Drug & supplement interaction

Oregon Grape + dabigatran

dabigatran brand names: Pradaxa, Pradax.

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

dabigatran falls into 2 drug categories that Oregon Grape can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, Oregon grape might increase the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Oregon Grape and dabigatran

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Oregon Grape interacts with whole categories of medication. dabigatran falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Oregon Grape in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to dabigatran

dabigatran falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Oregon Grape interacts with.

Theoretically, Oregon grape might increase the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.
In vitro and in vivo research suggests that berberine, a constituent of Oregon grape, can inhibit platelet aggregation.
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: dabigatran (Pradaxa) is already a powerful blood thinner that keeps clots from forming. Oregon grape contains berberine, and in lab and animal studies that compound seems to make platelets (the cells that help blood clump) a bit less sticky. Stack those two together and, in theory, your blood may have a harder time clotting, which could nudge up your bleeding risk.

Honestly, though, this is a theoretical concern based only on test-tube and animal data, not real patient studies. Still, since dabigatran is one of those drugs where bleeding is the main thing we watch for, I'd play it safe. Keep an eye out for easy bruising, nosebleeds, pink or dark urine, or bleeding that won't stop, and check with your pharmacist or doctor before adding Oregon grape.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Wu, J. F. and Liu, T. P. [Effects of berberine on platelet aggregation and plasma levels of TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1 alpha in rats with reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion]. Yao Xue.Xue.Bao. 1995;30(2):98-102.
  2. Tripathi YB and Shukla SD. Berberis artistata inhibits PAF induced aggregation of rabbit platelets. Phytotherapy Research 1996;10:628-630.
Moderate

P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

dabigatran also falls under P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, Oregon grape might increase serum levels of drugs that are P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrates.
In vitro research suggests that Oregon grape extracts inhibit P-gp efflux.
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 with Pradaxa (dabigatran) and Oregon grape. Your body uses a kind of cellular bouncer called P-glycoprotein to push some of the dabigatran back out and keep its levels in check. The berberine in Oregon grape may block that bouncer, which could let a little more of the blood thinner stick around in your system.

Since dabigatran is a blood thinner with a fairly narrow safety window, even modest increases could mean a higher chance of bruising, nosebleeds, or harder-to-stop bleeding. That said, this concern comes only from lab studies, not from real patients, so it's theoretical for now. Still, please check with your pharmacist or doctor before combining the two, rather than changing anything on your own.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Fan Y, Zhou Z, Zhang L. Effect of Oregon grape root extracts on P-glycoprotein mediated transport in in vitro cell lines. J Pharm Pharm Sci 2024;26:11927. PubMed

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

Oregon Grape Also Interacts With Other Medications

Oregon Grape has 1,217 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the dabigatran one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 1,217 No known interaction 1,613 (incl. dabigatran)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Oregon Grape

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Oregon Grape or dabigatran

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

This page covers Oregon Grape only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the dabigatran page lists 235 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Danshen (major), Piracetam (major), St. John's Wort (major) and Aconite (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 201 moderate · 30 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the dabigatran page

“Dabigatran (Pradaxa) is a blood thinner prescribed to prevent strokes and dangerous clots, which makes the stakes for mixing in supplements higher than for most medicines, and I would go through this list with real care. Of the 235 ingredients on file, 202 could add to dabigatran's blood-thinning effect and increase bruising or bleedin…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the dabigatran interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 740 real supplement products containing Oregon Grape, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Oregon Grape. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with dabigatran too, on top of Oregon Grape — 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 Oregon Grape and dabigatran 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 Oregon Grape
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication dabigatran
Top 10%

#151 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 Oregon Grape

What is Oregon Grape?

Oregon Grape
  • Psoriasis (topical)
  • Eczema and other skin conditions
  • Digestive upset
  • Mild skin infections
  • General 'detox' or tonic use

Oregon grape is a shrub whose root contains berberine and related compounds. The strongest (though still modest) evidence is for topical creams that may slightly ease psoriasis; evidence for other uses is limited. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Oregon Grape monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Dabigatran

What Is Dabigatran Used For?

Brand names: Pradaxa, Pradax

Dabigatran etexilate capsules are used in adults to reduce the risk of stroke and dangerous blood clots in people with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm not caused by a heart valve problem). They are also used to treat deep venous thrombosis (DVT — a blood clot in a deep vein) and pulmonary embolism (PE — a blood clot in the lungs), to lower the risk of those clots coming back, and to prevent DVT and PE in adults who have had hip replacement surgery.

In children ages 8 to under 18, dabigatran etexilate capsules are used to treat venous thromboembolic events (VTE — blood clots in the veins) and to reduce the risk of those clots recurring. Pradaxa Oral Pellets — a separate formulation — are indicated for the treatment and prevention of recurrent VTE in younger children ages 3 months to under 12 years.

See full Dabigatran drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Oregon Grape

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

0Major
1,217Moderate
0Minor
1,612No known interaction
1,217 Moderate 1,612 No interaction
Moderate

1,217 interactions

Showing 60 of 1,217 moderate interactions — see all 1,217 on the Oregon Grape page.

No interaction 1,612 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,612 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Oregon Grape list.

See the full Oregon Grape interactions page
See every supplement checked against dabigatran, 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
Oregon Grape monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place dabigatran supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against dabigatran, ranked by severity Dabigatran drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication 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 Oregon Grape and dabigatran Together: Common Questions

Can you take Oregon Grape with dabigatran?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Oregon Grape and dabigatran?
dabigatran belongs to more than one drug category, and Oregon Grape interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Oregon Grape and dabigatran 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 dabigatran and Oregon Grape?

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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.