Drug & supplement interaction

Ginger + Budesonide

Budesonide brand names: Entocort EC, Pulmicort, Uceris, Tarpeyo, Eohilia.

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

Ginger has a moderate interaction with Budesonide. Ginger might increase or decrease the levels of CYP3A4 substrates.

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

Ginger and Budesonide

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

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Budesonide

Budesonide falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Ginger interacts with.

Ginger might increase or decrease the levels of CYP3A4 substrates.
In vitro research and some case reports suggest that ginger inhibits CYP3A4 activity. Three case reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) adverse drug reaction database describe increased toxicity in patients taking ginger and cancer medications that are CYP3A4 substrates (imatinib, dabrafenib, and crizotinib). However, the causality of this interaction is unclear due to the presence of multiple interacting drugs and routes of administration.
Conversely, other in vitro research suggests that ginger induces CYP3A4 activity, leading to reduced levels of CYP3A4 substrates. However, this interaction 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

Here's the short version on combining ginger with budesonide. Budesonide is cleared from your body by a liver enzyme called CYP3A4. Some lab studies hint that ginger might nudge this enzyme one way or the other, which could in theory change how much budesonide sticks around. If ginger slowed that enzyme down, budesonide levels could creep up, leading to more steroid-type effects like fluid retention, higher blood sugar, mood changes, or trouble sleeping. If ginger sped the enzyme up, the medicine might not work quite as well.

The honest truth is this is mostly test-tube and theory, not something proven in people taking budesonide. Everyday culinary amounts of ginger are very unlikely to matter. If you're using concentrated ginger supplements regularly, just give your pharmacist or doctor a heads-up so they can keep an eye on things.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Haron MH, Dale O, Martin K, et al. Evaluation of the Herb-Drug Interaction Potential of Commonly Used Botanicals on the US Market with Regard to PXR- and AhR-Mediated Influences on CYP3A4 and CYP1A2. J Diet Suppl 2022. PubMed
  2. Husain I, Dale OR, Idrisi M, et al. Evaluation of the Herb-Drug Interaction (HDI) Potential of Zingiber officinale and Its Major Phytoconstituents. J Agric Food Chem. 2023;71(19):7521-7534.
  3. Pochet S, Lechon AS, Lescrainier C, et al. Herb-anticancer drug interactions in real life based on VigiBase, the WHO global database. Sci Rep 2022;12(1):14178. 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

Ginger Also Interacts With Other Medications

Ginger has 874 moderate, 133 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Budesonide one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 874 Minor 133 No known interaction 1,823 (incl. Budesonide)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Ginger

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Ginger or Budesonide

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

This page covers Ginger only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Budesonide page lists 154 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 4 major · 110 moderate · 40 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Budesonide page

“Budesonide (Entocort EC, Pulmicort, Uceris) is a steroid designed to act locally in the gut or airways while the liver enzyme CYP3A4 clears most of what reaches the bloodstream. That design is exactly why this page warrants real care.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Budesonide interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 9,640 real supplement products containing Ginger, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Ginger. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Budesonide too, on top of Ginger — 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 Ginger and Budesonide 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 Ginger
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Budesonide
Top half

#1,374 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 Ginger

What is Ginger?

Ginger
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Motion sickness
  • Morning sickness in pregnancy
  • Digestive upset
  • Menstrual cramps
  • Joint pain and inflammation

Ginger is a widely used culinary spice with a long history in traditional medicine, and it has the strongest evidence for helping with nausea and vomiting, including from motion sickness, pregnancy, and chemotherapy. It is generally safe in food and supplement amounts for most people, though it may cause mild stomach upset. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using ginger supplements, especially if you are pregnant, have a bleeding disorder, or take other medicines.

Read the full Ginger monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Budesonide

What Is Budesonide Used For?

Brand names: Entocort EC, Pulmicort, Uceris, Tarpeyo, Eohilia

Budesonide calms inflammation. Which condition it treats depends on the product and how it is delivered.

  • Asthma: inhaled budesonide (Pulmicort Flexhaler for ages 6 and older; nebulized suspensions such as Pulmicort Respules for children 12 months to 8 years) is used for long-term control.
  • Crohn’s disease: budesonide delayed-release capsules treat mild to moderate active disease of the ileum and/or ascending colon (ages 8 and older). They also help maintain remission for up to 3 months in adults.
  • Ulcerative colitis: Uceris extended-release tablets and Uceris/budesonide rectal foam help bring on remission of mild to moderate disease.
  • Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE): Eohilia oral suspension is used for 12 weeks in people 11 and older.
  • IgA nephropathy (IgAN): Tarpeyo is used in adults at risk of progression, to reduce loss of kidney function.

The inhaled products are not for sudden asthma attacks.

See full Budesonide drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Ginger

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

0Major
874Moderate
133Minor
1,822No known interaction
874 Moderate 133 Minor 1,822 No interaction
Moderate

874 interactions

Showing 60 of 874 moderate interactions — see all 874 on the Ginger page.

Minor

133 interactions

Showing 60 of 133 minor interactions — see all 133 on the Ginger page.

No interaction 1,822 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,822 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Ginger list.

See the full Ginger interactions page
See every supplement checked against Budesonide, 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
Ginger monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Budesonide supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Budesonide, ranked by severity Budesonide drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication 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 Ginger and Budesonide Together: Common Questions

Can you take Ginger with Budesonide?
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 Ginger and Budesonide 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 Budesonide and Ginger?

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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.