Drug & supplement interaction

Winter Cherry + Glyburide

Glyburide brand names: Diabeta, Micronase, Glynase, Glycron, Micronized, and others.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Winter Cherry has a moderate interaction with Glyburide. In animal diabetic models, winter cherry extract decreases blood glucose.

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

Winter Cherry and Glyburide

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

Moderate

ANTIDIABETES DRUGS

Why this applies to Glyburide

Glyburide falls under ANTIDIABETES DRUGS — the group Winter Cherry interacts with.

In animal diabetic models, winter cherry extract decreases blood glucose. This effect has not been shown in humans. Theoretically, winter cherry might have additive effects with antidiabetes drugs and increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Some antidiabetes drugs include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (Diabeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), and others.
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 thing to keep in mind with Winter Cherry (ashwagandha) and glyburide: both can push your blood sugar in the same direction, which is down. Glyburide already works hard by telling your pancreas to release more insulin, and this herb might add a little extra blood-sugar-lowering nudge on top. If the two stack up, you could drift into low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), with shakiness, sweating, dizziness, hunger, or feeling foggy.

I'll be honest about the evidence, though. This blood-sugar effect has only really been seen in animal studies, not in people, so it's mostly theoretical for now. Still, I'd play it safe: if you want to try Winter Cherry, check in with your pharmacist or doctor first and keep a closer eye on your sugar readings. Don't change your glyburide on your own.

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

Winter Cherry Also Interacts With Other Medications

Winter Cherry has 155 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Glyburide 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 Winter Cherry

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Winter Cherry or Glyburide

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

This page covers Winter Cherry only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Glyburide page lists 331 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Beer (major), Grapefruit (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 7 major · 279 moderate · 45 minor.

Open the Glyburide interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Winter Cherry and Glyburide 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 Winter Cherry
Steady interest

#1,070 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Glyburide
Top half

#785 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 Winter Cherry

What is Winter Cherry?

  • Stress and anxiety
  • Fatigue and low energy
  • Sleep support
  • General vitality and tonic
  • Athletic performance

Winter Cherry is another name for ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), an herb long used in Ayurvedic medicine, most often for stress, sleep, and energy. Some small studies suggest it may help with stress and anxiety, but the evidence is still limited and not definitive. It is generally well tolerated short-term, but pregnant women should avoid it, and anyone with a health condition should check with a pharmacist or doctor first.

Read the full Winter Cherry monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Glyburide

What Is Glyburide Used For?

Brand names: Diabeta, Micronase, Glynase, Glycron, Micronized, Glynase PresTab, Albert Glyburide

Glyburide tablets are used alongside diet and exercise to help control blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. It is not for type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis (a serious complication where the body produces dangerous levels of acids called ketones).

Glyburide may be used alone or combined with metformin when metformin alone is not enough. It can also be used to help transition patients who are moving from insulin or other diabetes pills to a new regimen, under a doctor's guidance.

See full Glyburide drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Winter Cherry

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

0Major
155Moderate
0Minor
2,674No known interaction
Moderate

155 interactions

Showing 60 of 155 moderate interactions — see all 155 on the Winter Cherry page.

No interaction 2,674 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 Winter Cherry and Glyburide Together: Common Questions

Can you take Winter Cherry with Glyburide?
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 Winter Cherry and Glyburide 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

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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.