Drug & supplement interaction

Evodia + Azithromycin

Azithromycin brand names: Zithromax, Zmax, Azasite.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Evodia has a moderate interaction with Azithromycin. Theoretically, evodia might have an additive effect with drugs that prolong the QT interval, potentially increasing the risk of ventricular arrhythmias.

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

Evodia and Azithromycin

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

Moderate

QT INTERVAL-PROLONGING DRUGS

Why this applies to Azithromycin

Azithromycin falls under QT INTERVAL-PROLONGING DRUGS — the group Evodia interacts with.

Theoretically, evodia might have an additive effect with drugs that prolong the QT interval, potentially increasing the risk of ventricular arrhythmias.
Evodia has demonstrated dose-dependent activity as a proarrhythmic agent in animal and in vitro studies. Evodia infusion in animals extends the action duration potential and induces prolongation of the QT interval and Torsade de pointes.
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 connection worth knowing about. Azithromycin can affect your heart's electrical rhythm, lengthening something called the QT interval. In lab and animal studies, Evodia has shown the same kind of effect. Stacking two things that both nudge your heart rhythm in that direction could, in theory, raise the chance of an irregular heartbeat (rarely a serious one called Torsade de pointes).

I want to be honest about the evidence here: this is based on test tube and animal research, not human cases, so it's more of a caution than a proven danger. Still, if you ever feel dizzy, faint, or notice a fluttering or pounding heartbeat while taking azithromycin, don't brush it off. Check with your pharmacist or doctor before pairing Evodia with this antibiotic, especially if you already have heart issues.

References
  1. Baburin I, Varkvisser R, Schramm A, et al. Dehydroevodiamine and hortiamine, alkaloids from the traditional Chinese herbal drug Evodia rutaecarpa, are IKr blockers with proarrhythmic effects in vitro and in vivo. Pharmacol Res. 2018 May;131:150-163. DOI

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

Evodia Also Interacts With Other Medications

Evodia has 949 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Azithromycin one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Evodia

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Evodia or Azithromycin

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

This page covers Evodia only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Azithromycin page lists 92 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 · 71 moderate · 13 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Azithromycin page

“A five-day Z-Pak for a sinus or chest infection seems too brief to fuss over, but azithromycin (Zithromax, Zmax) deserves genuine caution around supplements, and the eight major-rated entries on this list are the ones to understand first. Most of those involve the heart.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Azithromycin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 182 real supplement products containing Evodia, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Evodia. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Azithromycin too, on top of Evodia — 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 Evodia and Azithromycin 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 Evodia
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Azithromycin
Top 5%

#56 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 Evodia

What is Evodia?

  • Digestive upset and nausea
  • Headaches
  • Menstrual cramps
  • Abdominal pain
  • Diarrhea

Evodia is a fruit used in traditional Chinese medicine, most often for digestive complaints, headaches, and menstrual pain. Human evidence for these uses is very limited, and it is mostly studied in laboratory and animal research. Talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Evodia monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Azithromycin

What Is Azithromycin Used For?

Brand names: Zithromax, Zmax, Azasite

  • Azithromycin is used to treat certain bacterial infections, such as bronchitis; pneumonia; sexually transmitted diseases (STD); and infections of the ears, lungs, sinuses, skin, throat, and reproductive organs. Azithromycin also is used to treat or prevent disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection [a type of lung infection that often affects people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)]. Azithromycin is in a class of medications called macrolide antibiotics. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria.

  • Antibiotics such as azithromycin will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using antibiotics when they are not needed increases your risk of getting an infection later that resists antibiotic treatment.

See full Azithromycin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Evodia

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

0Major
949Moderate
0Minor
1,880No known interaction
Moderate

949 interactions

Showing 60 of 949 moderate interactions — see all 949 on the Evodia page.

No interaction 1,880 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Evodia and Azithromycin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Evodia with Azithromycin?
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 Evodia and Azithromycin 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 Azithromycin and Evodia?

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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.