Drug & supplement interaction

Germander + Ribavirin Aerosol

Ribavirin Aerosol brand name: Virazole.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Germander and Ribavirin Aerosol 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 Aerosol states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Germander and Ribavirin Aerosol

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 Aerosol and Germander 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Germander at all — not against Ribavirin Aerosol, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Germander safety at a glance

Germander overall Avoid Germander has been linked to serious, sometimes fatal liver injury and should be avoided.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When used orally. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Unsafe When used orally. Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Ribavirin Aerosol and Germander? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Germander Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Ribavirin Aerosol. It is the side-effect record for Germander on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Germander, this list is the first place to look. One entry is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Liver problems Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Orally, germander has been associated with hepatitis, liver cell necrosis, and death.”

    Germander · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in hepatitis.

    5 sources cited
    1. 271. Bruneton J. Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants. Paris: Lavoisier Publishing, 1995. DOI
    2. 3741. Larrey D, Vial T, Pauwels A, et al. Hepatitis after germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) administration: another instance of herbal medicine hepatotoxicity. Ann Intern Med 1992;117:129-32.
    3. 3742. Pauwels A, Thierman-Duffaud D, Azanowsky JM, et al. [Acute hepatitis caused by wild germander. Hepatotoxicity of herbal remedies. Two cases]. Gastroenterol Clin Biol 1992;16:92-5.
    4. 3743. Castot A, Djezzar S, Deleau N, et al. [Pharmacovigilance off the beaten track: herbal surveillance or pharmacovigilance of medicinal plants]. Therapie 1997;52:97-103.
    5. 3744. Mostefa-Kara N, Pauwels A, Pines E, et al. Fatal hepatitis after herbal tea. Lancet 1992;340:674. DOI

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Germander — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Ribavirin Aerosol’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Ribavirin Aerosol column appears here.

Special populations

Germander in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Unsafe

When used orally.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

How to take them

Some Ribavirin Aerosol Products Have a Food Rule — Germander Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Ribavirin Aerosol says to take it with food. If you take Germander on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Ribavirin Aerosol 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 Aerosol 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 Aerosol — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. See the Ribavirin Aerosol drug page ›

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.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ribavirin Aerosol

This page covers Germander only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ribavirin Aerosol 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 Aerosol page

“Ribavirin Aerosol (Virazole) is an inhaled antiviral used mostly in hospitals against severe RSV infection, and with an infection that serious, losing drug exposure is not a small problem, so I would approach this list with genuine care. Its one major-rated interaction, activated charcoal, can pull ribavirin out of the body even though…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ribavirin Aerosol interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Germander and Ribavirin Aerosol 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 Germander
Steady interest

#1,219 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Ribavirin Aerosol
Top 25%

#426 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 Germander reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Germander and Ribavirin Aerosol records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 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 Germander

What is Germander?

  • Weight loss aids
  • Digestive complaints
  • Appetite stimulation
  • Gout and arthritis (traditional)
  • Fever and infections (traditional)

Germander is a traditional herb that was once used for weight loss and digestion, but it has been linked to serious and sometimes fatal liver damage. Because of these well-documented liver risks, germander has been banned or restricted in several countries, and we strongly advise against using it.

Teucrium chamaedrys · Lamiaceae · Above-ground parts (leaves and flowering tops) · Tea, capsules, tinctures, dried herb

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

Germander: dosing

There is no safe or established dose for germander. A safer, evidence-based option is almost always available.

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

Read the full Germander monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ribavirin

What Is Ribavirin Used For?

Brand name: Virazole

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 & Germander

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Germander References

The 5 references that drive our Germander 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. Bruneton J. Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Medicinal Plants. Paris: Lavoisier Publishing, 1995. DOI
  2. Larrey D, Vial T, Pauwels A, et al. Hepatitis after germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) administration: another instance of herbal medicine hepatotoxicity. Ann Intern Med 1992;117:129-32.
  3. Pauwels A, Thierman-Duffaud D, Azanowsky JM, et al. [Acute hepatitis caused by wild germander. Hepatotoxicity of herbal remedies. Two cases]. Gastroenterol Clin Biol 1992;16:92-5.
  4. Castot A, Djezzar S, Deleau N, et al. [Pharmacovigilance off the beaten track: herbal surveillance or pharmacovigilance of medicinal plants]. Therapie 1997;52:97-103.
  5. Mostefa-Kara N, Pauwels A, Pines E, et al. Fatal hepatitis after herbal tea. Lancet 1992;340:674. DOI

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 Germander and Ribavirin Aerosol Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Germander with Ribavirin Aerosol?
We do not list a known interaction between Germander and Ribavirin Aerosol. 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.
Should I take Germander and Ribavirin Aerosol at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Ribavirin Aerosol says to take it with food. If you take Germander on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Ribavirin Aerosol with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Ribavirin Aerosol products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Does Ribavirin Aerosol interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ribavirin Aerosol has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Germander is not one of them. The Ribavirin Aerosol interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Ribavirin Aerosol and Germander?

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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.