Drug & supplement interaction

Ginger + tipranavir

tipranavir brand name: Aptivus.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

tipranavir falls into 4 drug categories that Ginger can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Ginger might increase or decrease the levels of CYP3A4 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions4
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Ginger and tipranavir

These two interact in 4 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 4 Interactions?

Ginger interacts with whole categories of medication. tipranavir falls into 4 of those categories, so it can interact with Ginger in 4 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 4

Why this applies to tipranavir

tipranavir 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 honest picture with tipranavir (Aptivus) and ginger. Tipranavir is handled by a liver enzyme called CYP3A4, and lab studies hint that ginger might nudge that enzyme in either direction. If ginger slowed the enzyme, tipranavir could build up a bit, which might mean more of its usual side effects like nausea, diarrhea, tiredness, or stress on the liver. If ginger sped the enzyme up instead, levels could dip, and with HIV medicine you really don't want that, since underdosing can let the virus rebound.

The key thing: this is only test-tube and animal data, with no clear human reports for tipranavir. Everyday cooking with ginger is unlikely to matter. Before using concentrated ginger supplements, just run it by your pharmacist or HIV doctor.

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
Moderate

P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES

2 of 4

tipranavir also falls under P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES.

Ginger might increase the absorption and blood levels of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrates.
In vitro research and case reports suggest that ginger inhibits drug efflux by P-gp, potentially increasing absorption and serum levels of P-gp substrates. Two case reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) adverse drug reaction database describe increased toxicity in patients taking ginger and cancer medications that are P-gp substrates (trametinib, crizotinib). However, the causality of this interaction is unclear due to the presence of multiple interacting drugs and routes of administration.
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 gist with tipranavir (Aptivus) and ginger. Ginger may gently block a transporter in your gut called P-glycoprotein, which acts like a bouncer pushing certain drugs back out. Tipranavir is one of the medicines this pump moves, so in theory ginger could let a little more of it get absorbed and nudge your blood levels up. Higher levels could mean more of tipranavir's usual side effects, such as nausea, diarrhea, headache, or stress on the liver.

The honest part: this concern comes from lab and animal studies, not solid human data, so it's more of a maybe than a sure thing. Food amounts of ginger are unlikely to cause trouble, but before starting concentrated ginger supplements, please run it by your pharmacist or HIV provider first.

References
  1. 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.
  2. 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
Minor

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

3 of 4

tipranavir also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, ginger might increase the levels of CYP1A2 substrates.
In vitro research shows that ginger inhibits CYP1A2 activity. However, this interaction has not been reported in humans.
Severity Minor 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: this one is mostly theoretical. In test-tube studies, ginger appears to slow down a liver enzyme called CYP1A2, and tipranavir (Aptivus) is one of the medicines that enzyme helps break down. If that slowdown happened in real life, your tipranavir levels could nudge a little higher, which in theory might mean more of its usual side effects, like nausea, diarrhea, stomach upset, or tiredness.

But this has never actually been reported in people, and it's worth noting tipranavir is broken down mainly through a different enzyme (CYP3A4), so CYP1A2's role here is small. Everyday ginger in food or tea is very unlikely to matter. If you're thinking about regular concentrated ginger supplements, just give your pharmacist or doctor a heads-up first.

References
  1. 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.
Minor

CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES

4 of 4

tipranavir also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, ginger might increase the levels of CYP2C9 substrates.
In vitro research shows that ginger inhibits CYP2C9 activity. However, this interaction has not been reported in humans.
Severity Minor 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 gist for anyone taking tipranavir (Aptivus) for HIV alongside ginger. Lab studies suggest ginger can mildly slow down an enzyme called CYP2C9, which is one of the pathways your body uses to clear certain drugs. In theory, that could let a little more tipranavir build up than usual, which might mean a bit more chance of side effects like nausea, diarrhea, stomach upset, or tiredness.

The important part: this is only seen in test-tube research, never reported in actual people, and it's rated as a minor, possible interaction. Tipranavir is an active drug (not a prodrug), so the direction makes sense. Everyday cooking with ginger is very unlikely to matter. If you're using concentrated ginger supplements regularly, just run it by your pharmacist or doctor first.

References
  1. 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.

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 tipranavir 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 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 tipranavir

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 tipranavir, 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 tipranavir

This page covers Ginger only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the tipranavir page lists 212 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), 1,3-dmaa (moderate) and Acacia Rigidula (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 165 moderate · 44 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the tipranavir page

“Keeping tipranavir (Aptivus) at a steady blood level is what keeps HIV suppressed, so this is a supplement list that deserves genuine care, and the three major-rated entries come first. St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the tipranavir 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 tipranavir 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 tipranavir 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 tipranavir
Steady interest

#1,792 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 Tipranavir

What Is Tipranavir Used For?

Brand name: Aptivus

Aptivus (tipranavir) is used to treat HIV-1 infection in adults and in pediatric patients weighing 36 kg or more who have already tried other HIV medications and whose virus has become resistant to more than one protease inhibitor. It must always be taken together with ritonavir to work properly.

Aptivus is not recommended for people who have never been treated for HIV before. It works best when combined with other active HIV medications, and a resistance test is usually done first to confirm the virus will respond to it.

See full Tipranavir 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
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.

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
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Ginger and tipranavir Together: Common Questions

Can you take Ginger with tipranavir?
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 4 interactions listed for Ginger and tipranavir?
tipranavir belongs to more than one drug category, and Ginger 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 Ginger and tipranavir 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 tipranavir 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.