Drug & supplement interaction

Dong Quai + Apixaban

Apixaban brand name: Eliquis.

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

Dong Quai has a moderate interaction with Apixaban. Theoretically, dong quai may increase the risk of bleeding when used with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs; however, research is conflicting.

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

Dong Quai and Apixaban

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

Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

Why this applies to Apixaban

Apixaban falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Dong Quai interacts with.

Theoretically, dong quai may increase the risk of bleeding when used with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs; however, research is conflicting.
Animal studies suggest that dong quai has antithrombin activity and inhibits platelet aggregation due to its coumarin components. Additionally, some case reports in humans suggest that dong quai can increase the anticoagulant effects of warfarin. However, clinical research in healthy adults shows that taking 1 gram of dong quai root daily for 3 weeks does not significantly inhibit platelet aggregation or cause bleeding. Until more is known, use dong quai with caution in patients taking antiplatelet/anticoagulant drugs.
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 concern in plain terms: Eliquis (apixaban) is already a blood thinner, and Dong Quai contains natural coumarin compounds that may also nudge your blood toward thinning. Stacking the two could, in theory, push you a little further than intended, raising your odds of bruising easily, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or rarely something more serious.

I want to be honest about the strength of this, though. This is mostly a theoretical worry based on lab and animal studies, plus a few older reports involving warfarin (a different drug). One small human study using 1 gram of Dong Quai daily didn't show meaningful bleeding changes. Still, with a clot-preventing medicine like apixaban, I'd rather you check with your pharmacist or doctor before combining them.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Page RL II, Lawrence JD. Potentiation of warfarin by dong quai. Pharmacotherapy 1999;19:870-6. PubMed
  2. Heck AM, DeWitt BA, Lukes AL. Potential interactions between alternative therapies and warfarin. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2000;57:1221-7. DOI
  3. Hoult JR, Paya M. Pharmacological and biochemical actions of simple coumarins: natural products with therapeutic potential. Gen Pharmacol 1996;27:713-22.. PubMed
  4. Ellis GR, Stephens MR. Untitled (photograph and a brief case report). BMJ 1999;319:650.
  5. Scott, G. N. and Elmer, G. W. Update on natural product--drug interactions. Am J Health Syst.Pharm 2-15-2002;59(4):339-347. PubMed
  6. Fung FY, Wong WH, Ang SK, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo- controlled study on the anti-haemostatic effects of Curcuma longa, Angelica sinensis and Panax ginseng. Phytomedicine. 2017;32:88-96. 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

Dong Quai Also Interacts With Other Medications

Dong Quai has 2 major, 160 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Apixaban one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 2 Moderate 160 No known interaction 2,668 (incl. Apixaban)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Dong Quai

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Dong Quai or Apixaban

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

This page covers Dong Quai only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Apixaban page lists 285 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Danshen (major), Grapefruit (major), Piracetam (major) and St. John's Wort (major).

By severity: 5 major · 240 moderate · 40 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Apixaban page

“St. John's wort can weaken apixaban (Eliquis), speeding how the body clears this blood thinner and leaving you less protected from the strokes and clots it is prescribed to prevent.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Apixaban interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,989 real supplement products containing Dong Quai, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Dong Quai. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Apixaban too, on top of Dong Quai — 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 Dong Quai and Apixaban 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 Dong Quai
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Apixaban
Most looked up

#1 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 Dong Quai

What is Dong Quai?

Dong Quai
  • Menopause symptoms
  • Menstrual cramps and irregular periods
  • Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
  • Blood circulation support
  • General women's health tonic

Dong Quai is a traditional Chinese herb often called "female ginseng" and is mostly used for menstrual and menopausal complaints. High-quality scientific evidence that it works for these uses is limited, and it can affect bleeding, so talk with your pharmacist or doctor before trying it.

Read the full Dong Quai monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Apixaban

What Is Apixaban Used For?

Brand name: Eliquis

Apixaban is used to reduce the risk of stroke and dangerous clots traveling through the body in adults with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm not caused by a heart valve problem). It is also used to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT — a blood clot in the leg) in adults after hip or knee replacement surgery, and to treat DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE — a blood clot in the lungs) in adults, including reducing the risk of those clots coming back.

Eliquis (the brand-name tablet and kit) is additionally approved to treat venous thromboembolism (VTE — blood clots in the veins) and reduce the risk of recurrent VTE in pediatric patients from birth and older, after at least 5 days of initial anticoagulant treatment. The generic apixaban tablet carries the adult indications only.

See full Apixaban drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Dong Quai

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

2Major
160Moderate
0Minor
2,667No known interaction
2 Major 160 Moderate 2,667 No interaction
Major

2 interactions

Moderate

160 interactions

Showing 60 of 160 moderate interactions — see all 160 on the Dong Quai page.

No interaction 2,667 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,667 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Dong Quai list.

See the full Dong Quai interactions page
See every supplement checked against Apixaban, 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
Dong Quai monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Apixaban supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Apixaban, ranked by severity Apixaban 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 Dong Quai and Apixaban Together: Common Questions

Can you take Dong Quai with Apixaban?
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 Dong Quai and Apixaban 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 Apixaban and Dong Quai?

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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.