Drug & supplement interaction

Bay Leaf + Sitagliptin

Sitagliptin brand names: Januvia, Zituvio.

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

Bay Leaf has a moderate interaction with Sitagliptin. Concomitant use of bay leaf with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.

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

Bay Leaf and Sitagliptin

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Sitagliptin

Sitagliptin falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Bay Leaf interacts with.

Concomitant use of bay leaf with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Preliminary clinical research shows that bay leaf can lower blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes who are already taking antidiabetes medication. Advise patients to monitor glucose levels closely. Dose adjustments may be necessary.
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 simple version: Sitagliptin (Januvia) lowers your blood sugar, and some early research suggests bay leaf, when taken as a concentrated supplement, may nudge blood sugar down too. Stack the two together and your sugar could dip lower than you'd expect, which is what we call hypoglycemia.

With sitagliptin alone the risk of low sugar is usually small, but adding a blood-sugar-lowering supplement can tip the balance. Watch for shakiness, sweating, dizziness, or feeling foggy. Keep in mind this is a theoretical concern based mostly on limited data, and the bay leaf you sprinkle in soup is very unlikely to matter. The caution is really about pills, extracts, or essential oils. If you want to try a supplement, check with your pharmacist or doctor first and keep an eye on your glucose readings.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Khan, A., Zaman, G., and Anderson, R. A. Bay leaves improve glucose and lipid profile of people with type 2 diabetes. J Clin Biochem.Nutr. 2009;44(1):52-56. 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

Bay Leaf Also Interacts With Other Medications

Bay Leaf has 334 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Sitagliptin one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 334 No known interaction 2,496 (incl. Sitagliptin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Bay Leaf

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Bay Leaf or Sitagliptin

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

This page covers Bay Leaf only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Sitagliptin page lists 256 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Acai (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Agaricus Mushroom (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 215 moderate · 39 minor.

Open the Sitagliptin interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Bay Leaf and Sitagliptin 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 Bay Leaf
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Sitagliptin
Top half

#736 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 Bay Leaf

What is Bay Leaf?

Bay Leaf
  • Cooking and flavoring
  • Digestive upset
  • Blood sugar support
  • Colds and congestion
  • Joint and muscle discomfort

Bay leaf is a common culinary herb that is safe in the small amounts used in cooking. Some people take it for digestion, blood sugar, or colds, but strong human evidence for these uses is lacking. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements or essential oils.

Read the full Bay Leaf monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Sitagliptin

What Is Sitagliptin Used For?

Brand names: Januvia, Zituvio

Sitagliptin is used alongside diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It is available as tablets (Januvia, Zituvio, and generic sitagliptin products) and as an oral solution (Brynovin), all approved for this same use.

Sitagliptin is not for type 1 diabetes. It has not been studied in people with a history of pancreatitis, so its safety in that group is unknown.

See full Sitagliptin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Bay Leaf

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

0Major
334Moderate
0Minor
2,495No known interaction
334 Moderate 2,495 No interaction
Moderate

334 interactions

Showing 60 of 334 moderate interactions — see all 334 on the Bay Leaf page.

No interaction 2,495 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,495 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Bay Leaf list.

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

Can you take Bay Leaf with Sitagliptin?
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 Bay Leaf and Sitagliptin 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 Sitagliptin and Bay Leaf?

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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.