Drug & supplement interaction

Buchu + Levothyroxine

Levothyroxine brand names: Euthyrox, Levothroid, Unithroid, Synthroid, Levoxyl, and others.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Buchu and Levothyroxine 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. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Levothyroxine states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Buchu and Levothyroxine

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 Levothyroxine 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 Levothyroxine and Buchu? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Levothyroxine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Levothyroxine is filed under 3 classifications — including thyroid hormone, oral drugs. 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 Levothyroxine’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 — Levothyroxine 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. Levothyroxine)
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 Levothyroxine’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 Levothyroxine’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. 10 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • A change in thyroid levels Worth acting on
  • Bone thinning Worth acting on
  • Muscle weakness Worth acting on
  • A heart attack Worth acting on
  • Heart failure Worth acting on
  • Wheezing Worth acting on
  • Seizures Worth acting on
  • Chest pain Worth acting on
  • Shortness of breath Worth acting on
  • A severe allergic reaction Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 32 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Levothyroxine. 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

How to take them

Some Levothyroxine Products Have a Food Rule — Buchu Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Levothyroxine says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Buchu included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Levothyroxine on its own and move Buchu to a meal later in the day.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Levothyroxine products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

From our Q&A

Questions About Buchu or Levothyroxine

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

This page covers Buchu only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Levothyroxine page lists 50 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Tiratricol (major), Acetyl-l-carnitine (moderate), Alpha-lipoic Acid (moderate) and Ascophyllum Nodosum (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 39 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Levothyroxine page

“Levothyroxine replaces a hormone your body measures in tiny amounts, so small shifts in its blood level show up in how you feel, and I treat this list with genuine care. Nearly everything on it does one of two things: blocks the pill from being absorbed in the gut, the way everyday minerals like calcium do by binding it into complexes,…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Levothyroxine 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 Levothyroxine, 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 Levothyroxine 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%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Levothyroxine
Top 10

#2 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 13, 2026. The Buchu and Levothyroxine 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 Levothyroxine

What Is Levothyroxine Used For?

Brand names: Euthyrox, Levothroid, Unithroid, Synthroid, Levoxyl, Levo-T, Eltroxin, Estre, Levothyroxine, Novothyrox, Levolet

Levothyroxine replaces or supplements the thyroid hormone your body isn't making enough of. It's used for hypothyroidism — an underactive thyroid — in adults, children, and even newborns, whether the cause is the thyroid gland itself, the pituitary gland, or the hypothalamus in the brain.

It's also used alongside surgery and radioiodine treatment in people with certain types of thyroid cancer, to help suppress the hormone that can stimulate cancer growth. It is not meant for weight loss, treating benign thyroid nodules in people who have enough iodine, or for hypothyroidism during recovery from a temporary condition called subacute thyroiditis.

See full Levothyroxine 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 Levothyroxine, 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 Levothyroxine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Buchu with Levothyroxine?
We do not list a known interaction between Buchu and Levothyroxine. 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.
Should I take Buchu and Levothyroxine at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Levothyroxine says to take it on an empty stomach, and supplements are usually taken with a meal — so taking them together at breakfast is the easy mistake. Where that applies, keep Levothyroxine on its own and move Buchu to a meal later in the day. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient, so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Buchu and Levothyroxine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Levothyroxine is filed under 3 classifications, and Buchu has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Levothyroxine'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 — Levothyroxine 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 Levothyroxine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Levothyroxine has documented interactions with 50 supplements in our database — Buchu is not one of them. The Levothyroxine 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 Levothyroxine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Levothyroxine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Levothyroxine, 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 Levothyroxine 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.