Drug & supplement interaction

Eleuthero + Durvalumab

Durvalumab brand name: Imfinzi.

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

Eleuthero has a moderate interaction with Durvalumab. Theoretically, eleuthero might interfere with immunosuppressive drugs because of its immunostimulant activity.

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

Eleuthero and Durvalumab

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

Moderate

IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS

Why this applies to Durvalumab

Durvalumab falls under IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS — the group Eleuthero interacts with.

Theoretically, eleuthero might interfere with immunosuppressive drugs because of its immunostimulant activity.
Animal and in vitro research shows that eleuthero extracts have immunomodulatory effects, including increasing cellular and humoral activity.
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 thing with Imfinzi (durvalumab): it's an immunotherapy drug, not a typical immunosuppressant. It works by actually waking up your immune system so it can attack cancer cells. Eleuthero is thought to stimulate the immune system too, so on paper there's a question of whether combining them could affect how your immune system behaves.

I want to be honest about the strength of this concern. It's purely theoretical, based on lab and animal studies, not real patients. We don't have proof it causes problems. Still, with a cancer treatment this important, I wouldn't add eleuthero on your own. Please run it by your oncology team first, since they're guiding your immune-related care closely.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Schmolz, M. W., Sacher, F., and Aicher, B. The synthesis of Rantes, G-CSF, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-12 and IL-13 in human whole-blood cultures is modulated by an extract from Eleutherococcus senticosus L. roots. Phytother.Res 2001;15(3):268-270.
  2. Huang, D. B., Ran, R. Z., and Yu, Z. F. [Effect of Acanthopanax senticosus injection on the activities of human tumor necrosis factor and natural killer cell in blood in the patients with lung cancer]. Zhongguo Zhong.Yao Za Zhi. 2005;30(8):621-624.

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

Eleuthero Also Interacts With Other Medications

Eleuthero has 678 moderate, 461 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Durvalumab one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 678 Minor 461 No known interaction 1,691 (incl. Durvalumab)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Eleuthero

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Eleuthero or Durvalumab

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

This page covers Eleuthero only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Durvalumab page lists 54 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate), Alfalfa (moderate), American Ginseng (moderate), Andrographis (moderate) and Ashwagandha (moderate).

By severity: 52 moderate · 2 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Durvalumab page

“Nearly everything on this page interacts with durvalumab (Imfinzi) for the same underlying reason, immune stimulation. Durvalumab is a cancer immunotherapy, and because the treatment works through the immune system itself, supplements that push immune activity in their own direction (echinacea, ashwagandha, astragalus, and dozens of si…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Durvalumab interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 3,795 real supplement products containing Eleuthero, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Eleuthero. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Durvalumab too, on top of Eleuthero — 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 Eleuthero and Durvalumab 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 Eleuthero
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Durvalumab
Steady interest

#2,257 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 Eleuthero

What is Eleuthero?

Eleuthero
  • Fatigue and low energy
  • Physical and athletic performance
  • Stress resistance (adaptogen)
  • Immune support
  • Mental focus and alertness

Eleuthero is an herb traditionally used as an 'adaptogen' to fight fatigue, boost energy, and help the body handle stress. The scientific evidence behind these uses is limited and mixed, so it should not replace proven treatments. It is generally well tolerated short-term, but pregnant and breastfeeding people and those with certain conditions should avoid it or check with a healthcare provider first.

Read the full Eleuthero monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Durvalumab Injection

What Is Durvalumab Injection Used For?

Brand name: Imfinzi

Imfinzi is used to treat a wide range of cancers in adults. For lung cancer, it is approved for resectable non-small cell lung cancer (given before and after surgery), unresectable Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (after chemoradiation), metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, limited-stage small cell lung cancer (after chemoradiation), and extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

Beyond lung cancer, Imfinzi is also approved for locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancer (cancers of the bile ducts and gallbladder), unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, BCG-naive high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and resectable gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (stomach cancer at the junction with the esophagus). Most of these uses involve Imfinzi given alongside other chemotherapy drugs.

See full Durvalumab Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Eleuthero

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

0Major
678Moderate
461Minor
1,690No known interaction
678 Moderate 461 Minor 1,690 No interaction
Moderate

678 interactions

Showing 60 of 678 moderate interactions — see all 678 on the Eleuthero page.

Minor

461 interactions

Showing 60 of 461 minor interactions — see all 461 on the Eleuthero page.

No interaction 1,690 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,690 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Eleuthero list.

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

Can you take Eleuthero with Durvalumab?
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 Eleuthero and Durvalumab 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 Durvalumab and Eleuthero?

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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.