Drug & supplement interaction

Turmeric + Tibolone

Tibolone brand name: Livial.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Turmeric has a minor interaction with Tibolone. Theoretically, large amounts of turmeric might interfere with hormone replacement therapy through competition for estrogen receptors.

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

Turmeric and Tibolone

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

Minor

ESTROGENS

Why this applies to Tibolone

Tibolone falls under ESTROGENS — the group Turmeric interacts with.

Theoretically, large amounts of turmeric might interfere with hormone replacement therapy through competition for estrogen receptors.
In vitro research shows that curcumin, a constituent of turmeric, displaces the binding of estrogen to its receptors.
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 short version: Tibolone (Livial) is a hormone therapy that acts somewhat like estrogen in your body to ease menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. The concern on file is purely theoretical. In lab dish studies, curcumin (the active part of turmeric) can nudge estrogen off its receptors. The thinking is that very large amounts might compete with hormone therapy and slightly blunt how well it works.

I want to keep this in perspective. This comes only from test-tube research, not from people, and it's rated minor. The turmeric you sprinkle on food is very unlikely to matter. If you take concentrated curcumin capsules daily, just mention it to your pharmacist or doctor so they can keep an eye on your symptoms.

References
  1. Shenouda, N. S., Zhou, C., Browning, J. D., Ansell, P. J., Sakla, M. S., Lubahn, D. B., and MacDonald, R. S. Phytoestrogens in common herbs regulate prostate cancer cell growth in vitro. Nutr.Cancer 2004;49(2):200-208. 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 Tibolone one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

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 Tibolone

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 Tibolone, 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 Tibolone

This page covers Turmeric only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Tibolone page lists 80 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Aletris (moderate), Alfalfa (moderate) and Andarine (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 62 moderate · 16 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Tibolone page

“Grapefruit is the risk I would learn first with tibolone (Livial), a hormone therapy used for menopause symptoms. Grapefruit can raise estrogen levels in the blood, magnifying both the drug's effects and its side effects, and it shares major status with activated charcoal, which soaks up medications in the gut and can blunt tibolone's…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Tibolone 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 Tibolone 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 Tibolone 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%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Tibolone
Steady interest

#2,803 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
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
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
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Turmeric and Tibolone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Turmeric with Tibolone?
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 Tibolone 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 Tibolone and Turmeric?

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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.