Drug & supplement interaction

Guarumo + Glucose

Glucose brand name: IV Glucose.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Guarumo has a moderate interaction with Glucose. Some clinical evidence suggests that drinking tea prepared with guarumo leaf might lower blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

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

Guarumo and Glucose

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Glucose

Glucose falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Guarumo interacts with.

Some clinical evidence suggests that drinking tea prepared with guarumo leaf might lower blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. Theoretically, guarumo might have additive effects when used with antidiabetes drugs. Monitor blood glucose levels closely. Dose adjustments might be necessary. Some antidiabetes drugs include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, metformin (Glucophage), pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), and others.
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 a little wrinkle with this pairing. Glucose (like the IV glucose or oral glucose tablets used to treat low blood sugar) isn't a diabetes medicine that lowers your sugar. It's the opposite, it's actual sugar given to raise blood sugar when it drops too low. So the usual concern with guarumo, that it may gently nudge blood sugar down, works in a different direction here.

The honest takeaway: guarumo's blood-sugar-lowering effect is based on limited, lower-quality research, and it wouldn't cancel out glucose you take or receive to treat a low. If you use glucose for hypoglycemia and are also sipping guarumo tea, mention it to your pharmacist or doctor so they can keep an eye on your numbers.

References
  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. 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

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

Guarumo Also Interacts With Other Medications

Guarumo has 504 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Glucose one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

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.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Glucose

This page covers Guarumo only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Glucose page lists 256 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Acai (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Agaricus Mushroom (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 215 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Glucose page

“Glucose given by IV raises a dangerously low blood sugar, and this list warrants real caution because most of its 256 ingredients pull the other way. Nearly all of them lower blood sugar on their own, working against the treatment and setting up another crash.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Glucose interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Guarumo and Glucose 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Glucose
Steady interest

#1,489 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 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.

Read the full Guarumo monograph & all interactions
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
504Moderate
0Minor
2,325No known interaction
Moderate

504 interactions

Showing 60 of 504 moderate interactions — see all 504 on the Guarumo page.

No interaction 2,325 drugs checked — show the 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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Guarumo and Glucose Together: Common Questions

Can you take Guarumo with Glucose?
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 Guarumo and Glucose 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

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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.