Drug & supplement interaction

Garden Cress + Metformin, Sitagliptin

Metformin, Sitagliptin brand names: Janumet, Janumet XR.

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

Garden Cress has a moderate interaction with Metformin, Sitagliptin. Theoretically, taking garden cress with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.

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

Garden Cress and Metformin, Sitagliptin

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Metformin, Sitagliptin

Metformin, Sitagliptin falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Garden Cress interacts with.

Theoretically, taking garden cress with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Evidence from animal research suggests that an extract of garden cress can reduce blood glucose levels. This has not been shown 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

Janumet combines two diabetes medicines, metformin and sitagliptin, that work together to bring your blood sugar down. The concern here is simple: garden cress may have a mild blood-sugar-lowering effect of its own. If you add a concentrated garden cress seed supplement on top of Janumet, the two could stack and push your sugar a little too low.

I want to be honest about how soft this evidence is. This comes only from animal studies, and it has not been shown in people. The usual food amounts you eat in salads or cooking are very unlikely to matter. Still, if you're taking strong seed supplements, watch for low-sugar signs like shakiness, sweating, or dizziness, and check in with your pharmacist or doctor before starting them.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Eddouks, M. and Maghrani, M. Effect of Lepidium sativum L. on renal glucose reabsorption and urinary TGF-beta 1 levels in diabetic rats. Phytother.Res 2008;22(1):1-5.
  2. Chen X, Yuan H, Shi F, Zhu Y. Effect of garden cress in reducing blood glucose, improving blood lipids, and reducing oxidative stress in a mouse model of diabetes induced by a high-fat diet and streptozotocin. J Sci Food Agric 2020;100(5):2074-2081. PubMed
  3. Ramadan S, Hegab AM, Al-Awthan YS, Al-Duais MA, Tayel AA, Al-Saman MA. Comparison of the efficiency of Lepidium sativum, Ficus carica, and Punica granatum methanolic extracts in relieving hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia of streptozotocin-induced diabetic
  4. I Al-Suwaydani A, Alam MA, Raish M, A Bin Jardan Y, Ahad A, I Al-Jenoobi F. Effect of C. cyminum and L. sativum on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antidiabetic drug gliclazide. Curr Drug Metab 2022;23(10):842-849.
  5. Doghmane A, Aouacheri O, Laouaichia R, Saka S. The investigation of the efficacy ratio of cress seeds supplementation to moderate hyperglycemia and hepatotoxicity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. J Diabetes Metab Disord 2021;20(1):447-459. 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

Garden Cress Also Interacts With Other Medications

Garden Cress has 397 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Metformin, Sitagliptin one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 397 No known interaction 2,433 (incl. Metformin, Sitagliptin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Garden Cress

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Metformin, Sitagliptin

This page covers Garden Cress only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Metformin, Sitagliptin page lists 257 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Acai (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Agaricus Mushroom (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 217 moderate · 38 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Metformin, Sitagliptin page

“Many people prescribed metformin with sitagliptin (Janumet, Janumet XR) for type 2 diabetes also try herbs sold as blood sugar support, fenugreek among the most popular, and that habit is exactly where the risk on this page concentrates. Of 257 documented supplement interactions, 239 can push glucose in the same direction the medicatio…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Metformin, Sitagliptin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 16 real supplement products containing Garden Cress, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Garden Cress. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Metformin, Sitagliptin too, on top of Garden Cress — 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 Garden Cress and Metformin, Sitagliptin 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 Garden Cress
Steady interest

#1,426 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Metformin, Sitagliptin
Top 25%

#456 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 Garden Cress

What is Garden Cress?

Garden Cress
  • Digestive support
  • Bone health
  • Iron and vitamin source
  • Cough and respiratory comfort
  • Boosting breast milk (traditional)
  • Constipation relief

Garden cress is a nutritious leafy herb and seed used widely in cooking and traditional medicine, providing vitamins, minerals, and fiber. While it has a long history of use for digestion, bone health, and lactation, strong human research supporting most medicinal claims is limited. It is generally safe as a food, but concentrated seed supplements should be used cautiously and avoided in pregnancy.

Read the full Garden Cress monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Garden Cress

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

0Major
397Moderate
0Minor
2,432No known interaction
397 Moderate 2,432 No interaction
Moderate

397 interactions

Showing 60 of 397 moderate interactions — see all 397 on the Garden Cress page.

No interaction 2,432 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,432 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Garden Cress list.

See the full Garden Cress interactions page
See every supplement checked against Metformin, Sitagliptin, 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
Garden Cress monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Metformin, Sitagliptin supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Metformin, Sitagliptin, 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 Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Garden Cress and Metformin, Sitagliptin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Garden Cress with Metformin, Sitagliptin?
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 Garden Cress and Metformin, Sitagliptin 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 Metformin, Sitagliptin and Garden Cress?

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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.