Drug & supplement interaction

Dong Quai + Sumatriptan

Sumatriptan brand name: Tosymra.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Dong Quai and Sumatriptan 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. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Dong Quai and Sumatriptan

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 Sumatriptan and Dong Quai 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.

Dong Quai safety at a glance

Dong Quai overall Use caution It may increase bleeding and can cause skin sensitivity to sunlight, so use with care.
Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe When used orally. Dong quai has uterine stimulant and relaxant effects; theoretically, it could adversely affect pregnancy. Observational research has found tha... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Avoid There is not enough safety information, so it is best avoided while breastfeeding.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Sumatriptan and Dong Quai? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Sumatriptan

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Sumatriptan is filed under 4 classifications — including qt interval-prolonging drugs, serotonergic drugs, serotonergic drugs. Dong Quai has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being warfarin (coumadin) (major), anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) and estrogens (moderate) — and none of Sumatriptan’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

Dong Quai Does Interact With Other Medications

Dong Quai has 2 major, 161 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Sumatriptan isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 2 Moderate 161 No known interaction 2,667 (incl. Sumatriptan)
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.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Dong Quai and Sumatriptan May Share a Side Effect

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Headache Additional detail

    Dong Quai

    “Dong quai given orally or by injection may be associated with headache.”

    Dong Quai · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    2 sources cited
    1. 738. Hirata JD, Swiersz LM, Zell B, et al. Does dong quai have estrogenic effects in postmenopausal women? A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Fertil Steril 1997;68:981-6. PubMed
    2. 48438. Xu, J. and Li, G. [Observation on short-term effects of Angelica injection on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with pulmonary hypertension]. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi 2000;20(3):187-189.

    Sumatriptan

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Sumatriptan. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Dong Quai but not commonly for Sumatriptan: raised blood pressure, loss of vision, bloating or gas and blood clots.

Effects for Sumatriptan come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Dong Quai come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Dong Quai in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe

When used orally. Dong quai has uterine stimulant and relaxant effects; theoretically, it could adversely affect pregnancy. Observational research has found that intake of An-Tai-Yin, an herbal combination product containing dong quai and parsley, during the first trimester is associated with an increased risk of congenital malformations of the musculoskeletal system, connective tissue, and eyes.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

Overlapping uses

What Sumatriptan Is Prescribed For, and What Dong Quai Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Sumatriptan is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Dong Quai is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Sumatriptan is prescribed for: Sumatriptan is used to stop a migraine headache once it starts — with or without aura (the visual or sensory warning signs some people get before a migraine). It is available as tablets, nasal sprays, nasal capsules, and subcutaneous (under-the-skin) injections for this purpose. Sumatriptan subcutaneous injections (brands: Imitrex injection, Sumatriptan Injection, Sumatriptan Succinate Injection) are also approved to treat acute cluster headaches in adults. Sumatriptan is not used to prevent migraines or cluster headaches — it only treats attacks once they begin.

Dong Quai has been studied for:

  • Migraine headache studied, not established Dong Quai has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Dong Quai for migraine headache

    Oral dong quai has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Sumatriptan on your own; if you are taking Dong Quai for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Dong Quai or Sumatriptan

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 Sumatriptan, 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 Sumatriptan

This page covers Dong Quai only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Sumatriptan page lists 50 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major), Cesium (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 8 major · 31 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Sumatriptan page

“The supplement risk that matters most with sumatriptan (Tosymra) is serotonin overload. This migraine drug works through serotonin receptors, and 20 of the 50 interacting ingredients on file, 5-HTP among them, can push serotonin activity higher still, raising the risk of serotonin syndrome (agitation, racing heart, fever).”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Sumatriptan 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. Even though Dong Quai itself has no known interaction with Sumatriptan, 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 Dong Quai and Sumatriptan 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 Sumatriptan
Top 5%

#37 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 Dong Quai reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Dong Quai and Sumatriptan records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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 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.

Angelica sinensis · Apiaceae · Root · Capsules, tablets, dried root, tea, tincture, liquid extract

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

Dong Quai: dosing

There is no official, standardized dose of Dong Quai that is proven to be safe and effective. Doses vary widely depending on the product and whether it is used alone or in a traditional herbal blend.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount. Because supplements are not tightly regulated, product strength and quality can differ between brands.

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

Read the full Dong Quai monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Sumatriptan

What Is Sumatriptan Used For?

Brand name: Tosymra

Sumatriptan is used to stop a migraine headache once it starts — with or without aura (the visual or sensory warning signs some people get before a migraine). It is available as tablets, nasal sprays, nasal capsules, and subcutaneous (under-the-skin) injections for this purpose.

