Drug & supplement interaction

Indian Snakeroot + Dutasteride

Dutasteride brand name: Avodart.

No Known Interaction

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026

The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Indian Snakeroot and Dutasteride 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 two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

Know someone taking this? Share

Facebook Post Reddit Email

On this page

Interaction report

Indian Snakeroot and Dutasteride

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 Dutasteride and Indian Snakeroot 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.

Indian Snakeroot safety at a glance

Indian Snakeroot overall Use caution Contains potent alkaloids that can cause serious side effects and should only be used under medical supervision.

Pregnancy Avoid Avoid during pregnancy, as its alkaloids may harm the developing baby.

Breastfeeding Avoid Avoid while breastfeeding, since reserpine can pass into breast milk.

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

Still wondering about combining Dutasteride and Indian Snakeroot? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›

How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Dutasteride

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Dutasteride is filed under 2 classifications — cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) substrates, oral drugs. Indian Snakeroot has documented interactions with 13 drug classes — the most serious being antipsychotic drugs (major), beta-blockers (major) and digoxin (lanoxin) (major) — and none of Dutasteride’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

Indian Snakeroot Does Interact With Other Medications

Indian Snakeroot has 83 major, 760 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Dutasteride isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 83 Moderate 760 No known interaction 1,987 (incl. Dutasteride)

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Indian Snakeroot

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Indian Snakeroot and Dutasteride May Share a Side Effect

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

Dizziness reported in 6.2% of FDA reports for Dutasteride Additional detail
Indian Snakeroot
“Orally, Indian snakeroot may cause headaches, feeling cold, dizziness, drowsiness, nightmares, and mild sedation. Indian snakeroot contains small amounts of reserpine and yohimbine and may theoretically cause some of the adverse effects associated with these constituents. Doses of reserpine of greater than 0.5 mg daily can increase the risk of side effects.”

Indian Snakeroot · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.
6 sources cited

94331. Sheldon MB, Kotte JH. Effect of Rauwolfia serpentina and reserpine on the blood pressure in essential hypertension; a long-term double-blind study. Circulation. 1957 Aug;16(2):200-6.

94332. Vakil RJ. A clinical trial of Rauwolfia serpentina in essential hypertension. Br Heart J. 1949 Oct;11(4):350-5. PubMed

94438. Achor RW, Hanson NO, Gifford RW Jr. Hypertension treated with Rauwolfia serpentina (whole root) and with reserpine; controlled study disclosing occasional severe depression. J Am Med Assoc. 1955 Oct 29;159(9):841-5. PubMed

94440. Wilkins RW, Judson WE. The use of Rauwolfia serpentina in hypertensive patients. N Engl J Med. 1953 Jan 8;248(2):48-53.

15. McEvoy GK, ed. AHFS Drug Information. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 1998.

94328. Lobay D. Rauwolfia in the Treatment of Hypertension. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2015 Jun;14(3):40-6.
Dutasteride

Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Dutasteride, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Indian Snakeroot but not commonly for Dutasteride: stomach upset, fainting, a heart attack and an irregular heartbeat.

Effects for Dutasteride come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Indian Snakeroot come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 9,120 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Dutasteride that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

From our Q&A

Questions About Indian Snakeroot or Dutasteride

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

Can You Take Doxazosin And Flomax Together? Answered by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD · June 2022 ›

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 Dutasteride

This page covers Indian Snakeroot only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Dutasteride page lists 138 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 94 moderate · 41 minor.

Open the Dutasteride interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 70 real supplement products containing Indian Snakeroot, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Indian Snakeroot. Even though Indian Snakeroot itself has no known interaction with Dutasteride, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Indian Snakeroot and Dutasteride 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 Indian Snakeroot

Top half

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

29 days ago today

Medication Dutasteride

Top 10%

#237 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 Indian Snakeroot reference on this page ↓
Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Indian Snakeroot and Dutasteride 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 Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS.

Supplement

About Indian Snakeroot

What is Indian Snakeroot?

High blood pressure
Anxiety and stress
Insomnia
Agitation
Fever (traditional use)

Indian snakeroot is a traditional Ayurvedic plant that contains reserpine, a compound with real blood-pressure-lowering and sedative effects. Because its potent alkaloids can cause serious side effects like depression and very low blood pressure, it should never be used without medical supervision. It is not a safe or simple home remedy, and many countries restrict its use.

Rauvolfia serpentina · Apocynaceae · Root · Powder, capsules, tablets, dried root, traditional preparations

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

Indian Snakeroot: dosing

There is no well-established safe dose of Indian snakeroot for self-care. The amount of active alkaloids in herbal products can vary widely, which makes safe dosing difficult.If a healthcare provider recommends a product, follow the label and their instructions exactly. Do not increase the dose on your own.

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

Read the full Indian Snakeroot monograph & all interactions

Medication

About Dutasteride

What Is Dutasteride Used For?

Brand name: Avodart

Dutasteride capsules are used to treat symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) — a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate — in men. Treatment can help improve urinary symptoms, lower the risk of sudden urinary retention (being completely unable to urinate), and reduce the likelihood of needing BPH-related surgery.

