Drug & supplement interaction

Guarumo + Colesevelam

Colesevelam brand names: WelChol, Lodalis.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Guarumo and Colesevelam 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 Colesevelam states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Guarumo and Colesevelam

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 Colesevelam and Guarumo 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.

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.

Guarumo safety at a glance

Guarumo overall Use caution It has a long history of traditional use, but human safety data are very limited.
Pregnancy Avoid There is not enough safety information, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety while breastfeeding is unknown, so avoid use.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Colesevelam and Guarumo? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Colesevelam

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Colesevelam is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. Guarumo has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate), antihypertensive drugs (moderate) and cns depressants (moderate) — and none of Colesevelam’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Guarumo Does Interact With Other Medications

Guarumo has 505 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Colesevelam isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 505 No known interaction 2,325 (incl. Colesevelam)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Guarumo

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

What to actually watch for

What Guarumo Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Colesevelam. It is the side-effect record for Guarumo on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Guarumo, this list is the first place to look.

  • Heartburn Additional detail

    “Orally, guarumo seems to be well tolerated when used as a tea. Rare side effects reported in a clinical trial include excessive salivation, heartburn, and exhaustion. Topically, no adverse effects have been reported. However, a thorough evaluation of safety outcomes has not been conducted.”

    Guarumo · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dyspepsia.

    2 sources cited
    1. 26506. Revilla-Monsalve, M. C., Andrade-Cetto, A., Palomino-Garibay, M. A., Wiedenfeld, H., and Islas-Andrade, S. Hypoglycemic effect of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol aqueous extracts on type 2 diabetic patients. J Ethnopharmacol 2007;111(3):636-40. PubMed
    2. 86369. Herrera-Arellano, A., Aguilar-Santamaria, L., Garcia-Hernandez, B., Nicasio-Torres, P., and Tortoriello, J. Clinical trial of Cecropia obtusifolia and Marrubium vulgare leaf extracts on blood glucose and serum lipids in type 2 diabetics. Phytomedicine 200 PubMed

    “Orally, excessive salivation and heartburn were reported by one patient each after drinking tea prepared from 1 gram of dried guarumo leaves three times daily before meals for 21 days.”

    Guarumo · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dyspepsia.

    1 source cited
    1. 86369. Herrera-Arellano, A., Aguilar-Santamaria, L., Garcia-Hernandez, B., Nicasio-Torres, P., and Tortoriello, J. Clinical trial of Cecropia obtusifolia and Marrubium vulgare leaf extracts on blood glucose and serum lipids in type 2 diabetics. Phytomedicine 200 PubMed

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

How to take them

Some Colesevelam Products Have a Food Rule — Guarumo Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Colesevelam says to take it with food. If you take Guarumo on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Colesevelam 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 Colesevelam 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.

Colesevelam hydrochloride should be taken as follows ( 2.2 , 2.4 ): Tablets Take 6 tablets once daily or 3 tablets twice daily with a meal and liquid.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Colesevelam — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. See the Colesevelam 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.

Overlapping uses

What Colesevelam Is Prescribed For, and What Guarumo Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Colesevelam is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Guarumo is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Colesevelam is prescribed for: Colesevelam is used alongside diet and exercise to reduce high LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) in adults with primary hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol). It is also approved to lower LDL cholesterol in boys and girls aged 10–17 who have heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) — an inherited condition that causes very high cholesterol — when diet and lifestyle changes alone haven't worked. Colesevelam tablets and oral suspension (Welchol and colesevelam hydrochloride products) are also used to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes, as an add-on to diet and exercise. Colesevelam is not for type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.

Guarumo has been studied for:

  • Diabetes studied, not established Guarumo has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Guarumo for diabetes

    Drinking guarumo tea may improve blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes; however, current evidence is limited, so larger, higher quality studies are needed to confirm. One small, preliminary clinical study in patients with type 2 diabetes not taking antidiabetes medication shows that drinking guarumo tea daily for 32 weeks modestly reduces blood glucose and lowers HbA1c from 7.3% at baseline to 6.35% a…

    2 sources cited
    1. 26506. Revilla-Monsalve, M. C., Andrade-Cetto, A., Palomino-Garibay, M. A., Wiedenfeld, H., and Islas-Andrade, S. Hypoglycemic effect of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol aqueous extracts on type 2 diabetic patients. J Ethnopharmacol 2007;111(3):636-40. PubMed
    2. 86369. Herrera-Arellano, A., Aguilar-Santamaria, L., Garcia-Hernandez, B., Nicasio-Torres, P., and Tortoriello, J. Clinical trial of Cecropia obtusifolia and Marrubium vulgare leaf extracts on blood glucose and serum lipids in type 2 diabetics. Phytomedicine 200 PubMed

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Colesevelam on your own; if you are taking Guarumo for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Guarumo or Colesevelam

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

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

“Colesevelam (WelChol, Lodalis) lowers cholesterol by binding bile acids in your gut, and every one of the 17 supplements on this list can interfere with how oral medicines are absorbed in that same territory. I would treat this list with genuine care, and the place to start is activated charcoal, the only major-rated entry.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Colesevelam interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Guarumo and Colesevelam 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 Guarumo
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Colesevelam
Steady interest

#1,988 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 Guarumo reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Guarumo and Colesevelam 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 Guarumo

What is Guarumo?

