Drug & supplement interaction

Cordyceps + Clonidine

Clonidine brand name: Catapres.

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 Cordyceps and Clonidine 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 two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Cordyceps and Clonidine

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 Clonidine and Cordyceps 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.

Cordyceps safety at a glance

Cordyceps overall Use caution Generally well tolerated short-term, but evidence is limited and product quality varies widely.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety data, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety data, so it is best avoided while breastfeeding.

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

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

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Clonidine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Clonidine is filed under 4 classifications — including alpha-adrenergic agonists, antihypertensive drugs, oral drugs. Cordyceps has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate), immunosuppressants (moderate) and testosterone (minor) — and none of Clonidine’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

Cordyceps Does Interact With Other Medications

Cordyceps has 241 moderate, 8 minor known drug interactions in our database — Clonidine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 241 Minor 8 No known interaction 2,581 (incl. Clonidine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Cordyceps

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Cordyceps and Clonidine May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Dry mouth Additional detail

    Cordyceps

    “Orally, cordyceps has been associated with diarrhea, constipation, abdominal discomfort, dry mouth, and throat discomfort in clinical research. However, these events were uncommon, and in some cases symptoms could be reduced by taking cordyceps after eating.”

    Cordyceps · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    3 sources cited
    1. 92829. Zhang HW, Lin ZX, Tung YS, Kwan TH, Mok CK, Leung C, Chan LS. Cordyceps sinensis (a traditional Chinese medicine) for treating chronic kidney disease (Review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(12):CD008353. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008353.pub2. PubMed
    2. 105076. Bee Yean O, Zoriah A. Efficacy of Cordyceps sinensis as an adjunctive treatment in hemodialysis patients: a systematic review and Meta-analysis. J Tradit Chin Med. 2019;39(1):1-14.
    3. 109705. Yu X, Mao Y, Shergis JL, et al. Effectiveness and safety of oral Cordyceps sinensis on stable COPD of GOLD stages 2-3: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019;2019:4903671.

    Clonidine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Clonidine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Reduced appetite Additional detail

    Cordyceps

    “Two cases of lead poisoning, characterized by loss of appetite and other symptoms, have been reported for patients taking cordyceps powder. After discontinuing cordyceps supplementation, both patients were treated with chelating agents.”

    Cordyceps · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in poisoning.

    1 source cited
    1. 46135. Wu, T. N., Yang, K. C., Wang, C. M., Lai, J. S., Ko, K. N., Chang, P. Y., and Liou, S. H. Lead poisoning caused by contaminated Cordyceps, a Chinese herbal medicine: two case reports. Sci.Total Environ. 4-5-1996;182(1-3):193-195. PubMed

    Clonidine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Clonidine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Constipation Additional detail

    Cordyceps

    “Orally, cordyceps seems to be generally well tolerated when used for up to 1 year.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Orally: Abdominal discomfort, constipation, diarrhea.”

    Cordyceps · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    Clonidine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Clonidine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Cordyceps but not commonly for Clonidine: stomach upset, liver problems, diarrhea and yellowing of the skin or eyes.

Effects for Clonidine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Cordyceps come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 57,112 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Clonidine that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Overlapping uses

What Clonidine Is Prescribed For, and What Cordyceps Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Clonidine is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Cordyceps is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Clonidine is prescribed for: Clonidine is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Several products — including Clonidine Hydrochloride tablets, Javadin oral solution, Nexiclon XR extended-release tablets, and Catapres-TTS skin patches — are approved for this use, either alone or combined with other blood pressure medicines. Extended-release formulations — including Onyda XR oral suspension and clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets (such as Kapvay) — are approved to treat ADHD in children and teenagers ages 6 to 17, either on their own or alongside stimulant medications. Separately, clonidine injection products (Duraclon and others) are used alongside opioid pain medicines to treat severe cancer pain that opioids alone cannot control adequately.

Cordyceps has been studied for:

  • Kidney failure studied, not established Cordyceps has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Cordyceps for kidney failure

    Some clinical studies suggest that oral cordyceps may improve markers of kidney function, inflammation, and nutritional status in patients on hemodialysis, but data are mixed for certain outcomes.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Clonidine on your own; if you are taking Cordyceps for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Cordyceps or Clonidine

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

This page covers Cordyceps only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Clonidine page lists 138 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Tyramine (major) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 113 moderate · 21 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Clonidine page

“American hellebore is the ingredient I would want a clonidine (Catapres) patient to know about first. Its alkaloids lower blood pressure even in small doses and slow the heart, both things clonidine already does, so the combination can drop someone dangerously low.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Clonidine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 2,140 real supplement products containing Cordyceps, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Cordyceps. Even though Cordyceps itself has no known interaction with Clonidine, 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 Cordyceps and Clonidine 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 Cordyceps
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Clonidine
Steady interest

#1,512 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 Cordyceps reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Cordyceps and Clonidine 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 Cordyceps

What is Cordyceps?

Cordyceps
  • Fatigue and low energy
  • Athletic performance and stamina
  • Respiratory and lung support
  • Immune support
  • Kidney health support
  • General wellness/anti-aging

Cordyceps is a fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine for energy, exercise performance, and lung and immune support. Human research is limited and mostly low quality, so its benefits are not well proven. It appears generally well tolerated in the short term, but quality varies and it should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding due to lack of safety data.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis · Ophiocordycipitaceae · Whole fungus (fruiting body and mycelium), often grown in culture as the Cs-4 strain · Capsules, tablets, powders, extracts, teas, and tinctures

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

Cordyceps: dosing

There is no official or standardized dose for cordyceps. Doses used in studies have varied widely depending on the product, species, and extract type.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Cordyceps monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Clonidine

What Is Clonidine Used For?

