Drug & supplement interaction

Turmeric + Sofosbuvir

Sofosbuvir brand name: Sovaldi.

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

Turmeric has a minor interaction with Sofosbuvir. Theoretically, turmeric might increase the absorption of P-glycoprotein substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Turmeric and Sofosbuvir

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

Minor

P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Sofosbuvir

Sofosbuvir falls under P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES — the group Turmeric interacts with.

Theoretically, turmeric might increase the absorption of P-glycoprotein substrates.
In vitro and animal research shows that curcuminoids and other constituents found in turmeric can inhibit P-glycoprotein expression and activity.
Severity Minor 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 for Sofosbuvir (Sovaldi). Your body uses a kind of cellular bouncer called P-glycoprotein to push this drug back out of cells, which limits how much gets absorbed. Lab and animal studies suggest the curcumin in turmeric can dial down that bouncer's activity, so in theory a bit more sofosbuvir could slip into your bloodstream.

I want to keep this in perspective. This is rated a minor interaction based only on test-tube and animal data, so we really don't know if it matters in people. The turmeric you cook with is very unlikely to be an issue. If you're taking concentrated curcumin capsules during your hepatitis C treatment, just give your pharmacist or doctor a heads-up so they can keep an eye on things.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Junyaprasert, V. B., Soonthornchareonnon, N., Thongpraditchote, S., Murakami, T., and Takano, M. Inhibitory effect of Thai plant extracts on P-glycoprotein mediated efflux. Phytother.Res 2006;20(1):79-81. PubMed
  2. Ampasavate, C., Sotanaphun, U., Phattanawasin, P., and Piyapolrungroj, N. Effects of Curcuma spp. on P-glycoprotein function. Phytomedicine. 2010;17(7):506-512. PubMed
  3. Hou, X. L., Takahashi, K., Tanaka, K., Tougou, K., Qiu, F., Komatsu, K., Takahashi, K., and Azuma, J. Curcuma drugs and curcumin regulate the expression and function of P-gp in Caco-2 cells in completely opposite ways. Int.J Pharm 6-24-2008;358(1-2):224-2 PubMed
  4. Choi, B. H., Kim, C. G., Lim, Y., Shin, S. Y., and Lee, Y. H. Curcumin down-regulates the multidrug-resistance mdr1b gene by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/NF kappa B pathway. Cancer Lett. 1-18-2008;259(1):111-118.
  5. Zhang, W., Tan, T. M., and Lim, L. Y. Impact of curcumin-induced changes in P-glycoprotein and CYP3A expression on the pharmacokinetics of peroral celiprolol and midazolam in rats. Drug Metab Dispos. 2007;35(1):110-115. PubMed
  6. Limtrakul, P., Chearwae, W., Shukla, S., Phisalphong, C., and Ambudkar, S. V. Modulation of function of three ABC drug transporters, P-glycoprotein (ABCB1), mitoxantrone resistance protein (ABCG2) and multidrug resistance protein 1 (ABCC1) by tetrahydrocu
  7. Holland, M. L., Panetta, J. A., Hoskins, J. M., Bebawy, M., Roufogalis, B. D., Allen, J. D., and Arnold, J. C. The effects of cannabinoids on P-glycoprotein transport and expression in multidrug resistant cells. Biochem.Pharmacol 4-14-2006;71(8):1146-1154 PubMed
  8. Tang, X. Q., Bi, H., Feng, J. Q., and Cao, J. G. Effect of curcumin on multidrug resistance in resistant human gastric carcinoma cell line SGC7901/VCR. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2005;26(8):1009-1016. PubMed
  9. Nabekura, T., Kamiyama, S., and Kitagawa, S. Effects of dietary chemopreventive phytochemicals on P-glycoprotein function. Biochem.Biophys.Res Commun. 2-18-2005;327(3):866-870. PubMed
  10. Romiti, N., Tongiani, R., Cervelli, F., and Chieli, E. Effects of curcumin on P-glycoprotein in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. Life Sci. 1998;62(25):2349-2358. PubMed
  11. Yue, G. G., Cheng, S. W., Yu, H., Xu, Z. S., Lee, J. K., Hon, P. M., Lee, M. Y., Kennelly, E. J., Deng, G., Yeung, S. K., Cassileth, B. R., Fung, K. P., Leung, P. C., and Lau, C. B. The role of turmerones on curcumin transportation and P-glycoprotein acti
  12. Pochet S, Lechon AS, Lescrainier C, et al. Herb-anticancer drug interactions in real life based on VigiBase, the WHO global database. Sci Rep 2022;12(1):14178. 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

Turmeric Also Interacts With Other Medications

Turmeric has 1,056 moderate, 76 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Sofosbuvir one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 1,056 Minor 76 No known interaction 1,698 (incl. Sofosbuvir)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Turmeric

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Turmeric or Sofosbuvir

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

This page covers Turmeric only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Sofosbuvir page lists 55 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), St. John's Wort (major), Bitter Melon (moderate), Black Pepper (moderate) and Bulbine Natalensis (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 37 moderate · 16 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Sofosbuvir page

“Sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) cures hepatitis C over a fixed course, so a supplement that lowers its blood level risks more than a side effect; it can let the virus survive treatment. The two major-rated interactions among the 55 ingredients here do exactly that: St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Sofosbuvir interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,368 real supplement products containing Turmeric, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Turmeric. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Sofosbuvir too, on top of Turmeric — 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 Turmeric and Sofosbuvir 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 Turmeric
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Sofosbuvir
Top 25%

#705 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 Turmeric

What is Turmeric?

Turmeric
  • Joint pain and arthritis
  • Inflammation
  • Digestive upset
  • Antioxidant support
  • Skin conditions

Turmeric is a popular spice whose main active compounds, curcuminoids, are studied mostly for inflammation and joint pain. Some research is promising, but quality is mixed and curcumin is poorly absorbed on its own. For most people, dietary amounts are safe, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking concentrated supplements, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition.

Read the full Turmeric monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Sofosbuvir

What Is Sofosbuvir Used For?

Brand name: Sovaldi

Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) is used to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. In adults, it treats genotype 1, 2, 3, or 4 HCV — with or without compensated cirrhosis (mild liver scarring that the liver is still managing). It is always used as part of a combination regimen with other antiviral medicines.

In children 3 years and older, Sovaldi is approved for genotype 2 or 3 HCV, with or without compensated cirrhosis, in combination with ribavirin. Sovaldi is also used with ribavirin in adults with HCV-related liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) who are waiting for a liver transplant, to help prevent HCV from returning after transplant.

See full Sofosbuvir drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Turmeric

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

0Major
1,056Moderate
76Minor
1,697No known interaction
1,056 Moderate 76 Minor 1,697 No interaction
Moderate

1,056 interactions

Showing 60 of 1,056 moderate interactions — see all 1,056 on the Turmeric page.

Minor

76 interactions

Showing 60 of 76 minor interactions — see all 76 on the Turmeric page.

No interaction 1,697 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,697 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Turmeric list.

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

Can you take Turmeric with Sofosbuvir?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Turmeric and Sofosbuvir interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Sofosbuvir and Turmeric?

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.