Drug & supplement interaction

Maqui + Inhaled Insulin

Inhaled Insulin brand name: Exubera.

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

Maqui has a minor interaction with Inhaled Insulin. Theoretically, maqui fruit extract may increase the risk of hypoglycemia when used with antidiabetes drugs.

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

Maqui and Inhaled Insulin

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

Minor

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Inhaled Insulin

Inhaled Insulin falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Maqui interacts with.

Theoretically, maqui fruit extract may increase the risk of hypoglycemia when used with antidiabetes drugs.
Animal research shows that maqui berry reduces fasting blood glucose. However, maqui berry extract taken orally, either as a single dose or daily for 3 months, does not decrease fasting blood glucose in prediabetic patients. It is unknown whether it might reduce blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes.
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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: maqui berry might gently nudge your blood sugar lower, and inhaled insulin (Exubera) already does exactly that job. Stack the two together and there's a theoretical chance your sugar could dip a little too far, which can leave you shaky, sweaty, lightheaded, or with a pounding heart and confusion.

Now, the honest part: the evidence here is thin. Animal studies showed lower fasting sugar, but in actual people with prediabetes, maqui supplements didn't budge fasting glucose. So this is a low-likelihood, minor concern. If you do try concentrated maqui, just check your sugars a bit more closely at first and loop in your pharmacist or doctor before adding it. No need to change your insulin on your own.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Alvarado JL, Leschot A, Olivera-Nappa Á, et al. Delphinidin-rich maqui berry extract (Delphinol®) lowers fasting and postprandial glycemia and insulinemia in prediabetic individuals during oral glucose tolerance tests. Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:9070537. PubMed
  2. Alvarado J, Schoenlau F, Leschot A, Salgad AM, Vigil Portales P. Delphinol® standardized maqui berry extract significantly lowers blood glucose and improves blood lipid profile in prediabetic individuals in three-month clinical trial. Panminerva Med. 2016
  3. Hidalgo J, Flores C, Hidalgo MA, et al. Delphinol® standardized maqui berry extract reduces postprandial blood glucose increase in individuals with impaired glucose regulation by novel mechanism of sodium glucose cotransporter inhibition. Panminerva Med.

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

Maqui Also Interacts With Other Medications

Maqui has 85 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Inhaled Insulin one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Minor 85 No known interaction 2,745 (incl. Inhaled Insulin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Maqui

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Inhaled Insulin

This page covers Maqui only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Inhaled Insulin page lists 259 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 3 major · 218 moderate · 38 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Inhaled Insulin page

“Inhaled insulin (Exubera) comes with a supplement list that warrants real caution, and the three major-rated entries deserve your attention first. Siberian cocklebur has caused severe hypoglycemia in people, activated charcoal can pull medications out of the body, and chelation products containing EDTA can drive blood sugar dangerously…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Inhaled Insulin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 388 real supplement products containing Maqui, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Maqui. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Inhaled Insulin too, on top of Maqui — 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 Maqui and Inhaled 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 Maqui
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Inhaled Insulin
Top half

#957 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 Maqui

What is Maqui?

  • Antioxidant support
  • Blood sugar support
  • Eye health and dry eye
  • Anti-inflammatory support
  • Heart health

Maqui is a dark purple berry from Chile that is very rich in antioxidant plant pigments called anthocyanins. Early research suggests it may help with things like blood sugar, dry eye, and inflammation, but the human evidence is still limited and far from proven. It is generally well tolerated as a food, but talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements.

Read the full Maqui monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Maqui

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

0Major
0Moderate
85Minor
2,744No known interaction
85 Minor 2,744 No interaction
Minor

85 interactions

Showing 60 of 85 minor interactions — see all 85 on the Maqui page.

No interaction 2,744 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,744 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Maqui list.

See the full Maqui interactions page
See every supplement checked against Inhaled 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
Maqui monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Inhaled Insulin supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Inhaled 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 Maqui and Inhaled Insulin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Maqui with Inhaled Insulin?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Maqui and Inhaled Insulin interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Inhaled Insulin and Maqui?

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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.