Drug & supplement interaction

Pau D'arco + Effient

Effient brand name: Prasugrel.

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

Pau D'arco has a moderate interaction with Effient. Theoretically, pau d'arco might increase the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.

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

Pau D'arco and Effient

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

Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

Why this applies to Effient

Effient falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Pau D'arco interacts with.

Theoretically, pau d'arco might increase the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.
In vitro research shows that pau d'arco reduces platelet aggregation and may interfere with vitamin K. One clinical study shows that taking the lapachol constituent of pau d'arco in doses above 1.5 grams daily increases the risk of bleeding. The effects of whole pau d'arco or pau d'arco extract in humans are unclear.
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 thing to keep in mind: Effient (prasugrel) is already a powerful blood thinner, and you're usually taking it alongside aspirin after a heart procedure. Pau d'arco may, at least in theory, make your platelets a little less sticky on its own and might also nudge vitamin K. Stack that on top of Effient and you could tip toward more bleeding, things like easy bruising, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or blood that takes longer to stop.

I want to be honest about the strength of this one: it's mostly theoretical and based on lab work, with one study flagging higher bleeding risk only at concentrated lapachol doses. Still, since Effient is serious business, please don't add pau d'arco without running it by your cardiologist or pharmacist first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Gómez Castellanos JR, Prieto JM, Heinrich M. Red Lapacho (Tabebuia impetiginosa)--a global ethnopharmacological commodity? J Ethnopharmacol 2009;121:1-13. PubMed
  2. Son, D. J., Lim, Y., Park, Y. H., Chang, S. K., Yun, Y. P., Hong, J. T., Takeoka, G. R., Lee, K. G., Lee, S. E., Kim, M. R., Kim, J. H., and Park, B. S. Inhibitory effects of Tabebuia impetiginosa inner bark extract on platelet aggregation and vascular s
  3. Block JB, Serpick AA, Miller W, Wiernik PH. Early clinical studies with lapachol (NSC-11905). Cancer Chemother Rep 2. 1974;4(4):27-8.

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

Pau D'arco Also Interacts With Other Medications

Pau D'arco has 121 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Effient one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 121 No known interaction 2,709 (incl. Effient)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Pau D'arco

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Pau D'arco. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Pau D'arco or Effient

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Pau D'arco or Effient, 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 Effient

This page covers Pau D'arco only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Effient page lists 295 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 5 major · 248 moderate · 42 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Effient page

“Effient (prasugrel) keeps platelets from forming clots, usually after a stent or a heart attack, and I would not pair supplements with it casually. Roughly 200 ingredients on this list can thin the blood further and raise bleeding risk, including two of the five rated major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Effient interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Pau D'arco as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 707 real supplement products containing Pau D'arco, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Pau D'arco. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Effient too, on top of Pau D'arco — 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 Pau D'arco and Effient 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 Pau D'arco
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Effient
Top half

#1,018 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 Pau D'arco

What is Pau D'arco?

Pau D'arco
  • Infections (bacterial, fungal, yeast)
  • Inflammation
  • Immune support
  • Digestive complaints
  • Skin conditions

Pau d'arco is a South American tree bark traditionally used for infections and inflammation, and it contains compounds like lapachol that show activity in lab studies. However, strong human evidence is lacking, and safety concerns exist at higher doses, so it should be used cautiously and discussed with a pharmacist or doctor first.

Read the full Pau D'arco monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Prasugrel

What Is Prasugrel Used For?

Brand name: Prasugrel

Prasugrel tablets (brand names Effient and Prasugrel) are used to lower the risk of dangerous blood clots — including clots that can block a stent — in people with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes unstable angina (chest pain at rest) and heart attacks (both NSTEMI and STEMI types). It is used specifically in patients who are being treated with a procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), in which a catheter is used to open a blocked coronary artery, often with a stent.

Effient has been shown to reduce the combined rate of cardiovascular death, nonfatal heart attack, or nonfatal stroke compared to clopidogrel — with the benefit driven mainly by fewer heart attacks.

See full Prasugrel drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Pau D'arco

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

0Major
121Moderate
0Minor
2,708No known interaction
121 Moderate 2,708 No interaction
Moderate

121 interactions

Showing 60 of 121 moderate interactions — see all 121 on the Pau D'arco page.

No interaction 2,708 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,708 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Pau D'arco list.

See the full Pau D'arco interactions page
See every supplement checked against Effient, 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
Pau D'arco monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Effient supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Effient, ranked by severity Prasugrel 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 Pau D'arco and Effient Together: Common Questions

Can you take Pau D'arco with Effient?
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 Pau D'arco and Effient 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 Effient and Pau D'arco?

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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.