Guarumo
  • Type 2 diabetes / blood sugar support
  • High blood pressure
  • Cough, asthma, and bronchitis
  • Heart failure symptoms
  • Liver and rheumatic complaints

Guarumo (Cecropia obtusifolia) is a tropical tree used in Latin American traditional medicine, most often as a leaf tea for diabetes and high blood pressure. Some early laboratory and small human studies suggest it may modestly affect blood sugar, but the evidence is limited and not strong enough to recommend it as a treatment. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have a chronic condition or take medication.

Cecropia obtusifolia · Urticaceae · Leaves (most common), bark, and root · Tea (infusion or decoction), liquid extracts, capsules, and dried leaf

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

Guarumo: dosing

There is no established standard dose for guarumo. Traditional use most often involves a tea made from the dried leaves, but the amount of active compounds can vary a lot between products and even between batches.If you choose to use a guarumo product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them.

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

Read the full Guarumo monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Colesevelam

What Is Colesevelam Used For?

Brand names: WelChol, Lodalis

Colesevelam is used alongside diet and exercise to reduce high LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) in adults with primary hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol). It is also approved to lower LDL cholesterol in boys and girls aged 10–17 who have heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) — an inherited condition that causes very high cholesterol — when diet and lifestyle changes alone haven't worked.

Colesevelam tablets and oral suspension (Welchol and colesevelam hydrochloride products) are also used to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes, as an add-on to diet and exercise. Colesevelam is not for type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Colesevelam

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (2,014 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Diarrhea 241 reports
Dyspnea 172 reports
Cough 169 reports
Muscle spasms 163 reports
Nasopharyngitis 150 reports
See full Colesevelam drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Guarumo

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

0Major
505Moderate
0Minor
2,324No known interaction
505 Moderate 2,324 No interaction
Moderate

505 interactions

Showing 60 of 505 moderate interactions — see all 505 on the Guarumo page.

No interaction 2,324 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,324 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Guarumo list.

See the full Guarumo interactions page
See every supplement checked against Colesevelam, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Guarumo References

The 6 references that drive our Guarumo 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. Revilla-Monsalve, M. C., Andrade-Cetto, A., Palomino-Garibay, M. A., Wiedenfeld, H., and Islas-Andrade, S. Hypoglycemic effect of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol aqueous extracts on type 2 diabetic patients. J Ethnopharmacol 2007;111(3):636-40. PubMed
  2. Perez-Guerrero, C., Herrera, M. D., Ortiz, R., Alvarez, de Sotomayor, and Fernandez, M. A. A pharmacological study of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol aqueous extract. J Ethnopharmacol 2001;76(3):279-84. PubMed
  3. Vidrio, H., Garcia-Marquez, F., Reyes, J., and Soto, R. M. Hypotensive activity of Cecropia obtusifolia. J Pharm Sci 1982;71:475-76. PubMed
  4. Salas, I., Brenes, J. R., and Morales, O. M. Antihypertensive effect of Cecropia obtusifolia (Moraceae) leaf extract on rats. Rev Biol Trop 1987;35(1):127-30.
  5. Salas, I. G., Morales, O. M., and Brenes, J. R. Effect of chronic administration of Cecropia obtusifolia (Moraceae) on mean arterial pressure in rats. Rev Biol Trop 1987;35(2):359-62.
  6. Herrera-Arellano, A., Aguilar-Santamaria, L., Garcia-Hernandez, B., Nicasio-Torres, P., and Tortoriello, J. Clinical trial of Cecropia obtusifolia and Marrubium vulgare leaf extracts on blood glucose and serum lipids in type 2 diabetics. Phytomedicine 200 PubMed

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 Guarumo and Colesevelam Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Guarumo with Colesevelam?
We do not list a known interaction between Guarumo and Colesevelam. 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 Guarumo and Colesevelam at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Colesevelam says to take it with food. If you take Guarumo on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Colesevelam with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Colesevelam products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Are Guarumo and Colesevelam used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Guarumo in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Colesevelam is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Guarumo and Colesevelam combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Colesevelam is filed under 1 classification, and Guarumo has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Colesevelam's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Guarumo interact with any other medications?
Yes. Guarumo has 505 documented drug interactions in our database — Colesevelam is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Colesevelam interact with any supplements?
Yes. Colesevelam has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Guarumo is not one of them. The Colesevelam interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Guarumo monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Colesevelam drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Colesevelam supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Colesevelam, 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 References The 6 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Colesevelam and Guarumo?

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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.