Drug & supplement interaction

Ginkgo + Linagliptin

Linagliptin brand name: Tradjenta.

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

Linagliptin falls into 2 drug categories that Ginkgo can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, taking ginkgo with P-glycoprotein substrates might increase the levels and adverse effects of these substrates.

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

Ginkgo and Linagliptin

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

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

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

Moderate

P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Linagliptin

Linagliptin falls under P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES — the group Ginkgo interacts with.

Theoretically, taking ginkgo with P-glycoprotein substrates might increase the levels and adverse effects of these substrates.
A small clinical study in healthy volunteers shows that using ginkgo leaf extract 120 mg orally three times daily for 14 days can increase levels of the P-glycoprotein substrate, talinolol, by 36% in healthy male individuals. However, single doses of ginkgo do not have the same effect.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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 Tradjenta (linagliptin). Your body uses a little cellular pump called P-glycoprotein to move certain medications around and help clear them out. Ginkgo may slow that pump down a bit, so in theory more linagliptin could stay in your system. If that happens, you might get a slightly stronger effect from the drug.

Honestly, this is mostly theoretical and based on a small study using a different medication, not linagliptin itself, and only with steady ginkgo use (not a single dose). Linagliptin alone rarely causes low blood sugar, but if you also take medicines like insulin or a sulfonylurea, watch for shakiness, sweating, or dizziness. Just give your pharmacist or doctor a heads-up before pairing the two.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Fan, L., Tao, G. Y., Wang, G., Chen, Y., Zhang, W., He, Y. J., Li, Q., Lei, H. P., Jiang, F., Hu, D. L., Huang, Y. F., and Zhou, H. H. Effects of Ginkgo biloba extract ingestion on the pharmacokinetics of talinolol in healthy Chinese volunteers. Ann Phar PubMed
Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

2 of 2

Linagliptin also falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS.

Theoretically, taking ginkgo with antidiabetes drugs might alter the response to antidiabetes drugs.
Ginkgo leaf extract seems to alter insulin secretion and metabolism, and might affect blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. The effect of ginkgo seems to differ depending on the insulin and treatment status of the patient. In diet-controlled diabetes patients with hyperinsulinemia, taking ginkgo does not seem to significantly affect insulin or blood glucose levels. In patients with hyperinsulinemia who are treated with oral hypoglycemic agents, taking ginkgo seems to decrease insulin levels and increase blood glucose following an oral glucose tolerance test. Researchers speculate that this could be due to ginkgo-enhanced hepatic metabolism of insulin. In patients with pancreatic exhaustion, taking ginkgo seems to stimulate pancreatic beta-cells, resulting in increased insulin and C-peptide levels, but with no significant change in blood glucose levels in response to an oral glucose tolerance test.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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 Tradjenta (linagliptin) and ginkgo. Linagliptin lowers blood sugar by boosting your own natural gut hormones, which raises insulin only when your sugar is high. The concern with ginkgo isn't about how your body breaks down linagliptin. Instead, ginkgo may nudge your blood sugar control in its own way, so the two together could shift your numbers a bit.

This is mostly theoretical and the evidence is limited. In some people on diabetes pills, ginkgo seemed to raise blood sugar after a sugar load, which could blunt the benefit you get from linagliptin. The practical move: if you take ginkgo, keep an eye on your home readings and let your pharmacist or doctor know before starting or stopping it. Don't change your linagliptin on your own.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Kudolo GB. The effect of 3-month ingestion of Ginkgo biloba extract on pancreatic beta-cell function in response to glucose loading in normal glucose tolerant individuals. J Clin Pharmacol 2000;40:647-54.
  2. Kudolo GB. The effect of 3-month ingestion of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) on pancreatic beta-cell function in response to glucose loading in individuals with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. J Clin Pharmacol 2001;41:600-11.
  3. Aziz TA, Hussain SA, Mahwi TO, Ahmed ZA, Rahman HS, Rasedee A. The efficacy and safety of Ginkgo biloba extract as an adjuvant in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients ineffectively managed with metformin: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

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

Ginkgo Also Interacts With Other Medications

Ginkgo has 1 major, 1,264 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Linagliptin one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 1 Moderate 1,264 No known interaction 1,565 (incl. Linagliptin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Ginkgo

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Ginkgo or Linagliptin

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

This page covers Ginkgo only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Linagliptin page lists 284 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acai (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 240 moderate · 41 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Linagliptin page

“Linagliptin (Tradjenta) helps people with type 2 diabetes bring blood sugar down, so most of the 284 supplements and herbs on this page interact for one basic reason: they lower glucose too, and stacking them can drop you into hypoglycemia. I'd read this list with genuine care rather than a shrug.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Linagliptin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 4,399 real supplement products containing Ginkgo, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Ginkgo. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Linagliptin too, on top of Ginkgo — 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 Ginkgo and Linagliptin 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 Ginkgo
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Linagliptin
Steady interest

#1,942 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 Ginkgo

What is Ginkgo?

Ginkgo
  • Memory and cognitive support
  • Age-related mental decline
  • Circulation problems
  • Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
  • Dizziness or vertigo

Ginkgo is one of the world's most popular herbal supplements, mostly taken to support memory and circulation. The evidence for these uses is mixed and generally weak, and it is not proven to prevent memory loss or dementia. It is usually well tolerated in healthy adults, but it can thin the blood, so talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Read the full Ginkgo monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Linagliptin

What Is Linagliptin Used For?

Brand name: Tradjenta

Tradjenta (linagliptin) is used to help control blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. It is meant to be used together with healthy eating and regular exercise, not as a replacement for them.

Linagliptin is not for type 1 diabetes, and it has not been studied in people with a history of pancreatitis.

See full Linagliptin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Ginkgo

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

1Major
1,264Moderate
0Minor
1,564No known interaction
1 Major 1,264 Moderate 1,564 No interaction
Major

1 interaction

Moderate

1,264 interactions

Showing 60 of 1,264 moderate interactions — see all 1,264 on the Ginkgo page.

No interaction 1,564 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,564 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Ginkgo list.

See the full Ginkgo interactions page
See every supplement checked against Linagliptin, 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
Ginkgo monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Linagliptin supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Linagliptin, ranked by severity Linagliptin 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 Ginkgo and Linagliptin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Ginkgo with Linagliptin?
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 Ginkgo and Linagliptin?
Linagliptin belongs to more than one drug category, and Ginkgo 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 Ginkgo and Linagliptin 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 Linagliptin and Ginkgo?

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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.