Dutasteride capsules can also be used in combination with tamsulosin (an alpha-blocker) to treat symptomatic BPH in men with an enlarged prostate. Importantly, dutasteride is not approved for the prevention of prostate cancer.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Dutasteride

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (9,120 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Dyspnea 838 reports

Fatigue 666 reports

Diarrhea 596 reports

Dizziness 565 reports

Asthenia 533 reports

See full Dutasteride drug information

Keep checking

Other Drugs & Indian Snakeroot

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

83Major

760Moderate

0Minor

1,986No known interaction

83 Major 760 Moderate 1,986 No interaction

Major

83 interactions

Showing 60 of 83 major interactions — see all 83 on the Indian Snakeroot page.

Moderate

760 interactions

Showing 60 of 760 moderate interactions — see all 760 on the Indian Snakeroot page.

No interaction 1,986 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,986 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Indian Snakeroot list.

See the full Indian Snakeroot interactions page

See every supplement checked against Dutasteride, ranked by severity

Evidence & sources

Indian Snakeroot References

The 43 references that drive our Indian Snakeroot 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.

Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
McEvoy GK, ed. AHFS Drug Information. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 1998.
Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
Young DS. Effects of Drugs on Clinical Laboratory Tests 4th ed. Washington: AACC Press, 1995.
Milman N, Scheibel J, Jessen O. Lysine prophylaxis in recurrent herpes simplex labialis: a double-blind, controlled crossover study. Acta Derm Venereol 1980;60:85-7.
Teloken C, Rhoden EL, Sogari P, et al. Therapeutic effects of high dose yohimbine hydrochloride on organic erectile dysfunction. J Urol 1998;159:122-4. PubMed
Jacobsen FM. Fluoxetine-induced sexual dysfunction and an open trial of yohimbine. J Clin Psychiatry 1992;53:119-22.
Hollander E, McCarley A. Yohimbine treatment of sexual side effects induced by serotonin reuptake blockers. J Clin Psychiatry 1992;53:207-9.
Sandler B, Aronson P. Yohimbine-induced cutaneous drug eruption, progressive renal failure, and lupus-like syndrome. Urol 1993;41:343-5. PubMed
Kearney T, Tu N, Haller C. Adverse drug events associated with yohimbine-containing products: a retrospective review of the California Poison Control System reported cases. Ann Pharmacother 2010;44:1022-9. PubMed
VandenBrink, B. M., Foti, R. S., Rock, D. A., Wienkers, L. C., and Wahlstrom, J. L. Prediction of CYP2D6 drug interactions from in vitro data: evidence for substrate-dependent inhibition. Drug Metab Dispos. 2012;40(1):47-53. PubMed
Mustonen, P., Savola, J., and Lassila, R. Atipamezole, an imidazoline-type alpha(2)-adrenoceptor inhibitor, binds to human platelets and inhibits their adrenaline-induced aggregation more effectively than yohimbine. Thromb.Res 8-1-2000;99(3):231-237.
Bagheri, H., Schmitt, L., Berlan, M., and Montastruc, J. L. Effect of 3 weeks treatment with yohimbine on salivary secretion in healthy volunteers and in depressed patients treated with tricyclic antidepressants. Br J Clin Pharmacol 1992;34(6):555-558. PubMed
Swann, A. C., Birnbaum, D., Jagar, A. A., Dougherty, D. M., and Moeller, F. G. Acute yohimbine increases laboratory-measured impulsivity in normal subjects. Biol.Psychiatry 5-15-2005;57(10):1209-1211. PubMed
Adeniyi, A. A., Brindley, G. S., Pryor, J. P., and Ralph, D. J. Yohimbine in the treatment of orgasmic dysfunction. Asian J Androl 2007;9(3):403-407. PubMed
Giampreti, A., Lonati, D., Locatelli, C., Rocchi, L., and Campailla, M. T. Acute neurotoxicity after yohimbine ingestion by a body builder. Clin Toxicol.(Phila) 2009;47(8):827-829. PubMed
Myers, A. and Barrueto, F., Jr. Refractory priapism associated with ingestion of yohimbe extract. J Med Toxicol. 2009;5(4):223-225.
Berlin, I., Crespo-Laumonnier, B., Cournot, A., Landault, C., Aubin, F., Legrand, J. C., and Puech, A. J. The alpha 2-adrenergic receptor antagonist yohimbine inhibits epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation in healthy subjects. Clin Pharmacol.Ther. 199
Swann, A. C. Mechanisms of impulsivity in bipolar disorder and related illness. Epidemiol.Psichiatr.Soc. 2010;19(2):120-130.
Landis, E. and Shore, E. Yohimbine-induced bronchospasm. Chest 1989;96(6):1424. PubMed
Susset, J. G., Tessier, C. D., Wincze, J., Bansal, S., Malhotra, C., and Schwacha, M. G. Effect of yohimbine hydrochloride on erectile impotence: a double-blind study. J Urol. 1989;141(6):1360-1363. PubMed
Braddock, L., Cowen, P. J., Elliott, J. M., Fraser, S., and Stump, K. Binding of yohimbine and imipramine to platelets in depressive illness. Psychol.Med 1986;16(4):765-773. PubMed
