Drug & supplement interaction

Horny Goat Weed + Ropivacaine

Ropivacaine brand name: Naropin.

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

Horny Goat Weed has a moderate interaction with Ropivacaine. Theoretically, horny goat weed might increase the effects and side effects of CYP1A2 substrates.

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

Horny Goat Weed and Ropivacaine

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

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Ropivacaine

Ropivacaine falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES — the group Horny Goat Weed interacts with.

Theoretically, horny goat weed might increase the effects and side effects of CYP1A2 substrates.
In vitro, horny goat weed leaf extract inhibits CYP1A2. This effect 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 gist for ropivacaine (Naropin), the local anesthetic your provider injects to numb an area for surgery or pain control. Your liver clears it partly through an enzyme called CYP1A2. In lab dish studies, horny goat weed appears to slow that same enzyme down. If that happened in your body, ropivacaine could hang around longer and its effects (and side effects) could be stronger than expected.

With too much ropivacaine in your system, possible problems include ringing in the ears, a metallic taste, numbness around the mouth, dizziness, or in rare cases heart rhythm and seizure issues. That said, this is only a theoretical, test-tube finding, never shown in real people. Since ropivacaine is usually given in a clinical setting, just tell your doctor or pharmacist you take this herb so they can keep an eye on things.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Zhong Q, Shi Z, Zhang L, et al. The potential of Epimedium koreanum Nakai for herb-drug interaction. J Pharm Pharmacol 2017;69(10):1398-408. doi: 10.1111/jphp.12773.

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

Horny Goat Weed Also Interacts With Other Medications

Horny Goat Weed has 964 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Ropivacaine one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 964 No known interaction 1,866 (incl. Ropivacaine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Horny Goat Weed

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Horny Goat Weed or Ropivacaine

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

This page covers Horny Goat Weed only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ropivacaine page lists 85 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Fever Bark (major), Adrafinil (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate), Ashitaba (moderate) and Bacopa (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 59 moderate · 25 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ropivacaine page

“Fever bark stands apart on this page. It carries the only major rating among the 85 supplements and herbs on file for ropivacaine (Naropin), the numbing medicine used in epidurals and nerve blocks, because reserpine, one of its compounds, has been tied to unstable blood pressure and heart function during general anesthesia.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ropivacaine interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Horny Goat Weed as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 183 real supplement products containing Horny Goat Weed, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Horny Goat Weed. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Ropivacaine too, on top of Horny Goat Weed — 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 Horny Goat Weed and Ropivacaine 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 Horny Goat Weed
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ropivacaine
Steady interest

#2,054 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 Horny Goat Weed

What is Horny Goat Weed?

Horny Goat Weed
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Low libido
  • Fatigue and low energy
  • Bone health
  • Joint and menopausal symptoms
  • General 'vitality' or performance

Horny goat weed (Epimedium) is a traditional Chinese herb most often marketed for low libido and erectile problems, but solid human evidence for these uses is lacking. While short-term use seems generally tolerated by some people, quality and safety are not well studied, so talk to your pharmacist or doctor before trying it—especially if you have heart problems or take other medicines.

Read the full Horny Goat Weed monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Horny Goat Weed

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

0Major
964Moderate
0Minor
1,865No known interaction
964 Moderate 1,865 No interaction
Moderate

964 interactions

Showing 60 of 964 moderate interactions — see all 964 on the Horny Goat Weed page.

No interaction 1,865 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,865 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Horny Goat Weed list.

See the full Horny Goat Weed interactions page
See every supplement checked against Ropivacaine, 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
Horny Goat Weed monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Ropivacaine supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Ropivacaine, 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 Horny Goat Weed and Ropivacaine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Horny Goat Weed with Ropivacaine?
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 Horny Goat Weed and Ropivacaine 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 Ropivacaine and Horny Goat Weed?

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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.