Drug & supplement interaction

Damiana + Acyclovir

Acyclovir brand names: Zovirax, Zovirax Injection, Sitavig, Avaclyr.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Damiana and Acyclovir 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

Damiana and Acyclovir

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 Acyclovir and Damiana 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.

Damiana safety at a glance

Damiana overall Use caution Likely fine in food/tea amounts for most adults, but human safety data are limited.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety data; avoid during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety data; avoid while breastfeeding.

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

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

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Acyclovir

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Acyclovir is filed under 6 classifications — including organic anion transporter 1 (oat1) substrates, topical drugs, nephrotoxic drugs. Damiana has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate) — and none of Acyclovir’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

Damiana Does Interact With Other Medications

Damiana has 86 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Acyclovir isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Damiana

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

What to actually watch for

What Damiana Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Acyclovir. It is the side-effect record for Damiana on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Damiana, this list is the first place to look. One entry is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Seizures Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Orally, 200 grams of damiana extract has caused tetanus-like convulsions and paroxysms resulting in symptoms similar to rabies or strychnine poisoning (4).”

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

    1 source cited
    1. 4. Newall CA, Anderson LA, Philpson JD. Herbal Medicine: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals. London, UK: The Pharmaceutical Press, 1996.

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Damiana or Acyclovir

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

This page covers Damiana only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Acyclovir page lists 37 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 3 major · 23 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Acyclovir page

“Kidney strain is the risk to understand first. Acyclovir (Zovirax) can stress the kidneys on its own, and a few ingredients here, Siberian cocklebur especially, are toxic to kidney tissue, so pairing them could compound the harm.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Acyclovir interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 881 real supplement products containing Damiana, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Damiana. Even though Damiana itself has no known interaction with Acyclovir, 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 Damiana and Acyclovir 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 Damiana
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Acyclovir
Top 5%

#59 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 Damiana reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Damiana and Acyclovir 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 Damiana

What is Damiana?

Damiana
  • Low libido / aphrodisiac
  • Anxiety and stress
  • Mood and mild low energy
  • Digestive upset
  • Headache and general tonic

Damiana is a traditional herb most famous as an aphrodisiac and mild mood-lifter, but solid human evidence for any of its uses is very limited. It is generally well tolerated in the small amounts found in teas, but quality studies are lacking, so talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it—especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a health condition.

Turnera diffusa · Passifloraceae · Leaves (and sometimes stems) · Tea, capsules, tinctures, liquid extracts, dried leaf

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

Damiana: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose for damiana. The amount people use varies widely depending on the form—tea, capsule, or tincture.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount. Because strength differs from product to product, a pharmacist can help you decide whether a particular product and dose make sense for you.If you try damiana, start low, watch how you feel, and stop if you notice side effects.

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

Read the full Damiana monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Acyclovir

What Is Acyclovir Used For?

Brand names: Zovirax, Zovirax Injection, Sitavig, Avaclyr

Acyclovir treats infections caused by herpes viruses. Depending on the form, it is used for cold sores (herpes labialis), genital herpes (initial episodes and recurrent flare-ups), shingles (herpes zoster), and chickenpox (varicella). It can also be used long-term to suppress recurrent genital herpes outbreaks.

Some forms are approved for more serious situations: acyclovir injection is used in hospital settings for herpes simplex encephalitis (herpes infection of the brain), neonatal herpes (in newborns), and herpes or shingles infections in immunocompromised patients. Avaclyr ophthalmic ointment is specifically indicated for acute herpetic keratitis (a herpes ulcer on the cornea of the eye). Sitavig buccal tablet and Zovirax cream are specifically indicated for recurrent cold sores in immunocompetent adults.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Acyclovir

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (114,761 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 8,029 reports
Diarrhea 7,348 reports
Pneumonia 5,700 reports
Nausea 5,643 reports
Fever 4,989 reports
See full Acyclovir drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Damiana

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

0Major
86Moderate
0Minor
2,743No known interaction
Moderate

86 interactions

Showing 60 of 86 moderate interactions — see all 86 on the Damiana page.

No interaction 2,743 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Damiana References

The 2 references that drive our Damiana 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. Alarcon-Aquilar FJ, Roman-Ramos R, Perez-Gutierrez S, et al. Study of the anti-hyperglycemic effect of plants used as antidiabetics. J Ethnopharmacol 1998;61:101-10. PubMed

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 Damiana and Acyclovir Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Damiana with Acyclovir?
We do not list a known interaction between Damiana and Acyclovir. 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 Damiana and Acyclovir combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Acyclovir is filed under 6 classifications, and Damiana has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Acyclovir'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 Damiana interact with any other medications?
Yes. Damiana has 86 documented drug interactions in our database — Acyclovir 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 Acyclovir interact with any supplements?
Yes. Acyclovir has documented interactions with 37 supplements in our database — Damiana is not one of them. The Acyclovir interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Still Have a Question About Acyclovir and Damiana?

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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.