Drug & supplement interaction

Tinospora Cordifolia + Thioridazine

Thioridazine brand name: Mellaril.

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

Thioridazine falls into 2 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
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Tinospora Cordifolia and Thioridazine

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

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Tinospora Cordifolia interacts with whole categories of medication. Thioridazine falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Tinospora Cordifolia 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 2D6 (CYP2D6) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Thioridazine

Thioridazine 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 concern with pairing Giloy (Tinospora cordifolia) with thioridazine. Your liver uses an enzyme called CYP2D6 to clear thioridazine out of your body. Lab studies suggest Tinospora may slow that enzyme down, which could let thioridazine build up to higher levels than expected. With this particular medication, that matters more than usual, because higher levels can affect your heart's rhythm (a change called QT prolongation) and may worsen side effects like drowsiness, dizziness, low blood pressure, or muscle stiffness.

I want to keep this in perspective, though. This is theoretical and based only on test-tube research at high concentrations. It hasn't been seen in real people. Still, because thioridazine is a sensitive drug, please don't add Giloy without first checking with your doctor or pharmacist.

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 2

Thioridazine 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 idea behind this pairing. Thioridazine is partly cleared by a liver enzyme called CYP2C19, and lab studies hint that Tinospora cordifolia (Giloy) might slow that enzyme down at high concentrations. If that happened in real life, your body could clear thioridazine more slowly, letting levels creep up. That matters here because thioridazine already carries a warning about heart rhythm changes (QT prolongation), along with drowsiness, dizziness, dry mouth, and low blood pressure.

That said, this is only a theoretical, test-tube finding and has not been seen in actual patients, so I wouldn't panic. Still, given thioridazine's heart risks, please check with your pharmacist or doctor before combining the two rather than changing anything 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 611 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Thioridazine one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 611 No known interaction 2,219 (incl. Thioridazine)
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 Thioridazine

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 Thioridazine, 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 Thioridazine

This page covers Tinospora Cordifolia only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Thioridazine page lists 168 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major), Cesium (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 11 major · 125 moderate · 32 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Thioridazine page

“Thioridazine (Mellaril) is an older antipsychotic already known for disturbing the heart's rhythm, and the supplements that worry me most here do the same thing, stretching the QT interval further. Grapefruit in large amounts sits in that group, alongside ephedra and several other major-rated entries.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Thioridazine 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 Thioridazine 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 Thioridazine 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%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Thioridazine
Steady interest

#1,975 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 Thioridazine

What Is Thioridazine Used For?

Brand name: Mellaril

Thioridazine Hydrochloride tablets are used for the management of schizophrenia — but only in patients who have already tried at least two other antipsychotic medications without adequate results, either because those drugs didn't work well enough or caused intolerable side effects.

Because thioridazine carries serious heart-rhythm risks, it is considered a last-resort option for schizophrenia, not a first-line treatment. It is not approved for dementia-related psychosis or any other psychiatric condition.

See full Thioridazine 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
611Moderate
0Minor
2,218No known interaction
611 Moderate 2,218 No interaction
Moderate

611 interactions

Showing 60 of 611 moderate interactions — see all 611 on the Tinospora Cordifolia page.

No interaction 2,218 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 2,218 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Tinospora Cordifolia list.

See the full Tinospora Cordifolia interactions page
See every supplement checked against Thioridazine, 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 Thioridazine supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Thioridazine, ranked by severity Thioridazine 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 Thioridazine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Tinospora Cordifolia with Thioridazine?
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 Tinospora Cordifolia and Thioridazine?
Thioridazine 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 Thioridazine 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 Thioridazine 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.