Drug & supplement interaction

White Mulberry + Varenicline

Varenicline brand names: Chantix, Champix, Tyrvaya.

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

White Mulberry has a moderate interaction with Varenicline. Theoretically, white mulberry leaf might slow the elimination and increase the adverse effects of drugs which are OCT2 substrates.

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

White Mulberry and Varenicline

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

Moderate

ORGANIC CATION TRANSPORTER 2 (OCT2) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Varenicline

Varenicline falls under ORGANIC CATION TRANSPORTER 2 (OCT2) SUBSTRATES — the group White Mulberry interacts with.

Theoretically, white mulberry leaf might slow the elimination and increase the adverse effects of drugs which are OCT2 substrates.
Animal research shows that coadministration of white mulberry leaf extract with metformin, an OCT2 substrate, slows the renal elimination of metformin via inhibition of OCT2 activity. OCT2 is expressed in the kidneys and is responsible for transporting cationic drugs into tubular epithelial cells in order to be excreted in the urine.
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 white mulberry and varenicline (Chantix). Your kidneys lean on a little transporter called OCT2 to push varenicline out into your urine. White mulberry leaf may gently slow that transporter down, so in theory a bit more varenicline could hang around in your body. If that happens, you might notice more of its usual side effects, things like nausea, vivid or strange dreams, trouble sleeping, headache, or an upset stomach.

I want to be honest about how shaky this is. The concern comes only from animal lab work using metformin, not from people taking varenicline, so it's theoretical. Mulberry as a food or occasional tea is unlikely to matter much. Before starting a concentrated supplement, just run it by your pharmacist or doctor.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Huh HW, Na YG, Bang KH, et al. Extended intake of mulberry leaf extract delayed metformin elimination via inhibiting the organic cation transporter 2. Pharmaceutics. 2020;12(1):49. 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

White Mulberry Also Interacts With Other Medications

White Mulberry has 86 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Varenicline one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 86 No known interaction 2,744 (incl. Varenicline)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against White Mulberry

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

From our Q&A

Questions About White Mulberry or Varenicline

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

This page covers White Mulberry only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Varenicline page lists 20 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (moderate), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate) and Glucomannan (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 10 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Varenicline page

“For anyone taking varenicline (Chantix, Champix, Tyrvaya) to quit smoking, this list earns real caution rather than a quick skim. Activated charcoal is the single entry rated major; it binds many medicines in the gut and can pull varenicline's blood levels down, and losing that support mid-quit is a genuine setback.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Varenicline interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 282 real supplement products containing White Mulberry, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides White Mulberry. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Varenicline too, on top of White Mulberry — 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 White Mulberry and Varenicline 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 White Mulberry
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Varenicline
Top half

#834 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 White Mulberry

What is White Mulberry?

White Mulberry
  • Blood sugar support
  • High cholesterol
  • Weight management
  • Antioxidant support
  • High blood pressure (traditional use)

White mulberry leaf is most studied for helping blunt the rise in blood sugar after meals, but the human evidence is limited and not strong. It is generally well tolerated as a food and tea, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements, especially if you take diabetes medicine.

Read the full White Mulberry monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Varenicline

What Is Varenicline Used For?

Brand names: Chantix, Champix, Tyrvaya

Varenicline tablets — sold under brand names including Chantix — are used to help adults quit smoking. They work as part of a structured smoking cessation program.

Tyrvaya (varenicline solution) nasal spray is a separate product used to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. It is not used for smoking cessation.

See full Varenicline drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & White Mulberry

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

0Major
86Moderate
0Minor
2,743No known interaction
86 Moderate 2,743 No interaction
Moderate

86 interactions

Showing 60 of 86 moderate interactions — see all 86 on the White Mulberry page.

No interaction 2,743 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,743 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full White Mulberry list.

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

Can you take White Mulberry with Varenicline?
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.
How serious is the White Mulberry and Varenicline 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 Varenicline and White Mulberry?

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.