Drug & supplement interaction

English Ivy + Ribavirin

Ribavirin brand names: Rebetol, Copegus, Ribasphere, Moderiba.

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 English Ivy and Ribavirin 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 label for Ribavirin states a food rule worth keeping to, and 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.

Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

English Ivy and Ribavirin

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 Ribavirin and English Ivy 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.

English Ivy safety at a glance

English Ivy overall Use caution Standardized leaf-extract products are generally well tolerated, but the raw plant is toxic and can cause poisoning or skin reactions.
Pregnancy Avoid There is not enough reliable safety information, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety while breastfeeding is unknown, so avoid use unless directed by your doctor.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Ribavirin and English Ivy? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ribavirin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Ribavirin is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. English Ivy has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being cytochrome p450 2c19 (cyp2c19) substrates (moderate), cytochrome p450 2c8 (cyp2c8) substrates (moderate) and cytochrome p450 2d6 (cyp2d6) substrates (moderate) — and none of Ribavirin’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

English Ivy Does Interact With Other Medications

English Ivy has 280 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Ribavirin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 280 No known interaction 2,550 (incl. Ribavirin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against English Ivy

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests English Ivy and Ribavirin May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

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.

  • A skin rash reported in 8.4% of FDA reports for Ribavirin Additional detail

    English Ivy

    “Orally, English ivy and fresh English ivy leaves can cause skin irritation (7,29903).

    Topically, fresh English ivy leaves can cause contact dermatitis and rash, with frequent exposure increasing the risk of sensitization. Occupational airborne exposure to English ivy can also cause contact dermatitis.”

    English Ivy · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    6 sources cited
    1. 7. Schulz V, Hansel R, Tyler VE. Rational Phytotherapy: A Physician's Guide to Herbal Medicine. Terry C. Telger, transl. 3rd ed. Berlin, GER: Springer, 1998.
    2. 29903. Fazio S, Pouso J, Dolinsky D, et al. Tolerance, safety and efficacy of Hedera helix extract in inflammatory bronchial diseases under clinical practice conditions: a prospective, open, multicentre postmarketing study in 9657 patients. Phytomedicine 2009;16 PubMed
    3. 29910. García M, Fernández E, Navarro JA, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis from Hedera helix L. Contact Dermatitis 1995;33(2):133-4.
    4. 29912. Hausen BM, Brohan J, Konig WA, et al. Allergic and irritant contact dermatitis from falcarinol and didehydrofalcarinol in common ivy (Hedera helix L.). Contact Dermatitis 1987;17(1):1-9.
    5. 29913. Mitchell, J. C. Allergic contact dermatitis from Hedera helix and Brassaia actinophylla (Araliaceae). Contact Dermatitis 1981;7(3):158-159.
    6. 29914. Boyle J, Harman RM. Contact dermatitis to Hedera helix (common ivy). Contact Dermatitis 1985;12(2):111-112. PubMed

    Ribavirin

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Ribavirin, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Stomach pain / Nausea / Vomiting / Diarrhea reported in 11.6% of FDA reports for Ribavirin Additional detail

    English Ivy

    “Orally, English ivy can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. The saponin constituents of English ivy can produce an acrid and/or bitter taste (7).”

    English Ivy · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    3 sources cited
    1. 29903. Fazio S, Pouso J, Dolinsky D, et al. Tolerance, safety and efficacy of Hedera helix extract in inflammatory bronchial diseases under clinical practice conditions: a prospective, open, multicentre postmarketing study in 9657 patients. Phytomedicine 2009;16 PubMed
    2. 106055. Kruttschnitt E, Wegener T, Zahner C, Henzen-Bücking S. Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf (Hedera helix) Cough Syrup Compared with Acetylcysteine in Adults and Children with Acute Bronchitis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020 May 4;2
    3. 7. Schulz V, Hansel R, Tyler VE. Rational Phytotherapy: A Physician's Guide to Herbal Medicine. Terry C. Telger, transl. 3rd ed. Berlin, GER: Springer, 1998.

