Drug & supplement interaction

Calumba + Insulin (Human)

Insulin (Human) brand names: Novolin N, Novolin 70/30, Novolin R, Novolin L, Afrezza.

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 Calumba and Insulin (Human) 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

Calumba and Insulin (Human)

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 Insulin (Human) and Calumba 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.

Calumba safety at a glance

Calumba overall Use caution Little modern safety data exists, so use it cautiously and ideally under professional guidance.
Pregnancy Avoid Safety is unknown, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid There is not enough information to consider it safe while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Insulin (Human) and Calumba? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Insulin (Human)

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Insulin (Human) is filed under 3 classifications — including antidiabetes drugs, oral drugs. Calumba has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being antacids (minor), h2-blockers (minor) and proton pump inhibitors (ppis) (minor) — and none of Insulin (Human)’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

Calumba Does Interact With Other Medications

Calumba has 36 minor known drug interactions in our database — Insulin (Human) isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Minor 36 No known interaction 2,794 (incl. Insulin (Human))
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Calumba

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

What to actually watch for

What Calumba Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Insulin (Human). It is the side-effect record for Calumba on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Calumba, this list is the first place to look.

  • Vomiting Additional detail

    “Orally, large doses of calumba may cause vomiting and epigastric pain (18).”

    Calumba · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    1 source cited
    1. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Calumba — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Insulin (Human)’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Insulin (Human) column appears here.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Insulin (Human)

This page covers Calumba only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Insulin (Human) page lists 259 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Chelation Therapy Products (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Acai (moderate) and African Wild Potato (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 218 moderate · 38 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Insulin (Human) page

“With human insulin (Novolin, Afrezza), extra glucose lowering is not a nuisance, it is the hazard itself, and this is one of the lists I treat as genuinely serious. Nearly every ingredient here either drops blood sugar on its own or adds to insulin's effect, and the combination can push a normal dose into hypoglycemia, a dangerous low.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Insulin (Human) interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Calumba and Insulin (Human) 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 Calumba
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Insulin (Human)
Top half

#732 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 Calumba reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Calumba and Insulin (Human) records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 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 Calumba

What is Calumba?

  • Poor appetite
  • Digestive upset and indigestion
  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • As a bitter tonic

Calumba is the dried root of an African climbing plant that has long been used as a bitter tonic to stimulate appetite and ease digestive complaints. Modern scientific evidence for these uses is very limited, and its safety has not been well studied, so it should be used cautiously and avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Jateorhiza palmata · Menispermaceae · Dried root · Dried root, powder, tincture, liquid extract, capsules

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

Calumba: dosing

There is no well-established standardized dose for Calumba. Traditional sources used the dried root, powder, tinctures, or liquid extracts, but reliable modern dosing guidelines do not exist.If you choose to use a Calumba product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them.

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

Read the full Calumba monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Human Insulin Injection

What Is Human Insulin Injection Used For?

Brand names: Novolin N, Novolin 70/30, Novolin R, Novolin L, Afrezza

Novolin (human insulin injection) is used to improve glycemic control — meaning blood sugar management — in adults and children with diabetes mellitus.

Novolin 70/30 is a fixed-ratio mixture of intermediate-acting and short-acting human insulin. Because the ratio is fixed, it cannot be adjusted separately for background (basal) or mealtime (prandial) needs.

See full Human Insulin Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Calumba

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

0Major
0Moderate
36Minor
2,793No known interaction
36 Minor 2,793 No interaction
Minor

36 interactions

No interaction 2,793 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,793 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Calumba list.

See the full Calumba interactions page
See every supplement checked against Insulin (Human), ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Calumba References

The 2 references that drive our Calumba 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. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
  2. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.

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 Calumba and Insulin (Human) Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Calumba with Insulin (Human)?
We do not list a known interaction between Calumba and Insulin (Human). 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 Calumba and Insulin (Human) combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Insulin (Human) is filed under 3 classifications, and Calumba has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Insulin (Human)'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 Calumba interact with any other medications?
Yes. Calumba has 36 documented drug interactions in our database — Insulin (Human) 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 Insulin (Human) interact with any supplements?
Yes. Insulin (Human) has documented interactions with 259 supplements in our database — Calumba is not one of them. The Insulin (Human) 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

Calumba monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Human Insulin Injection drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Insulin (Human) supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Insulin (Human), 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 2 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Insulin (Human) and Calumba?

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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.