Drug & supplement interaction

Boldo + Warfarin

Warfarin brand name: Warfarin.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Warfarin falls into 2 drug categories that Boldo can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, taking boldo with anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs might increase the risk of bleeding.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Interaction report

Boldo and Warfarin

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Boldo interacts with whole categories of medication. Warfarin falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Boldo in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Warfarin

Warfarin falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Boldo interacts with.

Theoretically, taking boldo with anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs might increase the risk of bleeding.
Animal and in vitro research shows that boldine, a constituent of boldo, has antiplatelet activity. In one case report, an adult taking a combination of boldo and fenugreek with warfarin experienced an increase in international normalized ratio (INR); however, it is unclear if this effect was due to boldo, fenugreek, the combination, or another factor.
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 short version on combining boldo with your warfarin: the worry is extra bleeding. Lab and animal studies suggest boldine (a compound in boldo) may make platelets less sticky, and there's a single case report where someone taking boldo and fenugreek alongside warfarin saw their INR climb. A higher INR means your blood is thinner than intended, which can show up as easy bruising, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or blood in the urine or stool.

I want to be honest though: this is theoretical and anecdotal, and that one report also involved fenugreek, so we can't pin it on boldo alone. Still, warfarin is a narrow-window drug where small shifts matter, so please check with your pharmacist or doctor before adding boldo.

References
  1. Lambert J, Cormier J. Potential interaction between warfarin and boldo-fenugreek. Pharmacotherapy 2001;21:509-12. PubMed
  2. Teng, C. M., Hsueh, C. M., Chang, Y. L., Ko, F. N., Lee, S. S., and Liu, K. C. Antiplatelet effects of some aporphine and phenanthrene alkaloids in rabbits and man. J Pharm Pharmacol 1997;49(7):706-711. PubMed
Moderate

WARFARIN (Coumadin)

2 of 2
A combination of boldo and fenugreek was thought to be associated with an increased international normalized ratio (INR) in a female on warfarin. It is not clear if boldo, fenugreek, or the combination played a role in this interaction. Therefore, boldo may have additive effects with warfarin.
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 short version on mixing boldo with your warfarin. Warfarin is a finely balanced blood thinner, and your dose is dialed in using your INR blood test. The concern here is that boldo may add to warfarin's effect and push your INR higher, which means a greater chance of bleeding (think easy bruising, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or blood in urine or stool).

I want to be straight with you about the evidence: this comes from a single report in one woman who was taking boldo and fenugreek together, so we honestly can't say boldo alone caused it. Still, with a narrow-margin drug like warfarin, even small shifts matter. Please check with your pharmacist or doctor before adding boldo, and don't change your warfarin on your own.

References
  1. Lambert J, Cormier J. Potential interaction between warfarin and boldo-fenugreek. Pharmacotherapy 2001;21:509-12. 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

Boldo Also Interacts With Other Medications

Boldo has 481 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Warfarin one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Boldo

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Boldo or Warfarin

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

This page covers Boldo only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Warfarin page lists 361 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Alfalfa (major), American Ginseng (major), Beer (major) and Cannabis (major).

By severity: 16 major · 301 moderate · 44 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Warfarin page

“People take warfarin to prevent dangerous clots, and many are the same people reaching for glucosamine for sore joints or a multivitamin containing vitamin K, which makes this a list that deserves genuine respect. Of the 361 supplements on file for warfarin, 16 carry a major rating, and the danger runs in both directions: some add to w…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Warfarin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 173 real supplement products containing Boldo, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Boldo. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Warfarin too, on top of Boldo — 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 Boldo and Warfarin 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 Boldo
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Warfarin
Top 10

#4 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 Boldo

What is Boldo?

Boldo
  • Indigestion and bloating
  • Mild constipation
  • Liver and gallbladder support
  • Appetite stimulation
  • Urinary complaints

Boldo is a South American shrub whose leaves are traditionally used for digestive and gallbladder complaints, but good human evidence is very limited. The leaves and oil contain ascaridole, which can be toxic to the liver, so only ascaridole-free products should be used and only for short periods. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before trying it, and avoid it during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Boldo monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Warfarin

What Is Warfarin Used For?

Brand name: Warfarin

Warfarin sodium tablets and Jantoven tablets are both used to prevent and treat venous thrombosis (blood clots in the veins) and pulmonary embolism (a clot in the lungs). They are also used to prevent clot-related complications in people with atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm) or who have had a heart valve replaced.

In people who have had a heart attack, warfarin is used to reduce the risk of death, another heart attack, stroke, or other clotting events. It does not dissolve an existing clot, but it helps prevent the clot from growing and stops new dangerous clots from forming.

See full Warfarin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Boldo

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

0Major
481Moderate
0Minor
2,348No known interaction
Moderate

481 interactions

Showing 60 of 481 moderate interactions — see all 481 on the Boldo page.

No interaction 2,348 drugs checked — show the list
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
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Boldo and Warfarin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Boldo with Warfarin?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Boldo and Warfarin?
Warfarin belongs to more than one drug category, and Boldo interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Boldo and Warfarin 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 Warfarin and Boldo?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.