Drug & supplement interaction

Cudweed + Empagliflozin

Empagliflozin brand name: Jardiance.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Cudweed has a moderate interaction with Empagliflozin. Preliminary research in rats shows that cudweed might lower blood glucose levels.

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

Cudweed and Empagliflozin

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Empagliflozin

Empagliflozin falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Cudweed interacts with.

Preliminary research in rats shows that cudweed might lower blood glucose levels. Theoretically, taking cudweed with drugs that lower blood glucose levels might increase the risk of hypoglycemia. Some antidiabetes drugs include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), and others.
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

Here's the gist: some early animal research hints that cudweed may nudge blood sugar a little lower on its own. Since empagliflozin (Jardiance) is already working to bring your blood sugar down by flushing extra glucose out through your urine, stacking the two together could, in theory, push your numbers lower than intended.

I want to be honest with you though, this is based only on rat studies, not on people, so it's a theoretical concern, not a proven one. Empagliflozin by itself rarely causes low blood sugar unless you also take insulin or a sulfonylurea. Still, if you notice shakiness, sweating, dizziness, or confusion, treat it and check your sugar. Just let your pharmacist or doctor know you're using cudweed so they can keep an eye on things.

References
  1. Shikov AN, Pozharitskaya ON, Makarov VG, et al. Medicinal plants of the Russian Pharmacopoeia; their history and applications. J Ethnopharmacol 2014;154(3):481-536. PubMed

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

Cudweed Also Interacts With Other Medications

Cudweed has 85 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Empagliflozin 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 Cudweed

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Cudweed or Empagliflozin

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

This page covers Cudweed only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Empagliflozin page lists 257 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 2 major · 216 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Empagliflozin page

“Almost everything on this page can nudge blood sugar in someone taking empagliflozin (Jardiance) for type 2 diabetes, heart failure, or kidney protection, and two entries deserve genuine caution before anything else. Siberian cocklebur has caused severe low blood sugar in humans and should not be combined with any glucose-lowering medi…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Empagliflozin interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Cudweed and Empagliflozin 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 Cudweed
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Empagliflozin
Top half

#1,056 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 Cudweed

What is Cudweed?

  • Mouth and throat irritation
  • Digestive upset
  • Mild high blood pressure (traditional)
  • Minor wounds and skin irritation
  • Coughs and respiratory complaints

Cudweed is a small, woolly-leaved plant used in traditional herbal medicine, mainly as a tea or gargle for sore throats, digestive upset, and minor skin problems. There is very little modern scientific evidence to confirm that it works for any condition, and safety data are limited, so it is best used cautiously and avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Cudweed monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Empagliflozin

What Is Empagliflozin Used For?

Brand name: Jardiance

Jardiance (empagliflozin) tablets are approved for several important uses in adults. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization in adults with heart failure. It also slows the progression of chronic kidney disease by reducing the risk of serious kidney decline, end-stage kidney disease, cardiovascular death, and hospitalization. In adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, Jardiance reduces the risk of cardiovascular death.

Jardiance is also used — alongside diet and exercise — to improve blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes in adults and children aged 10 and older. It is not recommended for blood sugar control in type 1 diabetes (it may raise the risk of a dangerous condition called diabetic ketoacidosis) or in type 2 diabetes patients with severely reduced kidney function.

See full Empagliflozin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Cudweed

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

0Major
85Moderate
0Minor
2,744No known interaction
Moderate

85 interactions

Showing 60 of 85 moderate interactions — see all 85 on the Cudweed page.

No interaction 2,744 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 Cudweed and Empagliflozin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Cudweed with Empagliflozin?
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 Cudweed and Empagliflozin 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

Still Have a Question About Empagliflozin and Cudweed?

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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.