Drug & supplement interaction

Buchu + Efavirenz

Efavirenz brand name: Sustiva.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Buchu and Efavirenz 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.

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Interaction report

Buchu and Efavirenz

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 Efavirenz and Buchu 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.

Buchu safety at a glance

Buchu overall Use caution Generally used in food amounts, but medicinal doses lack strong safety data and the essential oil may be irritating.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When used in medicinal amounts; buchu is reported to be an abortifacient. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Possibly Safe When used in food amounts. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of using larger amounts; avoid using. Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Efavirenz and Buchu? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Efavirenz

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Efavirenz is filed under 8 classifications — including non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (nnrtis), cytochrome p450 2c19 (cyp2c19) inhibitors, cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) inhibitors. Buchu has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate), hepatotoxic drugs (moderate) and lithium (moderate) — and none of Efavirenz’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.

Keep it in perspective

Buchu Does Interact With Other Medications

Buchu has 481 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Efavirenz isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 481 No known interaction 2,349 (incl. Efavirenz)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Buchu

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

What to actually watch for

What Efavirenz’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Buchu. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Efavirenz’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you take both. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Liver problems Worth acting on
  • Vivid dreams or nightmares
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Tiredness
  • Dizziness
  • A skin rash
  • Vomiting
  • Headache
  • Nausea

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Efavirenz. Read the label on DailyMed › Buchu’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Buchu side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Buchu has no side effects.

Special populations

Buchu in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Likely Unsafe

When used in medicinal amounts; buchu is reported to be an abortifacient.

Lactation Possibly Safe

When used in food amounts. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of using larger amounts; avoid using.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Efavirenz

This page covers Buchu only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Efavirenz page lists 159 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 · 117 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Efavirenz page

“Efavirenz (Sustiva) is an HIV medicine, so an interaction that weakens it can cost more than a bad day; it can invite viral resistance. That makes this a list to treat with genuine care.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Efavirenz interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 128 real supplement products containing Buchu, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Buchu. Even though Buchu itself has no known interaction with Efavirenz, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Buchu and Efavirenz 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 Buchu
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Efavirenz
Top half

#1,305 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.

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 Buchu reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Buchu and Efavirenz 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.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Buchu

What is Buchu?

Buchu
  • Urinary tract complaints
  • Diuretic (increasing urine flow)
  • Bloating and fluid retention
  • Mild digestive upset
  • Antimicrobial/antiseptic use
  • Flavoring and fragrance

Buchu is a fragrant South African shrub whose leaves are traditionally used for urinary and bladder complaints and as a diuretic. Solid human studies are lacking, so its benefits are largely unproven, and it should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have kidney or liver problems.

Agathosma betulina · Rutaceae · Leaves and essential oil · Tea, capsules, tincture, dried leaf, essential oil

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Buchu is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Buchu record says about it on its own.

Buchu: dosing

There is no well-established standardized dose for buchu. Traditional preparations include teas made from the dried leaf and tinctures, but reliable human studies have not confirmed a safe and effective amount.If you choose to use a buchu product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them. Avoid taking the concentrated essential oil internally.

From our Buchu monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Buchu monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Efavirenz

What Is Efavirenz Used For?

Brand name: Sustiva

Efavirenz is used to treat HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus type 1) infection. It is always used together with other antiretroviral medicines — never on its own.

It is approved for adults and for children who are at least 3 months old and weigh at least 3.5 kg (about 7.7 lbs). Both the capsule and tablet forms are approved for this use.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Efavirenz

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (0 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Virologic failure 960 reports
Drug resistance 742 reports
Viral mutation identified 676 reports
Pathogen resistance 641 reports
Foetal exposure during pregnancy 621 reports
See full Efavirenz drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Buchu

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Buchu — 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
481 Moderate 2,348 No interaction
Moderate

481 interactions

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

No interaction 2,348 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,348 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Buchu list.

See the full Buchu interactions page
See every supplement checked against Efavirenz, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Buchu References

The 3 references that drive our Buchu 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.

  1. Newall CA, Anderson LA, Philpson JD. Herbal Medicine: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals. London, UK: The Pharmaceutical Press, 1996.
  2. Fetrow CW, Avila JR. Professional's Handbook of Complementary & Alternative Medicines. 1st ed. Springhouse, PA: Springhouse Corp., 1999.
  3. Moolla A, Viljoen AM. 'Buchu' - Agathosma betulina and Agathosma crenulata (Retaceae): a review. J Ethnopharmacol 2008;119(3):413-9.

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.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Buchu and Efavirenz Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Buchu with Efavirenz?
We do not list a known interaction between Buchu and Efavirenz. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
How was the Buchu and Efavirenz combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Efavirenz is filed under 8 classifications, and Buchu has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Efavirenz's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Buchu interact with any other medications?
Yes. Buchu has 481 documented drug interactions in our database — Efavirenz is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Efavirenz interact with any supplements?
Yes. Efavirenz has documented interactions with 159 supplements in our database — Buchu is not one of them. The Efavirenz interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Buchu monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Efavirenz drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Efavirenz supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Efavirenz, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 3 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Efavirenz and Buchu?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.