Drug & supplement interaction

Wild Yam + Ibandronate

Ibandronate brand names: Boniva, Boniva IV.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Wild Yam and Ibandronate in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Ibandronate states a food rule worth keeping to, and the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Wild Yam and Ibandronate

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Ibandronate and Wild Yam in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Wild Yam safety at a glance

Wild Yam overall Use caution Likely fine for short-term use in healthy adults, but long-term safety is not well studied.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety data; avoid during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety data; avoid while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Ibandronate and Wild Yam? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ibandronate

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Ibandronate is filed under 2 classifications — bisphosphonates, oral drugs. Wild Yam has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being estrogens (moderate) — and none of Ibandronate’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Wild Yam Does Interact With Other Medications

Wild Yam has 41 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Ibandronate isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 41 No known interaction 2,789 (incl. Ibandronate)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Wild Yam

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Wild Yam and Ibandronate May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • A severe allergic reaction Worth acting on Additional detail

    Wild Yam

    “Orally, wild yam is generally well tolerated.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Orally: Fever, headache, upset stomach, and vomiting.

    Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):

    Orally: Anaphylaxis.”

    Wild Yam · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    Ibandronate

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Ibandronate. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Stomach upset / Vomiting Additional detail

    Wild Yam

    “Orally, wild yam can cause upset stomach and vomiting, especially at higher doses (12,86450).”

    Wild Yam · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    2 sources cited
    1. 12. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
    2. 86450. Araghiniknam M, Chung S, Nelson-White T, and et al. Antioxidant activity of Dioscorea and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in older humans. Life Sciences 1996;59:L147-L157.

    Ibandronate

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Ibandronate. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Headache Additional detail

    Wild Yam

    “Orally, wild yam can cause headache and fever, especially at higher doses.”

    Wild Yam · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    1 source cited
    1. 86450. Araghiniknam M, Chung S, Nelson-White T, and et al. Antioxidant activity of Dioscorea and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in older humans. Life Sciences 1996;59:L147-L157.

    Ibandronate

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Ibandronate. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Wild Yam but not commonly for Ibandronate: loss of vision, blood clots and fever.

Effects for Ibandronate come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Wild Yam come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Ibandronate Products Have a Food Rule — Wild Yam Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Ibandronate says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Wild Yam included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Ibandronate on its own and move Wild Yam to a meal later in the day.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Ibandronate products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Take one 150 mg tablet once monthly on the same day each month ( 2.1 ) Instruct patient to: ( 2.2 ) Swallow whole tablet with 6 to 8 oz of plain water only, at least 60 minutes before the first food, beverage, or medication of day.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Ibandronate — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Overlapping uses

What Ibandronate Is Prescribed For, and What Wild Yam Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Ibandronate is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Wild Yam is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Ibandronate is prescribed for: Ibandronate sodium tablets (brands: Boniva, Ibandronate sodium) are approved for both the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. They increase bone mineral density (BMD) and reduce the risk of spinal fractures. Ibandronate Sodium injection (given intravenously) is approved for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It also increases bone mineral density and reduces the incidence of vertebral (spinal) fractures.

Read the rest of what Ibandronate is prescribed for

The injection is not approved for prevention.

Wild Yam has been studied for:

  • Osteoporosis studied, not established Wild Yam has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Wild Yam for osteoporosis

    Although there is interest in using oral wild yam for osteoporosis, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of wild yam for this condition.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Ibandronate on your own; if you are taking Wild Yam for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ibandronate

This page covers Wild Yam only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ibandronate page lists 23 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 1 major · 13 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ibandronate page

“Ibandronate (Boniva) treats osteoporosis, and it is famously hard to absorb, which is why you take it fasting with plain water. Nearly all 23 supplements on this list attack that same weak point, so treat them with real care, because the danger is not a new side effect but a dose that quietly never reaches your bones.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ibandronate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,014 real supplement products containing Wild Yam, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Wild Yam. Even though Wild Yam itself has no known interaction with Ibandronate, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Wild Yam and Ibandronate 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 Wild Yam
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ibandronate
Steady interest

#1,542 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.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Wild Yam reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Wild Yam and Ibandronate records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Wild Yam

What is Wild Yam?

