Drug & supplement interaction

Danshen + Belzutifan

Belzutifan brand name: Welireg.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Danshen has a moderate interaction with Belzutifan. Theoretically, danshen might affect the levels and clinical effects of drugs requiring glucuronidation.

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

Danshen and Belzutifan

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

Moderate

GLUCURONIDATED DRUGS

Why this applies to Belzutifan

Belzutifan falls under GLUCURONIDATED DRUGS — the group Danshen interacts with.

Theoretically, danshen might affect the levels and clinical effects of drugs requiring glucuronidation.
In vitro research shows that danshen induces the expression of glucuronosyltransferases. However, it also inhibits the activity of glucuronosyltransferases, including various members of the 1A and 2B families. The extent of inhibition of a specific glucuronosyltransferase seems to be dependent on whether or not the danshen is processed via 'sweating'. This type of processing may affect the levels of constituents in danshen that alter glucuronosyltransferase activity. So far, this interaction has not been reported in humans.
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 situation with these two. Belzutifan is cleared from your body mostly through a process called glucuronidation, where enzymes (UGTs) tag the drug so you can get rid of it. Danshen has shown in lab dishes that it can both speed up and slow down those same enzymes, so the direction isn't clear cut. If Danshen ends up slowing them, Belzutifan could build up and you might see more of its known side effects, like worsening anemia, low oxygen levels (shortness of breath, feeling dizzy or tired), or fatigue. If it speeds them up, the drug could clear faster and work less well.

I want to be honest, though: this is only laboratory and animal data, and it has never been reported in real people. There's also a separate concern that Danshen can thin the blood. Since Belzutifan is a serious cancer therapy, please don't add Danshen without first running it by your oncologist or pharmacist.

References
  1. Liu J, Shi Y, Wu C, et al. Comparison of sweated and non-sweated ethanol extracts of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. (Danshen) effects on human and rat hepatic UDP-glucuronosyltransferase and preclinic herb-drug interaction potential evaluation. Curr Drug Metab

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

Danshen Also Interacts With Other Medications

Danshen has 123 major, 935 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Belzutifan 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 Danshen

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Belzutifan

This page covers Danshen only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Belzutifan page lists 60 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Adrafinil (moderate), Artichoke (moderate), Bacopa (moderate) and Baikal Skullcap (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 45 moderate · 14 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Belzutifan page

“A drug like belzutifan (Welireg), taken long term to keep kidney and other tumors in check, only works if a steady amount reaches the blood, so I would be genuinely careful before adding supplements here. Most of the interactions on file shift how the liver clears the drug, through the CYP2C19 enzyme or the glucuronidation pathway, nud…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Belzutifan interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 18 real supplement products containing Danshen, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Danshen. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Belzutifan too, on top of Danshen — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Danshen and Belzutifan 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 Danshen
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Belzutifan
Steady interest

#2,131 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 Danshen

What is Danshen?

Danshen
  • Heart and circulation support
  • Angina (chest pain)
  • High blood pressure
  • Anxiety and stress
  • Liver health

Danshen is a root used in traditional Chinese medicine, mainly for heart and circulation problems. Some early research is promising, but the evidence is not strong enough to confirm it works for any condition, and it may affect blood clotting. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you take other medicines or have a health condition.

Read the full Danshen monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Belzutifan

What Is Belzutifan Used For?

Brand name: Welireg

Welireg treats several serious conditions. In adults with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease, it targets associated kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma), brain or spinal tumors (CNS hemangioblastomas), and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors that don't need immediate surgery. It is also used in adults with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) — either after surgery to lower the risk of the cancer coming back (used with pembrolizumab or pembrolizumab and berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph), or as a single agent for advanced ccRCC that has already been treated with two other types of cancer drugs.

Welireg also treats pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma (PPGL) — rare tumors of the adrenal gland or nearby nerve tissue — in adults and in children 12 years and older when the tumor cannot be removed by surgery or has spread.

See full Belzutifan drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Danshen

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

123Major
935Moderate
0Minor
1,771No known interaction
Major

123 interactions

Showing 60 of 123 major interactions — see all 123 on the Danshen page.

Moderate

935 interactions

Showing 60 of 935 moderate interactions — see all 935 on the Danshen page.

No interaction 1,771 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 Danshen and Belzutifan Together: Common Questions

Can you take Danshen with Belzutifan?
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 Danshen and Belzutifan 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 Belzutifan and Danshen?

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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.