    Ribavirin

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Ribavirin, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for English Ivy but not commonly for Ribavirin: an allergic reaction and a change in taste.

Effects for Ribavirin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for English Ivy come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 63,877 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Ribavirin that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Ribavirin Products Have a Food Rule — English Ivy Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Ribavirin says to take it with food. If you take English Ivy on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Ribavirin with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Ribavirin products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Ribavirin capsules should be taken with food [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ].

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Ribavirin — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Overlapping uses

What Ribavirin Is Prescribed For, and What English Ivy Has Been Studied For

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

Ribavirin is prescribed for: Ribavirin comes in different forms for different uses. Ribavirin capsules are used in combination with interferon alfa-2b (pegylated or non-pegylated) to treat chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in patients 3 years and older with compensated liver disease. Ribavirin tablets are used in combination with PEGASYS® (peginterferon alfa-2a) to treat chronic hepatitis C in patients 5 years and older with compensated liver disease who have not previously been treated with interferon — including adults who also have HIV. Ribavirin for inhalation solution is a separate product used to treat hospitalized infants and young children with severe lower respiratory tract infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Read the rest of what Ribavirin is prescribed for

Ribavirin must never be used alone to treat hepatitis C — it only works as part of combination therapy. Only the most severe RSV infections requiring hospitalization should be treated with the inhaled form; mild RSV illness in children does not require this treatment.

English Ivy has been studied for:

  • Respiratory tract infections studied, not established English Ivy has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    English Ivy for respiratory tract infections

    Although there has been interest in using oral English ivy for respiratory tract infections, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of English ivy for this purpose.

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 Ribavirin on your own; if you are taking English Ivy for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ribavirin

This page covers English Ivy only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ribavirin page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ribavirin page

“Nearly every entry on this ribavirin page pulls the same lever, changing how much of the drug reaches your bloodstream, and that deserves genuine care here. Ribavirin (Rebetol, Copegus) is an antiviral for hepatitis C, and treatment succeeds only when levels stay steady enough to keep the virus in check, so anything that quietly lowers…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ribavirin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 118 real supplement products containing English Ivy, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides English Ivy. Even though English Ivy itself has no known interaction with Ribavirin, 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 English Ivy and Ribavirin 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 English Ivy
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ribavirin
Top 25%

#558 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 English Ivy reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The English Ivy and Ribavirin 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 English Ivy

What is English Ivy?

English Ivy
  • Cough and chest congestion
  • Bronchitis
  • Asthma symptoms
  • Sore throat
  • Skin irritation

English ivy leaf extract is most commonly used in cough and cold syrups to help loosen mucus and ease coughing, and it is a popular ingredient in many European herbal products. Some research suggests it may help with certain coughs, but the evidence is still limited and mixed. The raw plant is poisonous if eaten and can irritate skin, so only use properly prepared commercial products and check with your pharmacist first.

Hedera helix · Araliaceae · Leaves (dried leaf extract) · Syrups, cough drops, oral drops, capsules, tea, topical preparations

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

English Ivy: dosing

There is no single official standardized dose of English ivy for everyone. The right amount depends on the specific product, its strength, and the form (syrup, drops, or capsules).The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and use only products made for human use.

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

Read the full English Ivy monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ribavirin

What Is Ribavirin Used For?

Brand names: Rebetol, Copegus, Ribasphere, Moderiba

Ribavirin comes in different forms for different uses. Ribavirin capsules are used in combination with interferon alfa-2b (pegylated or non-pegylated) to treat chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in patients 3 years and older with compensated liver disease. Ribavirin tablets are used in combination with PEGASYS® (peginterferon alfa-2a) to treat chronic hepatitis C in patients 5 years and older with compensated liver disease who have not previously been treated with interferon — including adults who also have HIV. Ribavirin for inhalation solution is a separate product used to treat hospitalized infants and young children with severe lower respiratory tract infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Ribavirin must never be used alone to treat hepatitis C — it only works as part of combination therapy. Only the most severe RSV infections requiring hospitalization should be treated with the inhaled form; mild RSV illness in children does not require this treatment.

