Bitter Yam + Tolbutamide
Tolbutamide brand name: Orinase.
We found no known interaction between Bitter Yam and Tolbutamide 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.
Bitter Yam and Tolbutamide
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 Tolbutamide and Bitter Yam 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.
Bitter Yam safety at a glance
Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.
Why No Interaction Is Listed for Tolbutamide
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Tolbutamide is filed under 5 classifications — including antidiabetes drugs, cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) substrates, photosensitizing drugs. Bitter Yam has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being digoxin (lanoxin) (moderate) — and none of Tolbutamide’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.
Bitter Yam Does Interact With Other Medications
Bitter Yam has 1 moderate known drug interaction in our database — Tolbutamide isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.
Check Another of Your Medications Against Bitter Yam
We haven’t checked that one against Bitter Yam yet — ask our pharmacists directly.
Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Bitter Yam. Pick one to open its full report.
What Tolbutamide Is Prescribed For, and What Bitter Yam Has Been Studied For
These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Tolbutamide is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Bitter Yam is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.
Bitter Yam has been studied for:
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Diabetes studied, not established Bitter Yam has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows
Bitter Yam for diabetes
Although there has been interest in using oral bitter yam for diabetes, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of bitter yam for this purpose.
Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Tolbutamide on your own; if you are taking Bitter Yam for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.
See Every Supplement That Interacts With Tolbutamide
This page covers Bitter Yam only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Tolbutamide page lists 305 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), Adrafinil (moderate) and African Wild Potato (moderate).
By severity: 2 major · 255 moderate · 48 minor.
From our pharmacist’s overview on the Tolbutamide page
“People take tolbutamide (Orinase) to lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes, and diabetes is exactly the condition supplement shelves target, which is why this list runs to 305 ingredients and deserves real caution. Of those, 239 also push glucose around, most often downward, so combining them can drive sugar lower than intended.”
Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026
Where Bitter Yam and Tolbutamide 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.
#523 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days
#1,830 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days
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 Bitter Yam reference on this page ↓
- Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Bitter Yam and Tolbutamide records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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.
About Bitter Yam
What is Bitter Yam?
- Blood sugar support
- Digestive complaints
- Traditional food source
- Wound and skin care (folk use)
Bitter yam is a wild African yam used traditionally as both food and folk medicine, often for blood sugar and digestion. Scientific evidence in humans is very limited, and some bitter yam species can be toxic if not properly prepared. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it as a supplement.
Dioscorea dumetorum · Dioscoreaceae · Tuber (root) · Cooked tuber, dried powder, traditional preparations
An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Bitter Yam is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Bitter Yam record says about it on its own.
Bitter Yam: dosing
There is no established, standardized dose of bitter yam as a supplement. Traditional use varies widely and depends on how the tuber is prepared.If you choose to use a commercial product, follow the directions on the label and do not take more than recommended.
From our Bitter Yam monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.
About Tolbutamide
What Is Tolbutamide Used For?
Brand name: Orinase
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Tolbutamide is used along with diet and exercise, and sometimes with other medications, to treat type 2 diabetes (condition in which the body does not use insulin normally and, therefore, cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood). Tolbutamide is in a class of medications called sulfonylureas. Tolbutamide lowers blood sugar by causing the pancreas to produce insulin (a natural substance that is needed to break down sugar in the body) and helping the body use insulin efficiently. This medication will only help lower blood sugar in people whose bodies produce insulin naturally. Tolbutamide is not used to treat type 1 diabetes (condition in which the body does not produce insulin and, therefore, cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood) or diabetic ketoacidosis (a serious condition that may occur if high blood sugar is not treated).
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Over time, people who have diabetes and high blood sugar can develop serious or life-threatening complications, including heart disease, stroke, kidney problems, nerve damage, and eye problems. Taking medication(s), making lifestyle changes (e.g., diet, exercise, quitting smoking), and regularly checking your blood sugar may help to manage your diabetes and improve your health. This therapy may also decrease your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other diabetes-related complications such as kidney failure, nerve damage (numb, cold legs or feet; decreased sexual ability in men and women), eye problems, including changes or loss of vision, or gum disease. Your doctor and other healthcare providers will talk to you about the best way to manage your diabetes.
Other Drugs & Bitter Yam
Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Bitter Yam — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.
No drugs match “”.
1 interaction
No interaction 2,828 drugs checked — show the list
We also checked Bitter Yam against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.
- Apixaban ›
- Levothyroxine ›
- Amlodipine ›
- Methylphenidate ›
- Warfarin ›
- Sertraline ›
- Testosterone ›
- Losartan Potassium ›
- Ivermectin ›
- Aspirin ›
- Abemaciclib ›
- Acetaminophen ›
- Metoprolol ›
- Rosuvastatin ›
- Rivaroxaban ›
- Escitalopram ›
- Clopidogrel ›
- Atorvastatin ›
- Docusate ›
- Tadalafil ›
- Tirzepatide ›
- Methamphetamine ›
- Ibuprofen ›
- Warfarin Sodium ›
- Valacyclovir ›
- Hydroxyurea ›
- Sumatriptan ›
- Semaglutide ›
- Prednisone ›
- Lisdexamfetamine ›
- Propranolol ›
- Amitriptyline ›
- Metformin ›
- Amoxicillin ›
- Lisinopril ›
- Isotretinoin ›
- Amlodipine Besylate ›
- Methotrexate ›
- Bendamustine ›
- Bupropion ›
- Amphetamine ›
- Doxycycline ›
- Fluoxetine ›
- Azithromycin ›
- Acyclovir ›
- Pregabalin ›
- Lamotrigine ›
- Dextroamphetamine ›
- Gabapentin ›
- Acetaminophen, Codeine ›
- Levothyroxine, Liothyronine ›
- Clonazepam ›
- Quetiapine ›
- Naproxen ›
- Omeprazole ›
- Letrozole ›
- Duloxetine ›
- Methylene Blue ›
- Buspirone ›
- Citalopram ›
Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,828 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Bitter Yam list.
Bitter Yam References
The 1 references that drive our Bitter Yam 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.
- Nimenibo-Uadia R. Control of hyperlipidaemia, hypercholesterolaemia and hyperketonaemia by aqueous extract of Dioscorea dumetorum tuber. Trop J Pharm Res 2003;2:183-9. Available at: http://www.bioline.org.br/request?pr03009. DOI
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.
Tolbutamide Is Linked to Lower Levels of One Nutrient
Natural Medicines records Tolbutamide as a medicine that can lower these. This is not an interaction with Bitter Yam — it is a separate effect of the medicine, and it is a reason some people are advised to supplement rather than to avoid one:
Read the full Tolbutamide nutrient depletion report ›
Depletion records come from the licensed Natural Medicines database. Do not start a supplement on the strength of this page — ask your pharmacist or doctor whether it applies to you.
Taking Bitter Yam and Tolbutamide Together: Common Questions
Is it safe to take Bitter Yam with Tolbutamide?
Are Bitter Yam and Tolbutamide used for the same thing?
How was the Bitter Yam and Tolbutamide combination checked?
Does Bitter Yam interact with any other medications?
Does Tolbutamide interact with any supplements?
Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy
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Still Have a Question About Tolbutamide and Bitter Yam?
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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.