Charney, D. S., Heninger, G. R., and Sternberg, D. E. Assessment of alpha 2 adrenergic autoreceptor function in humans: effects of oral yohimbine. Life Sci 6-7-1982;30(23):2033-2041.
Boon, N. A., Elliott, J. M., Grahame-Smith, D. G., John-Green, T., and Stump, K. A comparison of alpha 2-adrenoreceptor binding characteristics of intact human platelets identified by [3H]-yohimbine and [3H]- dihydroergocryptine. J Auton.Pharmacol 1983;3
Siddiqui, M. A., More-O'Ferrall, D., Hammod, R. S., Baime, R. V., and Staddon, A. P. Agranulocytosis associated with yohimbine use. Arch.Intern.Med 6-10-1996;156(11):1235-1237.
Mann, K., Klingler, T., Noe, S., Roschke, J., Muller, S., and Benkert, O. Effects of yohimbine on sexual experiences and nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity in erectile dysfunction. Arch.Sex Behav. 1996;25(1):1-16. PubMed
Riley AJ, Goodman R, Kellett JM, and et al. Double blind trial of yohimbine hydrochloride in the treatment of erection inadequacy. Sexual Marital Ther 1989;4(1):17-26. DOI
Ruck B, Shih RD, Marcus SM. Hypertensive crisis from herbal treatment of impotence. Am J Emerg Med. 1999;17:317-318. PubMed
Wylie KR. Yohimbine and sinusitis. Br J Psychiatry. 1996;169(3):384-5. PubMed
Lobay D. Rauwolfia in the Treatment of Hypertension. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2015 Jun;14(3):40-6.
Lowinger P. Rauwolfia serpentina in the control of anxiety. Psychiatr Q. 1957 Jul;31(3):445-53. PubMed
Sheldon MB, Kotte JH. Effect of Rauwolfia serpentina and reserpine on the blood pressure in essential hypertension; a long-term double-blind study. Circulation. 1957 Aug;16(2):200-6.
Vakil RJ. A clinical trial of Rauwolfia serpentina in essential hypertension. Br Heart J. 1949 Oct;11(4):350-5. PubMed
Azmi MB, Qureshi SA. Methanolic Root Extract of Rauwolfia serpentina Benth Improves the Glycemic, Antiatherogenic, and Cardioprotective Indices in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Mice. Adv Pharmacol Sci. 2012;2012:376429.
Azmi MB, Qureshi SA. Rauwolfia serpentina improves altered glucose and lipid homeostasis in fructose-induced type 2 diabetic mice. Pak J Pharm Sci. 2016 Sep;29(5):1619-1624.
Achor RW, Hanson NO, Gifford RW Jr. Hypertension treated with Rauwolfia serpentina (whole root) and with reserpine; controlled study disclosing occasional severe depression. J Am Med Assoc. 1955 Oct 29;159(9):841-5. PubMed
Wilkins RW, Judson WE. The use of Rauwolfia serpentina in hypertensive patients. N Engl J Med. 1953 Jan 8;248(2):48-53.
Ryan JJ, Hanes DA, Corroon J, Taylor J, Bradley R. Prospective safety evaluation of a cardiovascular health dietary supplement in adults with prehypertension and stage I hypertension. J Altern Complement Med 2019;25(2):249-56. doi:10.1089/acm.2018.0311. PubMed
Bharucha AE, Skaar T, Andrews CN, et al Relationship of cytochrome P450 pharmacogenetics to the effects of yohimbine on gastrointestinal transit and catecholamines in healthy subjects. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2008;20(8):891-9. PubMed
Schmauss M, Laakmann G, Dieterle D. Effects of alpha 2-receptor blockade in addition to tricyclic antidepressants in therapy-resistant depression. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1988;8(2):108-11.

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 Indian Snakeroot and Dutasteride Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Indian Snakeroot with Dutasteride?

We do not list a known interaction between Indian Snakeroot and Dutasteride. 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.

Do Indian Snakeroot and Dutasteride have any of the same side effects?

Yes — our sources link each of them separately to one of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.

How was the Indian Snakeroot and Dutasteride combination checked?

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Dutasteride is filed under 2 classifications, and Indian Snakeroot has documented interactions with 13 drug classes — none of Dutasteride'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 Indian Snakeroot interact with any other medications?

Yes. Indian Snakeroot has 843 documented drug interactions in our database — Dutasteride 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 Dutasteride interact with any supplements?

Yes. Dutasteride has documented interactions with 138 supplements in our database — Indian Snakeroot is not one of them. The Dutasteride 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

Indian Snakeroot monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Dutasteride drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Dutasteride supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Dutasteride, 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 43 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Dutasteride and Indian Snakeroot?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.