Sumatriptan subcutaneous injections (brands: Imitrex injection, Sumatriptan Injection, Sumatriptan Succinate Injection) are also approved to treat acute cluster headaches in adults. Sumatriptan is not used to prevent migraines or cluster headaches — it only treats attacks once they begin.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Sumatriptan

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (46,096 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Headache 3,911 reports
Nausea 3,510 reports
Migraine 3,445 reports
Fatigue 2,617 reports
Dizziness 2,121 reports
See full Sumatriptan 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
161Moderate
0Minor
2,666No known interaction
2 Major 161 Moderate 2,666 No interaction
Major

2 interactions

Moderate

161 interactions

Showing 60 of 161 moderate interactions — see all 161 on the Dong Quai page.

No interaction 2,666 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 2,666 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Dong Quai list.

See the full Dong Quai interactions page
See every supplement checked against Sumatriptan, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Dong Quai References

The 19 references that drive our Dong Quai 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. Hirata JD, Swiersz LM, Zell B, et al. Does dong quai have estrogenic effects in postmenopausal women? A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Fertil Steril 1997;68:981-6. PubMed
  2. Page RL II, Lawrence JD. Potentiation of warfarin by dong quai. Pharmacotherapy 1999;19:870-6. PubMed
  3. Heck AM, DeWitt BA, Lukes AL. Potential interactions between alternative therapies and warfarin. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2000;57:1221-7. DOI
  4. Eagon PK, Elm MS, Hunter DS, et al. Medicinal herbs: modulation of estrogen action. Era of Hope Mtg, Dept Defense; Breast Cancer Res Prog, Atlanta, GA 2000;Jun 8-11.
  5. Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Available at: http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/.
  6. Amato P, Christophe S, Mellon PL. Estrogenic activity of herbs commonly used as remedies for menopausal symptoms. Menopause 2002;9:145-50. PubMed
  7. Shi M, Chang L, He G. [Stimulating action of Carthamus tinctorius L., Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels and Leonurus sibiricus L. on the uterus]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi 1995;20:173-5, 192.
  8. Hoult JR, Paya M. Pharmacological and biochemical actions of simple coumarins: natural products with therapeutic potential. Gen Pharmacol 1996;27:713-22.. PubMed
  9. Cheong JL, Bucknall R. Retinal vein thrombosis associated with a herbal phytoestrogen preparation in a susceptible patient. Postgrad Med J 2005;81:266-7.. PubMed
  10. Chang CJ, Chiu JH, Tseng LM, et al. Modulation of HER2 expression by ferulic acid on human breast cancer MCF7 cells. Eur J Clin Invest 2006;36:588-96. PubMed
  11. Chuang CH, Doyle P, Wang JD, et al. Herbal medicines used during the first trimester and major congenital malformations: an analysis of data from a pregnancy cohort study. Drug Saf 2006;29:537-48. PubMed
  12. Lau CBS, Ho TCY, Chan TWL, Kim SCF. Use of dong quai (Angelica sinensis) to treat peri- and postmenopausal symptoms in women with breast cancer: is it appropriate? Menopause 2005;12:734-40.
  13. Ellis GR, Stephens MR. Untitled (photograph and a brief case report). BMJ 1999;319:650.
  14. Nambiar, S., Schwartz, R. H., and Constantino, A. Hypertension in mother and baby linked to ingestion of Chinese herbal medicine. West J Med 1999;171(3):152.
  15. Lee, S. K., Cho, H. K., Cho, S. H., Kim, S. S., Nahm, D. H., and Park, H. S. Occupational asthma and rhinitis caused by multiple herbal agents in a pharmacist. Ann.Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2001;86(4):469-474. 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 Dong Quai and Sumatriptan Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Dong Quai with Sumatriptan?
We do not list a known interaction between Dong Quai and Sumatriptan. 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.
Do Dong Quai and Sumatriptan have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to one of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Are Dong Quai and Sumatriptan used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Dong Quai in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Sumatriptan is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Dong Quai and Sumatriptan combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Sumatriptan is filed under 4 classifications, and Dong Quai has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Sumatriptan'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 Dong Quai interact with any other medications?
Yes. Dong Quai has 163 documented drug interactions in our database — Sumatriptan 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 Sumatriptan interact with any supplements?
Yes. Sumatriptan has documented interactions with 50 supplements in our database — Dong Quai is not one of them. The Sumatriptan interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Dong Quai monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Sumatriptan drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Sumatriptan supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Sumatriptan, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 19 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Sumatriptan 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.