Drug & supplement interaction

Picrorhiza + Ospemifene

Ospemifene brand name: Osphena.

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 Picrorhiza and Ospemifene 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 label for Ospemifene states a food rule worth keeping to, and 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

Picrorhiza and Ospemifene

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 Ospemifene and Picrorhiza 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.

Picrorhiza safety at a glance

Picrorhiza overall Use caution Generally used in traditional medicine, but human safety data are limited, so use with care.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information; avoid use during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information; avoid use while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ospemifene

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Ospemifene is filed under 3 classifications — thyroid hormone, cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) substrates, oral drugs. Picrorhiza has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate) and immunosuppressants (moderate) — and none of Ospemifene’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

Picrorhiza Does Interact With Other Medications

Picrorhiza has 207 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Ospemifene isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 207 No known interaction 2,623 (incl. Ospemifene)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Picrorhiza

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Picrorhiza and Ospemifene 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.

  • Itching / A skin rash Additional detail

    Picrorhiza

    “Orally, picrorhiza may cause vomiting, rash, anorexia, diarrhea, itching, and giddiness.”

    Picrorhiza · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in anorexia.

    1 source cited
    1. 11858. Doshi VB, Shetye VM, Mahashur AA, Kamat SR. Picrorrhiza kurroa in bronchial asthma. J Postgrad Med 1983;29:89-95.

    “Orally, picrorhiza may cause rash and itching.”

    Picrorhiza · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in pruritus.

    1 source cited
    1. 11858. Doshi VB, Shetye VM, Mahashur AA, Kamat SR. Picrorrhiza kurroa in bronchial asthma. J Postgrad Med 1983;29:89-95.

    Ospemifene

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

Reported for Picrorhiza but not commonly for Ospemifene: vomiting, diarrhea and reduced appetite.

Effects for Ospemifene come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Picrorhiza come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 2,601 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Ospemifene that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Ospemifene Products Have a Food Rule — Picrorhiza Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Ospemifene says to take it with food. If you take Picrorhiza on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Ospemifene with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Ospemifene products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

One tablet taken orally once daily with food.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Ospemifene — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ospemifene

This page covers Picrorhiza only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ospemifene page lists 155 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Tiratricol (major) and Acacia Rigidula (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 112 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ospemifene page

“Women prescribed ospemifene (Osphena) for painful intercourse after menopause are often the same women reaching for St. John's wort for mood or grapefruit juice at breakfast, and both sit among the four major-rated interactions on this page, so the list deserves genuine care.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ospemifene interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 177 real supplement products containing Picrorhiza, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Picrorhiza. Even though Picrorhiza itself has no known interaction with Ospemifene, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Picrorhiza and Ospemifene 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 Picrorhiza
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ospemifene
Steady interest

#2,474 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 Picrorhiza reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Picrorhiza and Ospemifene records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 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 Picrorhiza

What is Picrorhiza?

  • Liver support
  • Digestive complaints
  • Asthma and breathing problems
  • Skin conditions
  • Fever
  • Immune support

Picrorhiza (Picrorhiza kurroa) is a bitter Himalayan herb used in Ayurvedic medicine, mainly for liver and digestive complaints. Early lab and small human studies suggest possible liver-protective and anti-inflammatory effects, but high-quality evidence is limited. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Picrorhiza kurroa · Plantaginaceae · Roots and rhizomes · Capsules, tablets, powder (churna), liquid extracts, and traditional herbal formulas

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

Picrorhiza: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose of Picrorhiza. The amount used can vary widely depending on the form (powder, capsule, or extract) and how concentrated the product is.The safest approach is to follow the dosing directions on the product label and not to exceed them.

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

Read the full Picrorhiza monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ospemifene

What Is Ospemifene Used For?

Brand name: Osphena

Osphena (ospemifene) is used to treat two specific symptoms of vulvar and vaginal atrophy — the thinning and drying of vaginal tissues that can happen after menopause. The first is moderate to severe dyspareunia (painful intercourse), and the second is moderate to severe vaginal dryness.

Both of these uses are for postmenopausal women only. Osphena is not used in children or in women who are pregnant or may become pregnant.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Ospemifene

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (2,601 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Hot flush 372 reports
Headache 209 reports
Muscle spasms 194 reports
Vaginal haemorrhage 150 reports
Vaginal discharge 134 reports
See full Ospemifene drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Picrorhiza

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

0Major
207Moderate
0Minor
2,622No known interaction
207 Moderate 2,622 No interaction
Moderate

207 interactions

Showing 60 of 207 moderate interactions — see all 207 on the Picrorhiza page.

No interaction 2,622 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,622 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Picrorhiza list.

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

Picrorhiza References

The 7 references that drive our Picrorhiza 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. Sharma ML, Rao CS, Duda PL. Immunostimulatory activity of Picrorhiza kurroa leaf extract. J Ethnopharmacol 1994;41:185-92. PubMed
  2. Bedi KL, Zutshi U, Chopra CL, Amla V. Picrorhiza kurroa, an ayurvedic herb, may potentiate photochemotherapy in vitiligo. J Ethnopharmacol 1989;27:347-52. PubMed
  3. Vaidya AB, Antarkar DS, Doshi JC, et al. Picrorhiza kurroa (Kutaki) Royle ex Benth as a hepatoprotective agent--experimental & clinical studies. J Postgrad Med 1996;42:105-8.
  4. Baruah CC, Gupta PP, Nath A, et al. Anti-allergic and anti-anaphylactic activity of picroliv--a standardised iridoid glycoside fraction of Picrorhiza kurroa. Pharmacol Res 1998;38:487-92.
  5. Doshi VB, Shetye VM, Mahashur AA, Kamat SR. Picrorrhiza kurroa in bronchial asthma. J Postgrad Med 1983;29:89-95.
  6. Joy, K. L. and Kuttan, R. Anti-diabetic activity of Picrorrhiza kurroa extract. J Ethnopharmacol 11-1-1999;67(2):143-148. PubMed
  7. Brockwell C, Ampikaipakan S, Sexton DW, Price D, Freeman D, Thomas M, Ali M, Wilson AM. Adjunctive treatment with oral AKL1, a botanical nutraceutical, in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2014;9:715-21. PubMed

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 Picrorhiza and Ospemifene Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Picrorhiza with Ospemifene?
We do not list a known interaction between Picrorhiza and Ospemifene. 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 Picrorhiza and Ospemifene 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.
Should I take Picrorhiza and Ospemifene at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Ospemifene says to take it with food. If you take Picrorhiza on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Ospemifene with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Ospemifene products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Picrorhiza and Ospemifene combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ospemifene is filed under 3 classifications, and Picrorhiza has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Ospemifene'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 Picrorhiza interact with any other medications?
Yes. Picrorhiza has 207 documented drug interactions in our database — Ospemifene 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 Ospemifene interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ospemifene has documented interactions with 155 supplements in our database — Picrorhiza is not one of them. The Ospemifene 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

Picrorhiza monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Ospemifene drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Ospemifene supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Ospemifene, 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 7 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Ospemifene and Picrorhiza?

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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.