Drug & supplement interaction

Sweet Vernal Grass + Nusinersen Sodium

Nusinersen Sodium brand name: Spinraza.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Sweet Vernal Grass has a moderate interaction with Nusinersen Sodium. Hay prepared from dried sweet vernal grass contains an anticoagulant, dicoumarol, which has been associated with fatal hemorrhages in animals.

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

Sweet Vernal Grass and Nusinersen Sodium

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

Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

Why this applies to Nusinersen Sodium

Nusinersen Sodium falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Sweet Vernal Grass interacts with.

Hay prepared from dried sweet vernal grass contains an anticoagulant, dicoumarol, which has been associated with fatal hemorrhages in animals. Theoretically, taking dried sweet vernal grass might cause additive effects and side effects with drugs having anticoagulant or antiplatelet properties.
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 honest picture for Spinraza (nusinersen). This database flag is about blood thinning. When Sweet Vernal Grass dries, its coumarin can turn into dicoumarol, a natural anticoagulant that has caused bleeding in animals. The worry is that it could add to medicines that thin the blood.

But Spinraza isn't really a blood thinner in the usual sense. It's given by spinal injection (into the fluid around your spine), and it works by helping your body make more of a muscle-supporting protein. The one place bleeding matters is the lumbar puncture itself, since a poke near the spine could bleed more easily if your clotting is off. This concern is theoretical and based only on animal reports, not strong human data, so don't be alarmed. Still, please tell your care team about any supplement before your injection.

References
  1. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  2. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.

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

Sweet Vernal Grass Also Interacts With Other Medications

Sweet Vernal Grass has 121 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Nusinersen Sodium one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Sweet Vernal Grass

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Nusinersen Sodium

This page covers Sweet Vernal Grass only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Nusinersen Sodium page lists 208 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Asarabacca (major), Danshen (major), Piracetam (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major) and Aconite (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 186 moderate · 18 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Nusinersen Sodium page

“Spinraza (nusinersen) is given by spinal injection to treat spinal muscular atrophy, and it carries its own warnings for low platelets and kidney stress, which makes the 208 supplements on this page worth real vigilance rather than a shrug. All but six of them, 202 ingredients, could raise bleeding risk by thinning the blood or dulling…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Nusinersen Sodium interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Sweet Vernal Grass and Nusinersen Sodium 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 Sweet Vernal Grass
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Nusinersen Sodium
Steady interest

#1,461 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 Sweet Vernal Grass

What is Sweet Vernal Grass?

  • Trouble sleeping
  • Mild anxiety or restlessness
  • Hay fever and allergy symptoms (as a known trigger, sometimes studied)
  • Used as a fragrant flavoring in foods and drinks
  • Folk use for nausea or upset stomach

Sweet Vernal Grass is a fragrant European meadow grass best known for the sweet, hay-like smell it gets from coumarin. It has a long history as a flavoring and a folk calming remedy, but there is very little human research to support any health benefit. It is also a well-known cause of grass-pollen allergies, so people prone to hay fever should be cautious.

Read the full Sweet Vernal Grass monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Nusinersen Injection

What Is Nusinersen Injection Used For?

Brand name: Spinraza

Spinraza (nusinersen) is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) — a genetic disease that causes progressive muscle weakness by reducing the body's ability to make a protein called SMN (survival motor neuron). Spinraza is approved for pediatric and adult patients with SMA.

Spinraza is given by intrathecal injection — directly into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord — so the medicine can reach the central nervous system where it's needed most.

See full Nusinersen Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Sweet Vernal Grass

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Sweet Vernal Grass — 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 Sweet Vernal Grass page.

No interaction 2,708 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Sweet Vernal Grass and Nusinersen Sodium Together: Common Questions

Can you take Sweet Vernal Grass with Nusinersen Sodium?
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 Sweet Vernal Grass and Nusinersen Sodium 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

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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.