Drug & supplement interaction

Bear's Garlic + Cilostazol

Cilostazol brand name: Pletal.

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

Bear's Garlic has a moderate interaction with Cilostazol. In vitro research shows that bear's garlic and some of its constituents can inhibit platelet aggregation.

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

Bear's Garlic and Cilostazol

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

Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

Why this applies to Cilostazol

Cilostazol falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Bear's Garlic interacts with.

In vitro research shows that bear's garlic and some of its constituents can inhibit platelet aggregation. Theoretically, bear's garlic might increase the risk of bleeding when used with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs.
Some anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, ticlopidine (Ticlid), warfarin (Coumadin), and others.
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: cilostazol (Pletal) already works by making your platelets less sticky so blood flows better through narrowed leg arteries. Bear's garlic, like its kitchen cousin regular garlic, may have a mild platelet-slowing effect of its own. Stack the two together and, in theory, you could nudge yourself toward easier bruising, nosebleeds, or bleeding that takes a little longer to stop.

The honest caveat: this concern comes only from lab and test-tube studies, not real people, so it's more a precaution than a proven problem. The small amount you'd eat as a flavorful food is very unlikely to matter. Concentrated supplements are the bigger question mark. Before adding a bear's garlic supplement, just run it by your pharmacist or doctor first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Carotenuto A, De Feo V, Fattorusso E, et al. The flavonoids of Allium ursinum. Phytochem 1996;41:531-6. PubMed
  2. Bobak M, Skodova Z, Marmot M. Beer and obesity: a cross-sectional study. Eur J Clin Nutr 2003;57:1250-53. PubMed
  3. Koh-Banerjee P, Chu N, Spiegelman D, et al. Prospective study of the association of changes in dietary intake, physicial activity, alcohol consumption, and smoking with 9-y gain in waist circumference among 16 587 US men. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78:719-27..

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

Bear's Garlic Also Interacts With Other Medications

Bear's Garlic has 121 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Cilostazol one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 121 No known interaction 2,709 (incl. Cilostazol)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Bear's Garlic

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Bear's Garlic. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Bear's Garlic or Cilostazol

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Bear's Garlic or Cilostazol, 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 Cilostazol

This page covers Bear's Garlic only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Cilostazol page lists 286 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Danshen (major), Grapefruit (major), Piracetam (major) and St. John's Wort (major).

By severity: 5 major · 240 moderate · 41 minor.

Open the Cilostazol interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Bear's Garlic and Cilostazol 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 Bear's Garlic
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Cilostazol
Steady interest

#1,763 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 Bear's Garlic

What is Bear's Garlic?

Bear's Garlic
  • Seasoning and culinary flavoring
  • Heart and blood vessel health
  • Blood pressure support
  • Digestive complaints
  • General 'cleansing' or detox traditions

Bear's garlic is a wild relative of garlic enjoyed mainly as a mild-tasting food. Some early laboratory studies hint at heart and blood vessel benefits, but solid human evidence is lacking, so it should be viewed as a flavorful food rather than a proven remedy. As food it is generally well tolerated, but supplements or large amounts have not been well studied for safety.

Read the full Bear's Garlic monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Cilostazol

What Is Cilostazol Used For?

Brand name: Pletal

Cilostazol tablets are approved to reduce the symptoms of intermittent claudication (cramping leg pain that comes on during walking due to reduced blood flow in the arteries). The goal is to help you walk farther before pain forces you to stop.

See full Cilostazol drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Bear's Garlic

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

0Major
121Moderate
0Minor
2,708No known interaction
121 Moderate 2,708 No interaction
Moderate

121 interactions

Showing 60 of 121 moderate interactions — see all 121 on the Bear's Garlic page.

No interaction 2,708 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,708 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Bear's Garlic list.

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

Can you take Bear's Garlic with Cilostazol?
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 Bear's Garlic and Cilostazol 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 Cilostazol and Bear's Garlic?

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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.