Brand name: Catapres

Clonidine is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Several products — including Clonidine Hydrochloride tablets, Javadin oral solution, Nexiclon XR extended-release tablets, and Catapres-TTS skin patches — are approved for this use, either alone or combined with other blood pressure medicines.

Extended-release formulations — including Onyda XR oral suspension and clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets (such as Kapvay) — are approved to treat ADHD in children and teenagers ages 6 to 17, either on their own or alongside stimulant medications. Separately, clonidine injection products (Duraclon and others) are used alongside opioid pain medicines to treat severe cancer pain that opioids alone cannot control adequately.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Clonidine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (57,112 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 3,519 reports
Nausea 3,475 reports
Headache 3,432 reports
Hypertension 3,275 reports
Dyspnea 2,748 reports
See full Clonidine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Cordyceps

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

0Major
241Moderate
8Minor
2,580No known interaction
241 Moderate 8 Minor 2,580 No interaction
Moderate

241 interactions

Showing 60 of 241 moderate interactions — see all 241 on the Cordyceps page.

Minor

8 interactions

No interaction 2,580 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,580 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Cordyceps list.

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

Cordyceps References

The 14 references that drive our Cordyceps 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. Zhu JS, Halpern GM, Jones K. The scientific rediscovery of an ancient Chinese herbal medicine: Cordyceps sinensis: part I. J Altern Complement Med 1998;4:289-303.
  2. Zhu JS, Halpern GM, Jones K. The scientific rediscovery of a precious ancient Chinese herbal regimen: Cordyceps sinensis: part II. J Altern Complement Med 1998;4:429-57.
  3. Chen YJ, Shiao MS, Lee SS, Wang SY. Effect of Cordyceps sinensis on the proliferation and differentiation of human leukemic U937 cells. Life Sci 1997;60:2349-59. PubMed
  4. Zhao Y. [Inhibitory effects of alcoholic extract of Cordyceps sinensis on abdominal aortic thrombus formation in rabbits]. Chung Hua I Hsueh Tsa Chih (Taipei) 1991;71:612-5, 42.
  5. Chen GZ, Chen GL, Sun T, et al. Effects of Cordyceps sinensis on murine T lymphocyte subsets. Chin Med J (English) 1991;104:4-8.
  6. Zhu XY, Yu HY. [Immunosuppressive effect of cultured Cordyceps sinensis on cellular immune response]. Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih 1990;10:485-7, 454.
  7. Hsu, C. C., Huang, Y. L., Tsai, S. J., Sheu, C. C., and Huang, B. M. In vivo and in vitro stimulatory effects of Cordyceps sinensis on testosterone production in mouse Leydig cells. Life Sci 9-5-2003;73(16):2127-2136. PubMed
  8. Ikumoto, T., Sasaki, S., Namba, H., Toyama, R., Moritoki, H., and Mouri, T. [Physiologically active compounds in the extracts from tochukaso and cultured mycelia of Cordyceps and Isaria]. Yakugaku Zasshi 1991;111(9):504-509. PubMed
  9. Wu, T. N., Yang, K. C., Wang, C. M., Lai, J. S., Ko, K. N., Chang, P. Y., and Liou, S. H. Lead poisoning caused by contaminated Cordyceps, a Chinese herbal medicine: two case reports. Sci.Total Environ. 4-5-1996;182(1-3):193-195. PubMed
  10. Hong T, Zhang M, Fan J. Cordyceps sinensis (a traditional Chinese medicine) for kidney transplant recipients (Review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(10):CD009698. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009698.pub2.
  11. Zhang HW, Lin ZX, Tung YS, Kwan TH, Mok CK, Leung C, Chan LS. Cordyceps sinensis (a traditional Chinese medicine) for treating chronic kidney disease (Review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(12):CD008353. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008353.pub2. PubMed
  12. Bee Yean O, Zoriah A. Efficacy of Cordyceps sinensis as an adjunctive treatment in hemodialysis patients: a systematic review and Meta-analysis. J Tradit Chin Med. 2019;39(1):1-14.
  13. Thurian D, Montani M, Stickel F. Drug-induced, mixed-type hepatitis following ingestion of Cordyceps sinensis. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther 2022;60(2):115-120. PubMed
  14. Yu X, Mao Y, Shergis JL, et al. Effectiveness and safety of oral Cordyceps sinensis on stable COPD of GOLD stages 2-3: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019;2019:4903671.

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 Cordyceps and Clonidine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Cordyceps with Clonidine?
We do not list a known interaction between Cordyceps and Clonidine. 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.
Do Cordyceps and Clonidine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 3 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Are Cordyceps and Clonidine used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Cordyceps in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Clonidine is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Cordyceps and Clonidine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Clonidine is filed under 4 classifications, and Cordyceps has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Clonidine'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 Cordyceps interact with any other medications?
Yes. Cordyceps has 249 documented drug interactions in our database — Clonidine 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 Clonidine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Clonidine has documented interactions with 138 supplements in our database — Cordyceps is not one of them. The Clonidine 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

Cordyceps monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Clonidine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Clonidine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Clonidine, 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 14 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Clonidine and Cordyceps?

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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.