Drug & supplement interaction

Bridelia + Apixaban

Apixaban brand name: Eliquis.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Bridelia has a moderate interaction with Apixaban. In animals, orally administered extracts of Bridelia ferruginea stem bark inhibit ADP/adrenaline-induced thrombosis by approximately 62%.Theoretically, Bridelia might increase the risk of bleeding when used concomitantly with anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs.

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

Bridelia and Apixaban

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

Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

Why this applies to Apixaban

Apixaban falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Bridelia interacts with.

In animals, orally administered extracts of Bridelia ferruginea stem bark inhibit ADP/adrenaline-induced thrombosis by approximately 62%.Theoretically, Bridelia might increase the risk of bleeding when used concomitantly with anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs.
Some of these drugs include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and others.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Probable Evidence D

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 simple version: Eliquis (apixaban) already thins your blood to prevent clots and strokes. In animal studies, Bridelia ferruginea seemed to slow down clotting on its own, cutting clot formation by around 60 percent. So if you stack Bridelia on top of apixaban, the worry is that your blood could get too thin, raising your chance of bleeding.

What that might look like: easy bruising, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, blood in your urine or stool, or cuts that won't stop. I want to be honest, though, this concern is theoretical and based on animal data, not human studies, so we don't know how big the effect really is in people. Please don't start or stop anything on your own. Just check with your pharmacist or doctor first.

References
  1. Olajide, O. A. Investigation of the effects of selected medicinal plants on experimental thrombosis. Phytother Res 1999;13(3):231-232. DOI

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

Bridelia Also Interacts With Other Medications

Bridelia has 329 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Apixaban one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Bridelia

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Bridelia or Apixaban

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

This page covers Bridelia only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Apixaban page lists 285 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 · 40 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Apixaban page

“St. John's wort can weaken apixaban (Eliquis), speeding how the body clears this blood thinner and leaving you less protected from the strokes and clots it is prescribed to prevent.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Apixaban interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Bridelia and Apixaban 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 Bridelia
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Apixaban
Most looked up

#1 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 Bridelia

What is Bridelia?

  • Blood sugar support
  • Digestive complaints and diarrhea
  • Wound care and skin conditions
  • Antimicrobial use
  • Mouth and gum care (traditional chewing stick)

Bridelia is a group of tropical plants, with Bridelia ferruginea widely used in traditional African medicine for diabetes, infections, and digestive problems. Scientific evidence is mostly limited to laboratory and animal studies, so its benefits and safety in people are not well established. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you take other medicines or have a health condition.

Read the full Bridelia monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Apixaban

What Is Apixaban Used For?

Brand name: Eliquis

Apixaban is used to reduce the risk of stroke and dangerous clots traveling through the body in adults with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm not caused by a heart valve problem). It is also used to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT — a blood clot in the leg) in adults after hip or knee replacement surgery, and to treat DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE — a blood clot in the lungs) in adults, including reducing the risk of those clots coming back.

Eliquis (the brand-name tablet and kit) is additionally approved to treat venous thromboembolism (VTE — blood clots in the veins) and reduce the risk of recurrent VTE in pediatric patients from birth and older, after at least 5 days of initial anticoagulant treatment. The generic apixaban tablet carries the adult indications only.

See full Apixaban drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Bridelia

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

0Major
329Moderate
0Minor
2,500No known interaction
Moderate

329 interactions

Showing 60 of 329 moderate interactions — see all 329 on the Bridelia page.

No interaction 2,500 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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Bridelia and Apixaban Together: Common Questions

Can you take Bridelia with Apixaban?
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 Bridelia and Apixaban 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 Apixaban and Bridelia?

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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.