Drug & supplement interaction

Bridelia + Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel

Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel brand names: Logynon, Microgynon 30 ED.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Bridelia has a moderate interaction with Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel. In animals, Bridelia ferruginea extract has estrogenic effects, although the magnitude of these effects is less than that of ethinylestradiol.

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

Bridelia and Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel

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

Moderate

ESTROGENS

Why this applies to Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel

Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel falls under ESTROGENS — the group Bridelia interacts with.

In animals, Bridelia ferruginea extract has estrogenic effects, although the magnitude of these effects is less than that of ethinylestradiol. Theoretically, Bridelia might interfere with hormone therapy.
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

Your pill, Logynon or Microgynon 30 ED, combines a synthetic estrogen (ethinylestradiol) with a progestin (levonorgestrel). In animal studies, Bridelia ferruginea showed mild estrogen-like activity of its own, though much weaker than the estrogen in your pill. The worry is purely theoretical: adding a plant with estrogen-like effects on top of hormone therapy could, in principle, nudge your hormone balance and lead to things like breakthrough bleeding, breast tenderness, nausea, or mood changes.

Honestly, this is based only on lab and animal work, not real people, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Still, because your birth control needs steady levels to work well, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before adding Bridelia.

References
  1. Njamen D, Magne Nde CB, Tanee Fomum Z, Vollmer G. Effects of the extracts of some tropical medicinal plants on estrogen inducible yeast and Ishikawa screens, and on ovariectomized Wistar rats. Pharmazie 2008;63(2):164-8. 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 Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel 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.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel

This page covers Bridelia only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel page lists 214 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 171 moderate · 40 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel page

“A supplement that lowers hormone levels in a birth control pill can mean an unplanned pregnancy, and St. John's wort can do exactly that to ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel (Logynon, Microgynon 30 ED) by speeding up how your liver clears the hormones.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Bridelia and Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel 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

#1,313 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel
Top 5%

#98 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
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 Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel Together: Common Questions

Can you take Bridelia with Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel?
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 Ethiny Estradiol, Levonorgestrel 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

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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.