Drug & supplement interaction

Kiwi + Clonidine

Clonidine brand name: Catapres.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Kiwi has a moderate interaction with Clonidine. Clinical research suggests that consuming kiwi reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive individuals.

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

Kiwi and Clonidine

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

Moderate

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS

Why this applies to Clonidine

Clonidine falls under ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS — the group Kiwi interacts with.

Clinical research suggests that consuming kiwi reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive individuals. Theoretically, concomitant use of kiwi and antihypertensive drugs may increase the risk of hypotension when used in combination with drugs that lower blood pressure. These include captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan), diltiazem (Cardizem), amlodipine (Norvasc), hydrochlorothiazide (HydroDiuril), furosemide (Lasix), and many 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 simple version: clonidine already lowers your blood pressure by calming the signals that speed up your heart and tighten your blood vessels. Some research suggests that eating kiwi can also nudge blood pressure down a bit. So if you stack the two, the effects could add up, and your pressure might drop a little lower than expected.

In real life that could mean feeling dizzy, lightheaded, tired, or a bit faint, especially when you stand up quickly. The good news is this is mostly theoretical, based on how each one works, not strong proof. A serving of kiwi as food is very unlikely to cause trouble for most people. If you eat large amounts or take concentrated kiwi supplements, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor.

References
  1. Svendsen, M., Klemsdal, T. O., Heggen, E., Holme, I., Pedersen, T. R., Seljeflot, I., Blomhoff, R., and Tonstad, S. Effect of Dietary Intake of Kiwi Fruit on 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure (Abstract 16175). Circulation 2011;

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

Kiwi Also Interacts With Other Medications

Kiwi has 288 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Clonidine 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 Kiwi

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Kiwi or Clonidine

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

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

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Tyramine (major) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 113 moderate · 21 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Clonidine page

“American hellebore is the ingredient I would want a clonidine (Catapres) patient to know about first. Its alkaloids lower blood pressure even in small doses and slow the heart, both things clonidine already does, so the combination can drop someone dangerously low.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Clonidine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 361 real supplement products containing Kiwi, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Kiwi. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Clonidine too, on top of Kiwi — 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 Kiwi and Clonidine 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 Kiwi
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Clonidine
Top half

#1,066 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 Kiwi

What is Kiwi?

  • Constipation and digestive health
  • Vitamin C and antioxidant support
  • Sleep support
  • Immune support
  • Heart and cholesterol health

Kiwi is a nutritious fruit that is rich in vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants, and it is generally safe to eat as a food. The strongest evidence is for helping with constipation and overall digestive regularity, while other uses like better sleep or immune support are far less proven. People with a known kiwi or latex allergy should avoid it.

Read the full Kiwi monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Clonidine

What Is Clonidine Used For?

Brand name: Catapres

Clonidine is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Several products — including Clonidine Hydrochloride tablets, Javadin oral solution, Nexiclon XR extended-release tablets, and Catapres-TTS skin patches — are approved for this use, either alone or combined with other blood pressure medicines.

Extended-release formulations — including Onyda XR oral suspension and clonidine hydrochloride extended-release tablets (such as Kapvay) — are approved to treat ADHD in children and teenagers ages 6 to 17, either on their own or alongside stimulant medications. Separately, clonidine injection products (Duraclon and others) are used alongside opioid pain medicines to treat severe cancer pain that opioids alone cannot control adequately.

See full Clonidine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Kiwi

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

0Major
288Moderate
0Minor
2,541No known interaction
Moderate

288 interactions

Showing 60 of 288 moderate interactions — see all 288 on the Kiwi page.

No interaction 2,541 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 Kiwi and Clonidine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Kiwi with Clonidine?
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 Kiwi and Clonidine 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 Clonidine and Kiwi?

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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.