Drug & supplement interaction

Terminalia + Glyburide

Glyburide brand names: Diabeta, Micronase, Glynase, Glycron, Micronized, and others.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Glyburide falls into 2 drug categories that Terminalia can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, use of Terminalia arjuna may increase the levels and clinical effects of CYP2C9 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Interaction report

Terminalia and Glyburide

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Terminalia interacts with whole categories of medication. Glyburide falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Terminalia in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Glyburide

Glyburide falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES — the group Terminalia interacts with.

Theoretically, use of Terminalia arjuna may increase the levels and clinical effects of CYP2C9 substrates.
In vitro research shows that Terminalia arjuna extract inhibits CYP2C9 enzymes and reduces CYP2C9 substrate metabolism.
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 gist: your body clears glyburide using a liver enzyme called CYP2C9. Lab studies suggest Terminalia arjuna may slow that enzyme down. If glyburide is cleared more slowly, it can build up and work harder than expected. Since glyburide already lowers blood sugar by squeezing out more insulin, that extra push could tip you into low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), with symptoms like shakiness, sweating, dizziness, confusion, or a racing heart.

The good news is this is mostly theoretical, based on test-tube research rather than studies in people, so I wouldn't panic. Still, if you take glyburide and want to try Terminalia, please check in with your pharmacist or doctor first, and keep a closer eye on your blood sugar readings.

References
  1. Varghese A, Savai J, Pandita N, Gaud RS. In vitro modulatory effects of Terminalia arjuna, arjunic acid, arjunetin, and arjungenin on CYP3A4, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9 enzyme activity in human liver microsomes. Toxicology Reports. 2015(2):806-16. PubMed
Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

2 of 2

Glyburide also falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS.

Theoretically, concomitant use of Terminalia bellirica or Terminalia chebula with antidiabetes drugs could affect blood sugar control and increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Animal and in vitro research shows that Terminalia bellirica and Terminalia chebula fruit and seed extract have hypoglycemic effects.
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 basic idea with Terminalia and glyburide. Glyburide already works hard to lower your blood sugar by nudging your pancreas to release more insulin. Some Terminalia species (mainly Terminalia bellirica and Terminalia chebula) appear to have their own blood-sugar-lowering effect, so stacking the two could push your sugar too low.

If that happens, you might feel shaky, sweaty, dizzy, confused, or unusually hungry, which are the classic signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). I want to be honest though: this concern is theoretical and comes mostly from animal and lab studies, not strong human research. Glyburide is not a prodrug here, so nothing flips. If you'd like to try Terminalia, check with your pharmacist or doctor first and keep a closer eye on your readings.

References
  1. Sabu, M. C. and Kuttan, R. Anti-diabetic activity of medicinal plants and its relationship with their antioxidant property. J Ethnopharmacol. 2002;81(2):155-160. PubMed
  2. Rao, N. K. and Nammi, S. Antidiabetic and renoprotective effects of the chloroform extract of Terminalia chebula Retz. seeds in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. BMC.Complement Altern.Med 2006;6:17. PubMed
  3. Murali, Y. K., Anand, P., Tandon, V., Singh, R., Chandra, R., and Murthy, P. S. Long-term effects of Terminalia chebula Retz. on hyperglycemia and associated hyperlipidemia, tissue glycogen content and in vitro release of insulin in streptozotocin induced
  4. Senthilkumar, G. P. and Subramanian, S. Evaluation of antioxidant potential of Terminalia chebula fruits studies in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Pharmaceutical Biology (Netherlands) 2007;45:511-518.
  5. Das A, Naveen J, Sreerama YN, Gnanesh Kumar BS, Baskaran V. Low-glycemic foods with wheat, barley and herbs (Terminalia chebula, Terminalia bellerica and Emblica officinalis) inhibit a-amylase, a-glucosidase and DPP-IV activity in high fat and low dose st
  6. Eltimamy M, Elshamarka M, Aboelsaad M, Sayed M, Moawad H. Effects of alcoholic extract of Terminalia Chebula dried fruit on blood biochemical profile in diabetic rats. J Diabetes Metab Disord 2022;21(1):159-170. PubMed

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

Terminalia Also Interacts With Other Medications

Terminalia has 932 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Glyburide one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Terminalia

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Terminalia or Glyburide

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

This page covers Terminalia only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Glyburide page lists 331 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Beer (major), Grapefruit (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 7 major · 279 moderate · 45 minor.

Open the Glyburide interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 306 real supplement products containing Terminalia, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Terminalia. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Glyburide too, on top of Terminalia — 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 Terminalia and Glyburide 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 Terminalia
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Glyburide
Top 25%

#447 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 Terminalia

What is Terminalia?

Terminalia
  • Heart health and circulation
  • Digestive problems (constipation, diarrhea)
  • Cholesterol support
  • Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support
  • Immune support

Terminalia is a group of traditional Ayurvedic tree species (most notably Terminalia arjuna) used for heart, digestive, and general wellness purposes. Some small studies suggest possible benefits for heart and cholesterol health, but the evidence is limited and not strong enough to recommend it as a treatment. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have a heart condition.

Read the full Terminalia monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Glyburide

What Is Glyburide Used For?

Brand names: Diabeta, Micronase, Glynase, Glycron, Micronized, Glynase PresTab, Albert Glyburide

Glyburide tablets are used alongside diet and exercise to help control blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. It is not for type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis (a serious complication where the body produces dangerous levels of acids called ketones).

Glyburide may be used alone or combined with metformin when metformin alone is not enough. It can also be used to help transition patients who are moving from insulin or other diabetes pills to a new regimen, under a doctor's guidance.

See full Glyburide drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Terminalia

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

0Major
932Moderate
0Minor
1,897No known interaction
Moderate

932 interactions

Showing 60 of 932 moderate interactions — see all 932 on the Terminalia page.

No interaction 1,897 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

Keep exploring
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Terminalia and Glyburide Together: Common Questions

Can you take Terminalia with Glyburide?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Terminalia and Glyburide?
Glyburide belongs to more than one drug category, and Terminalia interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Terminalia and Glyburide 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 Glyburide and Terminalia?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.