Drug & supplement interaction

Tamarind + Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen brand names: Motrin, Children's Motrin, Advil, Children's Advil, Fenbid Forte Gel, and others.

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

Tamarind has a moderate interaction with Ibuprofen. Theoretically, tamarind fruit extract might increase the effects and side effects of ibuprofen.

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

Tamarind and Ibuprofen

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

Moderate

IBUPROFEN (Advil, others)

Theoretically, tamarind fruit extract might increase the effects and side effects of ibuprofen.
Taking tamarind fruit extract as a component of millet porridge concurrently with ibuprofen seems to increase ibuprofen absorption and blood levels.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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: there's some research suggesting that tamarind fruit extract can raise the amount of ibuprofen your body absorbs, pushing its blood levels higher. Since ibuprofen works as-is (it's not a prodrug that needs activating), more of it in your system means stronger effects, and that includes a bigger chance of the usual ibuprofen side effects like stomach upset, heartburn, or, with heavier use, stomach irritation or kidney strain.

Now, keep the size of this in perspective. The evidence comes from tamarind extract taken in millet porridge, not your average splash of tamarind in a curry or sauce. Food-level amounts probably won't cause trouble. If you're using a concentrated tamarind supplement alongside ibuprofen, that's worth running by your pharmacist or doctor first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Garba M, Yakasai IA, Bakare MT, Munir HY. Effect of Tamarindus indica. L on the bioavailability of ibuprofen in healthy human volunteers. Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet 2003;28:179-84.

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

Tamarind Also Interacts With Other Medications

Tamarind has 129 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Ibuprofen one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 129 No known interaction 2,701 (incl. Ibuprofen)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Tamarind

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Tamarind or Ibuprofen

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

This page covers Tamarind only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ibuprofen page lists 286 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major), Danshen (major) and Piracetam (major).

By severity: 7 major · 243 moderate · 36 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ibuprofen page

“Most people treat ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) as an everyday pain reliever, which is exactly why this list of 286 interacting supplements deserves real attention rather than a shrug. The dominant pattern by far is bleeding: 202 of these ingredients can add to the bleeding and stomach irritation ibuprofen already causes, and the seven maj…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ibuprofen interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 45 real supplement products containing Tamarind, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Tamarind. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Ibuprofen too, on top of Tamarind — 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 Tamarind and Ibuprofen 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 Tamarind
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ibuprofen
Top 1%

#19 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 Tamarind

What is Tamarind?

  • Constipation and digestive upset
  • Culinary flavoring
  • Fever and sore throat
  • Antioxidant support
  • Traditional wound or skin care

Tamarind is a tangy tropical fruit widely used in cooking and traditional medicine, mainly for digestion and as a mild laxative. While it is a nutritious food, strong human evidence for most of its medicinal claims is limited, so use it mainly as a food and talk to your pharmacist before using concentrated supplements.

Read the full Tamarind monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ibuprofen

What Is Ibuprofen Used For?

Brand names: Motrin, Children's Motrin, Advil, Children's Advil, Fenbid Forte Gel, Ibugel Forte, Arthrofen, Ebufac, Rimafen, Calprofen, Fenpaed, Galprofen, Nurofen for Children, Orbifen for Children, Brufen, Brufen Retard, Fenbid, Tab-Profen, Ibuprofen, Calodor

Oral ibuprofen products (tablets, coated tablets, and liquid-filled capsules) are used to temporarily relieve minor aches and pains from headache, backache, toothache, muscular aches, menstrual cramps, minor arthritis pain, and the common cold, and to temporarily reduce fever. The oral prescription tablet (Ibu) is also indicated for the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, mild to moderate pain, and primary dysmenorrhea (painful periods).

Caldolor, an intravenous (IV) form, is approved for adults and children 3 months and older to manage mild to moderate pain, to manage moderate to severe pain alongside opioid pain medicines, and to reduce fever. A separate intravenous solution, Ibuprofen Lysine, is used specifically in premature infants to close a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) — an abnormal blood vessel connection near the heart — when standard medical management has not worked.

See full Ibuprofen drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Tamarind

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

0Major
129Moderate
0Minor
2,700No known interaction
129 Moderate 2,700 No interaction
Moderate

129 interactions

Showing 60 of 129 moderate interactions — see all 129 on the Tamarind page.

No interaction 2,700 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,700 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Tamarind list.

See the full Tamarind interactions page
See every supplement checked against Ibuprofen, 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
Tamarind monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Ibuprofen supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Ibuprofen, ranked by severity Ibuprofen 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 Tamarind and Ibuprofen Together: Common Questions

Can you take Tamarind with Ibuprofen?
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 Tamarind and Ibuprofen 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 Ibuprofen and Tamarind?

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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.