 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. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Clonidine too, on top of Banaba — 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 Banaba and Clonidine 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%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Clonidine
Top half

#1,097 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 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.

Read the full Banaba monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Clonidine

What Is Clonidine Used For?

Brand name: Catapres

Clonidine is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Several products — including Clonidine Hydrochloride tablets, Javadin oral solution, Nexiclon XR extended-release tablets, and Catapres-TTS skin patches — are approved for this use, either alone or combined with other blood pressure medicines.

Extended-release formulations — including Onyda XR oral suspension and clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets (such as Kapvay) — are approved to treat ADHD in children and teenagers ages 6 to 17, either on their own or alongside stimulant medications. Separately, clonidine injection products (Duraclon and others) are used alongside opioid pain medicines to treat severe cancer pain that opioids alone cannot control adequately.

See full Clonidine 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
298Moderate
0Minor
2,531No known interaction
298 Moderate 2,531 No interaction
Moderate

298 interactions

Showing 60 of 298 moderate interactions — see all 298 on the Banaba page.

No interaction 2,531 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,531 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Banaba list.

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

Can you take Banaba with Clonidine?
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 Banaba and Clonidine 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 Clonidine 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.