Drug & supplement interaction

Tinospora Cordifolia + Desipramine

Desipramine brand names: Norpramin, Desipramine, Pertofrane.

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

Desipramine falls into 3 drug categories that Tinospora Cordifolia can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, Tinospora cordifolia might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2D6.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions3
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Tinospora Cordifolia and Desipramine

These two interact in 3 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 3 Interactions?

Tinospora Cordifolia interacts with whole categories of medication. Desipramine falls into 3 of those categories, so it can interact with Tinospora Cordifolia in 3 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) SUBSTRATES

1 of 3

Why this applies to Desipramine

Desipramine falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) SUBSTRATES — the group Tinospora Cordifolia interacts with.

Theoretically, Tinospora cordifolia might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2D6.
In vitro research shows that Tinospora cordifolia extract inhibits CYP2D6 at high concentrations. However, this interaction has not been reported in humans.
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 with Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) and desipramine. Your body relies on a liver enzyme called CYP2D6 to break desipramine down and clear it out. Lab (test-tube) studies hint that Giloy can slow this same enzyme. If that happened in real life, desipramine might clear more slowly and build up, which could mean stronger effects and more side effects like a dry mouth, constipation, dizziness when standing, a faster heartbeat, or drowsiness.

I want to be honest about the strength of this, though. It's only seen in lab studies at high concentrations and has not been reported in actual people. So treat it as a theoretical caution, not a proven problem. Because desipramine has a fairly narrow safety margin and Giloy itself carries liver-injury reports, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before combining them.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Sahu R, Ahmed T, Sangana R, Punde R, Subudhi BB. Effect of Tinospora cordifolia aqua-alcoholic extract on pharmacokinetic of glibenclamide in rat: an herb-drug interaction study. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2018;151:310-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jpba.2018.01.010. PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) SUBSTRATES

2 of 3

Desipramine also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, Tinospora cordifolia might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2C19.
In vitro research shows that Tinospora cordifolia extract inhibits CYP2C19 at high concentrations. However, this interaction has not been reported in humans.
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 with Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) and your desipramine. Your body uses liver enzymes to break this antidepressant down and clear it. In lab dish studies, Giloy slowed one of those enzymes (CYP2C19) when used in high concentrations. If that happened in a person, desipramine could build up a bit higher than usual, which might mean more of its typical side effects, like dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, drowsiness, or a faster heartbeat.

I want to be straight with you, though: this is only a theoretical concern based on test-tube work, and it hasn't been seen in real patients. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, but since Giloy has also been linked to liver injury, please run it by your pharmacist or doctor before combining them.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Sahu R, Ahmed T, Sangana R, Punde R, Subudhi BB. Effect of Tinospora cordifolia aqua-alcoholic extract on pharmacokinetic of glibenclamide in rat: an herb-drug interaction study. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2018;151:310-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jpba.2018.01.010. PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

3 of 3

Desipramine also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, Tinospora cordifolia might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.
In vitro research shows that Tinospora cordifolia extract inhibits CYP1A2 at high concentrations. However, this interaction has not been reported in humans.
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 with Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) and your desipramine. Your body partly relies on a liver enzyme called CYP1A2 to break down desipramine. In lab dish studies, Giloy slowed that enzyme down, at least at high concentrations. If that happened in a real person, desipramine could clear more slowly and build up a bit, which might mean more of its usual side effects: dry mouth, constipation, blurry vision, dizziness when you stand, a faster heartbeat, or feeling overly drowsy.

The important part: this is theoretical, only seen in a test tube, and has never actually been reported in people. So I wouldn't panic. Still, since desipramine can affect heart rhythm, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before adding Giloy rather than starting it on your own.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Sahu R, Ahmed T, Sangana R, Punde R, Subudhi BB. Effect of Tinospora cordifolia aqua-alcoholic extract on pharmacokinetic of glibenclamide in rat: an herb-drug interaction study. J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2018;151:310-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jpba.2018.01.010. 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

Tinospora Cordifolia Also Interacts With Other Medications

Tinospora Cordifolia has 613 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Desipramine one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 613 No known interaction 2,217 (incl. Desipramine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Tinospora Cordifolia

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Tinospora Cordifolia or Desipramine

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

This page covers Tinospora Cordifolia only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Desipramine page lists 253 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major) and Beer (major).

By severity: 16 major · 198 moderate · 39 minor.

Open the Desipramine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 393 real supplement products containing Tinospora Cordifolia, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Tinospora Cordifolia. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Desipramine too, on top of Tinospora Cordifolia — 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 Tinospora Cordifolia and Desipramine 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 Tinospora Cordifolia
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Desipramine
Steady interest

#1,570 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 Tinospora Cordifolia

What is Tinospora Cordifolia?

  • Immune support
  • Fever
  • Blood sugar support
  • General wellness and 'rejuvenation'
  • Allergic rhinitis
  • Inflammation

Tinospora cordifolia, known as Guduchi or Giloy in Ayurvedic medicine, is a climbing plant traditionally used to support immunity and treat fevers. Early laboratory and small human studies suggest possible immune and blood sugar effects, but high-quality evidence is limited, and there have been reports of liver injury. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Read the full Tinospora Cordifolia monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Desipramine

What Is Desipramine Used For?

Brand names: Norpramin, Desipramine, Pertofrane

Desipramine is used to treat depression. This use is listed for the generic desipramine hydrochloride tablets (film coated and plain) and for Norpramin sugar-coated tablets.

It is not approved for use in children.

See full Desipramine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Tinospora Cordifolia

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

0Major
613Moderate
0Minor
2,216No known interaction
613 Moderate 2,216 No interaction
Moderate

613 interactions

Showing 60 of 613 moderate interactions — see all 613 on the Tinospora Cordifolia page.

No interaction 2,216 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,216 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Tinospora Cordifolia list.

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

Can you take Tinospora Cordifolia with Desipramine?
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 3 interactions listed for Tinospora Cordifolia and Desipramine?
Desipramine belongs to more than one drug category, and Tinospora Cordifolia 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 Tinospora Cordifolia and Desipramine 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 Desipramine and Tinospora Cordifolia?

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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.