Drug & supplement interaction

Kousso + Tapentadol

Tapentadol brand names: Nucynta, Nucynta ER.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Kousso and Tapentadol 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.

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Interaction report

Kousso and Tapentadol

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 Tapentadol and Kousso 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.

Kousso safety at a glance

Kousso overall Use caution Traditionally used as a worm treatment but can cause nausea, vomiting, and other side effects; modern safety data are limited.
Pregnancy Unsafe When used orally due to abortifacient activity. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Unsafe When used orally due to its potential for toxicity. Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Tapentadol and Kousso? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Tapentadol

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Tapentadol is filed under 6 classifications — including cytochrome p450 2c19 (cyp2c19) substrates, cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) substrates, serotonergic drugs. Kousso has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate) — and none of Tapentadol’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

Kousso Does Interact With Other Medications

Kousso has 86 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Tapentadol isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 86 No known interaction 2,744 (incl. Tapentadol)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Kousso

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Kousso and Tapentadol May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

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.

  • Headache Additional detail

    Kousso

    “Orally, kousso can cause gastrointestinal irritation, resulting in salivation, nausea, and diarrhea. It can also cause headache and general weakness (18). At high doses, vision disorders, spasms, and syncope can occur, progressing to acidosis, and shock (18).”

    Kousso · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    1 source cited
    1. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.

    “Orally, kousso can cause headache and general weakness (18). At high doses, kousso can cause spasms (18).”

    Kousso · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    1 source cited
    1. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.

    Tapentadol

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Tapentadol. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Nausea Additional detail

    Kousso

    “Orally, kousso can cause gastrointestinal irritation, resulting in salivation, nausea, and diarrhea (18).”

    Kousso · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    1 source cited
    1. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.

    Tapentadol

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Tapentadol. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Kousso but not commonly for Tapentadol: diarrhea and fainting.

Effects for Tapentadol come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Kousso come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Kousso in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Unsafe

When used orally due to abortifacient activity.

Lactation Unsafe

When used orally due to its potential for toxicity.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

From our Q&A

Questions About Kousso or Tapentadol

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

This page covers Kousso only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Tapentadol page lists 113 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Lithium (major), 5-htp (moderate), Acetyl-l-carnitine (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 84 moderate · 27 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Tapentadol page

“Tapentadol (Nucynta, Nucynta ER) is an opioid painkiller that also boosts serotonin signaling on its own, and that is exactly where its supplement list bites hardest. The two major-rated entries among the 113 on file deserve a hard look first: lithium, which alongside a serotonergic drug like tapentadol can raise the risk of serotonin…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Tapentadol interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Kousso and Tapentadol 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 Kousso
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Tapentadol
Steady interest

#2,156 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 Kousso reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Kousso and Tapentadol records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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 .
Supplement

About Kousso

What is Kousso?

  • Tapeworm infection (traditional anthelmintic)
  • Other intestinal worms
  • Traditional digestive remedies

Kousso is the dried flower of the African tree Hagenia abyssinica, used traditionally—especially in Ethiopia—to expel tapeworms. It was once listed in older pharmacopeias as a worm treatment, but it has largely been replaced by safer, more reliable modern medicines and can cause significant side effects. There is no good modern evidence supporting its use, so talk to a pharmacist or doctor before considering it.

Hagenia abyssinica · Rosaceae · Dried female flowers · Dried flower powder, infusion (tea), and traditional liquid preparations

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

Kousso: dosing

There is no well-established, standardized modern dose for kousso. Traditional preparations varied widely and were not measured in the careful way modern medicines are.Because of the lack of standardization and the risk of side effects, we cannot recommend a specific amount.

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

Read the full Kousso monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Tapentadol

What Is Tapentadol Used For?

Brand names: Nucynta, Nucynta ER

Tapentadol tablets (including Nucynta and Tapentadol Hydrochloride tablets) are used for severe acute pain in adults when other treatments are not adequate. Nucynta tablets are also approved for acute pain in children aged 6 and older who weigh at least 40 kg.

Nucynta ER and tapentadol extended-release tablets are used for severe, ongoing pain that requires around-the-clock opioid treatment and cannot be managed with other options, including severe neuropathic pain (nerve pain) caused by diabetic peripheral neuropathy in adults. Extended-release formulations are not intended for as-needed use.

See full Tapentadol drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Kousso

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

0Major
86Moderate
0Minor
2,743No known interaction
86 Moderate 2,743 No interaction
Moderate

86 interactions

Showing 60 of 86 moderate interactions — see all 86 on the Kousso page.

No interaction 2,743 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,743 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Kousso list.

See the full Kousso interactions page
See every supplement checked against Tapentadol, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Kousso References

The 4 references that drive our Kousso 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.

  1. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
  2. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
  3. Thomsen H, Reider K, Franke K, et al. Characterization of constituents and anthelmintic properties of Hagenia abyssinica. Sci Pharm 2012;80(2):433-46. PubMed
  4. Kifle ZD, Yesuf JS, Atnafie SA. Evaluation of in vitro and in vivo Anti-Diabetic, Anti-Hyperlipidemic and Anti-Oxidant Activity of Flower Crude Extract and Solvent Fractions of Hagenia Abyssinica (Rosaceae). J Exp Pharmacol. 2020 Jun 9;12:151-167.

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 Kousso and Tapentadol Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Kousso with Tapentadol?
We do not list a known interaction between Kousso and Tapentadol. 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 Kousso and Tapentadol have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 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 Kousso and Tapentadol combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Tapentadol is filed under 6 classifications, and Kousso has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Tapentadol'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 Kousso interact with any other medications?
Yes. Kousso has 86 documented drug interactions in our database — Tapentadol 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 Tapentadol interact with any supplements?
Yes. Tapentadol has documented interactions with 113 supplements in our database — Kousso is not one of them. The Tapentadol 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

Kousso monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Tapentadol drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Tapentadol supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Tapentadol, 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 4 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Tapentadol and Kousso?

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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.