Drug & supplement interaction

Danshen + Deferasirox

Deferasirox brand names: Exjade, Jadenu.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Danshen has a moderate interaction with Deferasirox. 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 Deferasirox

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

Moderate

GLUCURONIDATED DRUGS

Why this applies to Deferasirox

Deferasirox 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 simple version. Your body clears deferasirox partly by attaching a sugar molecule to it, a process called glucuronidation. Danshen has been shown in lab dishes to tug on those same enzymes, sometimes speeding them up and sometimes slowing them down. Because the direction isn't clear cut, it's hard to say whether your deferasirox level would drift up or down if you combined the two.

The reassuring part: this has only been seen in test tubes and animals, never reported in real people. Still, if levels swung higher you could see more of deferasirox's usual side effects like stomach upset, nausea, diarrhea, or changes in kidney or liver tests; if levels dropped, it might not pull out iron as well. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, but please run any Danshen product past your pharmacist or doctor first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
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 Deferasirox one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 123 Moderate 935 No known interaction 1,772 (incl. Deferasirox)
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 Deferasirox

This page covers Danshen only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Deferasirox page lists 90 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Wine (major) and Alkanna (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 73 moderate · 13 minor.

Open the Deferasirox 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 Deferasirox 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 Deferasirox 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Deferasirox
Steady interest

#2,175 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 Deferasirox

What Is Deferasirox Used For?

Brand names: Exjade, Jadenu

Deferasirox — available as tablets (including Exjade and Jadenu) and oral powder granules (including Jadenu) — is used to treat chronic iron overload in patients 2 years and older whose bodies have accumulated too much iron from repeated blood transfusions.

It is also used to treat chronic iron overload in patients 10 years and older who have non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT) syndromes — a group of inherited blood disorders — when liver iron levels and blood ferritin levels meet specific thresholds. The safety and effectiveness of deferasirox when combined with other iron-chelation therapies have not been established.

See full Deferasirox 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
123 Major 935 Moderate 1,771 No 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

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,771 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Danshen list.

See the full Danshen interactions page
See every supplement checked against Deferasirox, ranked by severity
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

Keep exploring
Danshen monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Deferasirox supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Deferasirox, ranked by severity Deferasirox drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Danshen and Deferasirox Together: Common Questions

Can you take Danshen with Deferasirox?
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 Deferasirox 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

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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.