Drug & supplement interaction

Quillaia + Ondansetron

Ondansetron brand name: Zofran.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Quillaia and Ondansetron 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.

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Interaction report

Quillaia and Ondansetron

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 Ondansetron and Quillaia 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.

Quillaia safety at a glance

Quillaia overall Use caution Generally recognized as safe in the small amounts used in foods, but larger or concentrated doses may be harmful.
Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe When used in medicinal amounts; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Possibly Unsafe When used in medicinal amounts; avoid using. 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 Ondansetron and Quillaia? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ondansetron

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Ondansetron is filed under 7 classifications — including serotonergic drugs, serotonergic drugs, cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) substrates. Quillaia has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being immunosuppressants (moderate) — and none of Ondansetron’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

Quillaia Does Interact With Other Medications

Quillaia has 121 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Ondansetron isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Quillaia

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

What to actually watch for

What Quillaia Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Ondansetron. It is the side-effect record for Quillaia on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Quillaia, this list is the first place to look. 2 entries are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Seizures Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Orally, quillaia seems to be well tolerated when consumed in foods; however, it is associated with significant adverse effects at higher doses due to its oxalate and tannin content. A thorough evaluation of safety outcomes has not been conducted.

    Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):

    Orally: Coma, convulsions, diarrhea, gastrointestinal tract mucosal damage, hemolysis, and kidney failure.”

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

  • Kidney problems Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Orally, quillaia combines with calcium to form crystals of calcium oxalate which can precipitate in the renal tubules and cause acute kidney failure (12).”

    Quillaia · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in kidney failure.

    1 source cited
    1. 12. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  • Stomach upset / Stomach pain Additional detail

    “Orally, large amounts of quillaia are associated with diarrhea, stomach pain, and other gastrointestinal disturbances. Quillaia powder can be caustic to esophageal and gastrointestinal mucosae (12).”

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

    1 source cited
    1. 12. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  • Diarrhea Additional detail

    Recorded for Quillaia in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Seizures above.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Quillaia — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Ondansetron’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Ondansetron column appears here.

Special populations

Quillaia in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Possibly Unsafe

When used in medicinal amounts; avoid using.

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 Quillaia or Ondansetron

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

This page covers Quillaia only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ondansetron page lists 195 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Lithium (major), St. John's Wort (major) and 1,3-dmaa (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 145 moderate · 46 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ondansetron page

“Ondansetron (Zofran) often stands between you and relentless nausea from chemotherapy or surgery, so read this page carefully. Four of the 195 ingredients rate major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ondansetron interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Quillaia and Ondansetron 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 Quillaia
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ondansetron
Steady interest

#2,073 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 Quillaia reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Quillaia and Ondansetron 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 Quillaia

What is Quillaia?

  • Cough and chest congestion
  • Foaming agent in beverages
  • Vaccine adjuvant (in pharmaceutical manufacturing)
  • Washing and cleansing (traditional soap)
  • Skin conditions

Quillaia (soap bark tree) is a plant whose bark contains foaming compounds called saponins, and it is widely used as an emulsifier in foods and drinks. As a supplement or herbal remedy its benefits are not well proven, and large amounts can be irritating or toxic, so it should be used cautiously and only as directed.

Quillaja saponaria · Quillajaceae · Inner bark · Liquid extract, powder, food and beverage additive, tinctures

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

Quillaia: dosing

There is no well-established standardized supplement dose for quillaia. The amounts used as a food and beverage additive are tightly limited by safety regulations.If you choose to use a quillaia product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Quillaia monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ondansetron

What Is Ondansetron Used For?

Brand name: Zofran

Ondansetron is used to prevent nausea and vomiting in several situations. Oral forms (tablets, orally disintegrating tablets, and oral solution) are approved to prevent nausea and vomiting from highly or moderately emetogenic (nausea-causing) cancer chemotherapy, from radiation therapy to the abdomen or whole body, and from surgery.

Ondansetron injection (given intravenously or intramuscularly in a clinical setting) is approved to prevent nausea and vomiting from emetogenic cancer chemotherapy — including high-dose cisplatin — in adults and children as young as 6 months old, as well as to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Ondansetron

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (121,840 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Nausea 14,459 reports
Fatigue 10,275 reports
Diarrhea 9,488 reports
Vomiting 8,777 reports
Dyspnea 5,971 reports
See full Ondansetron drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Quillaia

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Quillaia — 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
Moderate

121 interactions

Showing 60 of 121 moderate interactions — see all 121 on the Quillaia page.

No interaction 2,708 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Quillaia References

The 5 references that drive our Quillaia 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. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  2. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
  3. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  4. Wu JY, Gardner BH, Murphy CI, et al. Saponin adjuvant enhancement of antigen-specific immune responses to an experimental HIV-1 vaccine. J Immunol 1992;148:1519-25. DOI
  5. Fleck JD, Betti AH, da Silva FP, et al. Saponins from Quillaja saponaria and Quillaja brasiliensis: particular chemical characteristics and biological activities. Molecules 2019;24(1). pii: E171. 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 Quillaia and Ondansetron Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Quillaia with Ondansetron?
We do not list a known interaction between Quillaia and Ondansetron. 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.
How was the Quillaia and Ondansetron combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ondansetron is filed under 7 classifications, and Quillaia has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Ondansetron'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 Quillaia interact with any other medications?
Yes. Quillaia has 121 documented drug interactions in our database — Ondansetron 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 Ondansetron interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ondansetron has documented interactions with 195 supplements in our database — Quillaia is not one of them. The Ondansetron interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Still Have a Question About Ondansetron and Quillaia?

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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.