See full Ribavirin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & English Ivy

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

0Major
280Moderate
0Minor
2,549No known interaction
280 Moderate 2,549 No interaction
Moderate

280 interactions

Showing 60 of 280 moderate interactions — see all 280 on the English Ivy page.

No interaction 2,549 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,549 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full English Ivy list.

See the full English Ivy interactions page
See every supplement checked against Ribavirin, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

English Ivy References

The 13 references that drive our English Ivy 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. Schulz V, Hansel R, Tyler VE. Rational Phytotherapy: A Physician's Guide to Herbal Medicine. Terry C. Telger, transl. 3rd ed. Berlin, GER: Springer, 1998.
  2. Fazio S, Pouso J, Dolinsky D, et al. Tolerance, safety and efficacy of Hedera helix extract in inflammatory bronchial diseases under clinical practice conditions: a prospective, open, multicentre postmarketing study in 9657 patients. Phytomedicine 2009;16 PubMed
  3. García M, Fernández E, Navarro JA, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis from Hedera helix L. Contact Dermatitis 1995;33(2):133-4.
  4. Hausen BM, Brohan J, Konig WA, et al. Allergic and irritant contact dermatitis from falcarinol and didehydrofalcarinol in common ivy (Hedera helix L.). Contact Dermatitis 1987;17(1):1-9.
  5. Mitchell, J. C. Allergic contact dermatitis from Hedera helix and Brassaia actinophylla (Araliaceae). Contact Dermatitis 1981;7(3):158-159.
  6. Boyle J, Harman RM. Contact dermatitis to Hedera helix (common ivy). Contact Dermatitis 1985;12(2):111-112. PubMed
  7. Yesudian PD, Franks A. Contact dermatitis from Hedera helix in a husband and wife. Contact Dermatitis 2002;46(2):125-126.
  8. Bregnbak D, Menné T, Johansen JD. Airborne contact dermatitis caused by common ivy (Hedera helix L. ssp. helix). Contact Dermatitis. 2015;72(4):243-4.
  9. Jones JM, White IR, White JM, McFadden JP. Allergic contact dermatitis to English ivy (Hedera helix)--a case series. Contact Dermatitis. 2009 Mar;60(3):179-80.
  10. Lurquin E, Swinnen I, Goossens A. Allergic contact dermatitis caused by Hedera helix arborescens and not by Hedera helix L. Contact Dermatitis. 2012;66(6):352-3.
  11. Paulsen E, Christensen LP, Andersen KE. Dermatitis from common ivy (Hedera helix L. subsp. helix) in Europe: past, present, and future. Contact Dermatitis. 2010;62(4):201-9.
  12. Rehman SU, Kim IS, Choi MS, Kim SH, Zhang Y, Yoo HH. Time-dependent Inhibition of CYP2C8 and CYP2C19 by Hedera helix Extracts, A Traditional Respiratory Herbal Medicine. Molecules. 2017;22(7). PubMed
  13. Kruttschnitt E, Wegener T, Zahner C, Henzen-Bücking S. Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf (Hedera helix) Cough Syrup Compared with Acetylcysteine in Adults and Children with Acute Bronchitis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020 May 4;2

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 English Ivy and Ribavirin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take English Ivy with Ribavirin?
We do not list a known interaction between English Ivy and Ribavirin. 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 English Ivy and Ribavirin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 5 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.
Should I take English Ivy and Ribavirin at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Ribavirin says to take it with food. If you take English Ivy on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Ribavirin with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Ribavirin products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Are English Ivy and Ribavirin 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 English Ivy in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Ribavirin is being adjusted to a target.
How was the English Ivy and Ribavirin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ribavirin is filed under 1 classification, and English Ivy has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Ribavirin'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 English Ivy interact with any other medications?
Yes. English Ivy has 280 documented drug interactions in our database — Ribavirin 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 Ribavirin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ribavirin has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — English Ivy is not one of them. The Ribavirin 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

English Ivy monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Ribavirin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Ribavirin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Ribavirin, 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 13 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Ribavirin and English Ivy?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.