  • Menopausal symptoms
  • Menstrual cramps
  • Hormone balance (popular belief)
  • Digestive cramps
  • Joint and muscle discomfort

Wild yam is a root traditionally used for menopausal symptoms, cramps, and as a so-called 'natural' hormone supplement, but solid human evidence for these uses is lacking. Despite popular claims, your body cannot convert its compounds into hormones like progesterone, so creams marketed that way usually don't work as advertised. Talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Dioscorea villosa · Dioscoreaceae · Root and rhizome (underground stem) · Capsules, tablets, dried root, tinctures, topical creams, tea

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Wild Yam is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Wild Yam record says about it on its own.

Wild Yam: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose for wild yam. The amount can vary widely between products and forms (capsules, tinctures, teas, or creams).The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

From our Wild Yam monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Wild Yam monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ibandronate

What Is Ibandronate Used For?

Brand names: Boniva, Boniva IV

Ibandronate sodium tablets (brands: Boniva, Ibandronate sodium) are approved for both the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. They increase bone mineral density (BMD) and reduce the risk of spinal fractures.

Ibandronate Sodium injection (given intravenously) is approved for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It also increases bone mineral density and reduces the incidence of vertebral (spinal) fractures. The injection is not approved for prevention.

See full Ibandronate drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Wild Yam

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

0Major
41Moderate
0Minor
2,788No known interaction
41 Moderate 2,788 No interaction
Moderate

41 interactions

No interaction 2,788 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,788 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Wild Yam list.

See the full Wild Yam interactions page
See every supplement checked against Ibandronate, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Wild Yam References

The 7 references that drive our Wild Yam monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  2. Eagon PK, Elm MS, Hunter DS, et al. Medicinal herbs: modulation of estrogen action. Era of Hope Mtg, Dept Defense; Breast Cancer Res Prog, Atlanta, GA 2000;Jun 8-11.
  3. Cheong JL, Bucknall R. Retinal vein thrombosis associated with a herbal phytoestrogen preparation in a susceptible patient. Postgrad Med J 2005;81:266-7.. PubMed
  4. Rosenberg Zand, R. S., Jenkins, D. J., and Diamandis, E. P. Effects of natural products and nutraceuticals on steroid hormone-regulated gene expression. Clin Chim.Acta 2001;312(1-2):213-219. PubMed
  5. Araghiniknam M, Chung S, Nelson-White T, and et al. Antioxidant activity of Dioscorea and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in older humans. Life Sciences 1996;59:L147-L157.
  6. Zeng M, Zhang L, Li M, et al. Estrogenic effects of the extracts from the Chinese Yam (Dioscorea opposite Thunb.) and its effective compounds in vitro and in vivo. Molecules. 2018 Jan 23;23(2). Pii: E11. PubMed
  7. Lu J, Wong RN, Zhang L, et al. Comparative analysis of proteins with stimulating activity on ovarian estradiol biosynthesis from four different Dioscorea species in vitro using both phenotypic and target-based approaches: implication for treating menopaus

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Wild Yam and Ibandronate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Wild Yam with Ibandronate?
We do not list a known interaction between Wild Yam and Ibandronate. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Wild Yam and Ibandronate have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 4 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Should I take Wild Yam and Ibandronate at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Ibandronate says to take it on an empty stomach, and supplements are usually taken with a meal — so taking them together at breakfast is the easy mistake. Where that applies, keep Ibandronate on its own and move Wild Yam to a meal later in the day. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient, so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Are Wild Yam and Ibandronate used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Wild Yam in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Ibandronate is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Wild Yam and Ibandronate combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ibandronate is filed under 2 classifications, and Wild Yam has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Ibandronate's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Wild Yam interact with any other medications?
Yes. Wild Yam has 41 documented drug interactions in our database — Ibandronate is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Ibandronate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ibandronate has documented interactions with 23 supplements in our database — Wild Yam is not one of them. The Ibandronate interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Wild Yam monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Ibandronate drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Ibandronate supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Ibandronate, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 7 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Ibandronate and Wild Yam?

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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.