Drug & supplement interaction

Hoodia + Insulin

Insulin brand name: NovoRapid Insulin.

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

Insulin falls into 2 drug categories that Hoodia can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Animal research shows that a steroid glycoside of hoodia, gordonoside F, increases glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by activating GPR119.

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

Hoodia and Insulin

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

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Insulin

Insulin falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Hoodia interacts with.

Animal research shows that a steroid glycoside of hoodia, gordonoside F, increases glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by activating GPR119. This effect enhances glucose disposal. Theoretically, concomitant use of hoodia with antidiabetes medications may enhance blood glucose-lowering effects and increase the risk of hypoglycemia. Some antidiabetes medications include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.
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 for your NovoRapid insulin. Insulin already does one main job: it lowers your blood sugar. Hoodia, at least in animal studies, may nudge your body to release a bit more of its own insulin and help clear sugar from the blood. So in theory, stacking the two together could push your blood sugar lower than you intended.

That matters because the real concern with insulin is hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Watch for shakiness, sweating, a racing heart, confusion, or feeling lightheaded. I'll be honest though: this interaction is theoretical and comes from animal data, not solid human studies, and hoodia hasn't even proven it works for weight loss. Don't change your insulin on your own. Just check in with your doctor or pharmacist before adding hoodia, and monitor your sugars more closely if you do.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Zhang S, Ma Y, Li J, et al. Molecular matchmaking between the popular weight-loss herb Hoodia gordonii and GPR119, a potential drug target for metabolic disorder. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014;111(40):14571-6.
Moderate

INSULIN

2 of 2
Animal research shows that a steroid glycoside of hoodia, gordonoside F, increases glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by activating GPR119. Theoretically, concomitant use of hoodia with insulin may enhance the blood glucose-lowering effects of insulin. Blood glucose levels should be monitored.
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 NovoRapid (insulin) and hoodia. Animal studies suggest one of hoodia's natural compounds, gordonoside F, may nudge the body to release a bit more of its own insulin. On top of the insulin you inject, that could add up and push your blood sugar lower than you expect.

If that happens, you might notice signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia): shakiness, sweating, a racing heart, hunger, confusion, or feeling lightheaded. I'll be honest, though, this is theoretical and based on lab and animal work, not solid human studies, so it may not happen at all. If you're considering hoodia, check in with your pharmacist or doctor first and keep a closer eye on your blood sugars.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Zhang S, Ma Y, Li J, et al. Molecular matchmaking between the popular weight-loss herb Hoodia gordonii and GPR119, a potential drug target for metabolic disorder. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014;111(40):14571-6.

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

Hoodia Also Interacts With Other Medications

Hoodia has 261 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Insulin one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 261 No known interaction 2,569 (incl. Insulin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Hoodia

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Insulin

This page covers Hoodia only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Insulin page lists 242 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 2 major · 211 moderate · 29 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Insulin page

“Someone injecting insulin (NovoRapid) is often the same person browsing supplements sold for blood sugar support, which is exactly why this list warrants genuine caution. Nearly all 242 entries push glucose one way or the other, most often further down, stacking with insulin and raising the risk of hypoglycemia, meaning dangerously low…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Insulin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 283 real supplement products containing Hoodia, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Hoodia. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Insulin too, on top of Hoodia — 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 Hoodia and Insulin 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 Hoodia
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Insulin
Top 25%

#477 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 Hoodia

What is Hoodia?

Hoodia
  • Appetite suppression
  • Weight loss
  • Reducing food cravings
  • Traditional use for hunger and thirst on long journeys

Hoodia is a succulent plant from southern Africa that is marketed as an appetite suppressant for weight loss, but solid human evidence that it actually works is lacking. The few quality studies done have not shown meaningful weight loss, and some products on the market may not even contain real hoodia. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before trying it, and avoid it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Read the full Hoodia monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Hoodia

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

0Major
261Moderate
0Minor
2,568No known interaction
261 Moderate 2,568 No interaction
Moderate

261 interactions

Showing 60 of 261 moderate interactions — see all 261 on the Hoodia page.

No interaction 2,568 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,568 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Hoodia list.

See the full Hoodia interactions page
See every supplement checked against Insulin, 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
Hoodia monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Insulin supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Insulin, 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 Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Hoodia and Insulin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Hoodia with Insulin?
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 Hoodia and Insulin?
Insulin belongs to more than one drug category, and Hoodia 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 Hoodia and Insulin 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 Insulin and Hoodia?

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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.