Drug & supplement interaction

Evodia + Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor

Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor brand name: Orkambi.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor falls into 2 drug categories that Evodia can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, evodia might increase the levels and clinical effects of CYP3A4 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Evodia and Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Evodia interacts with whole categories of medication. Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Evodia in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor

Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Evodia interacts with.

Theoretically, evodia might increase the levels and clinical effects of CYP3A4 substrates.
In vitro research shows that evodia extract inhibits hepatic CYP3A4. This effect has not been reported in humans.
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

The ivacaftor part of Orkambi leans on a liver enzyme called CYP3A4 to be cleared from your body. In lab dishes, evodia seems to slow that same enzyme down. If that held true in people, ivacaftor could build up a bit, which might bring on side effects like headache, nausea, stomach upset, dizziness, or rash. It's worth knowing that lumacaftor actually speeds CYP3A4 up, so this is a bit of a mixed bag.

Here's the reassuring part: this is only a test-tube finding and has never been shown in humans, so it's theoretical. Still, since Orkambi is an important medicine, I'd check with your CF team or pharmacist before adding evodia rather than starting it on your own.

References
  1. Iwata H, Tezuka Y, Kadota S, et al. Mechanism-based inactivation of human liver microsomal CYP3A4 by rutaecarpine and limonin from Evodia fruit extract. Drug Metab Pharmacokinet 2005;20:34-45. PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) INDUCERS

2 of 2

Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) INDUCERS.

Theoretically, taking CYP3A4 inducers might decrease the levels and clinical effects of evodia.
Animal research shows that concomitant administration of dexamethasone, a known CYP3A4 inducer, with the alkaloid constituents of evodia significantly reduces the area under the curve (AUC), maximum concentration (Cmax), and half-life of these constituents.
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 key thing to know with Orkambi (lumacaftor and ivacaftor): the lumacaftor part actually speeds up a liver enzyme called CYP3A4. The interaction we have on file flows in that direction. Evodia's active compounds seem to be broken down by that same enzyme, so taking them together could clear the evodia out of your system faster, leaving less of it around to do anything. In plain terms, the worry here is that your Orkambi might make an evodia supplement weaker, not that it harms your Orkambi.

This is very early, theory-and-animal level evidence, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. There's no clear sign it changes how well your Orkambi controls your cystic fibrosis. Still, since evodia isn't well studied in people, please run it by your pharmacist or CF team before adding it.

References
  1. Zhang W, Guo J, Wang D, et al. Effect of CYP3A inducer/inhibitor on pharmacokinetics of five alkaloids in Evodiae Fructus. Chem Biol Interact 2020;327:109146. 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

Evodia Also Interacts With Other Medications

Evodia has 949 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor one above is among 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.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor

This page covers Evodia only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor page lists 153 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 110 moderate · 40 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor page

“Ivacaftor with lumacaftor (Orkambi) only works against cystic fibrosis if its blood level stays steady, and most of the supplements on this page can tug that level up or down through a shared liver pathway called CYP3A4. Grapefruit can push the level higher, St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor 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 Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor 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 Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor
Top half

#843 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 Lumacaftor and Ivacaftor

What Is Lumacaftor and Ivacaftor Used For?

Brand name: Orkambi

Orkambi is approved to treat cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients age 1 year and older who have two copies of the F508del mutation in the CFTR gene — one on each chromosome. This is called being homozygous for F508del. If a patient's genetic type is unknown, a lab test approved by the FDA should confirm the mutation before starting treatment.

Orkambi has not been proven safe or effective for people with CF who have a different mutation pattern. It is only for the F508del/F508del genotype.

See full Lumacaftor and Ivacaftor 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

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,880 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Evodia 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 Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor Together: Common Questions

Can you take Evodia with Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Evodia and Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor?
Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor belongs to more than one drug category, and Evodia interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Evodia and Ivacaftor, Lumacaftor 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

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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.