Drug & supplement interaction

Yohimbe + Apixaban

Apixaban brand name: Eliquis.

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

Apixaban falls into 2 drug categories that Yohimbe can interact with; the most serious is rated minor. Theoretically, combining yohimbe bark with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs might have additive effects; however, this has not been reported in clinical research.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Yohimbe and Apixaban

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Yohimbe interacts with whole categories of medication. Apixaban falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Yohimbe in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Minor).

Minor

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Apixaban

Apixaban falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Yohimbe interacts with.

Theoretically, combining yohimbe bark with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs might have additive effects; however, this has not been reported in clinical research.
Research in healthy adults shows that taking yohimbine, a constituent of yohimbe bark, in doses of 8 mg or more, seems to inhibit platelet aggregation in vitro by binding to the alpha-2 adrenoceptor. The effects of yohimbe bark itself are unclear; yohimbe bark contains 0.6% to 1.38% yohimbine, but it is unclear how much is absorbed.
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 with Eliquis (apixaban) and yohimbe. Eliquis already thins your blood by blocking clotting factor Xa. Yohimbe, through its main compound yohimbine, may make platelets a little less sticky on top of that. In theory, stacking the two could nudge your bleeding risk slightly higher, which might show up as easier bruising, nosebleeds, or bleeding gums.

I'll be honest though, this concern comes only from lab studies, not from real patients, and it took fairly high doses of yohimbine to see any platelet effect. So the worry is mostly theoretical. What concerns me more is yohimbe's own well-known habit of raising blood pressure and heart rate. Please loop in your pharmacist or doctor before combining them, and don't change your Eliquis on your own.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Mustonen, P., Savola, J., and Lassila, R. Atipamezole, an imidazoline-type alpha(2)-adrenoceptor inhibitor, binds to human platelets and inhibits their adrenaline-induced aggregation more effectively than yohimbine. Thromb.Res 8-1-2000;99(3):231-237.
  2. Berlin, I., Crespo-Laumonnier, B., Cournot, A., Landault, C., Aubin, F., Legrand, J. C., and Puech, A. J. The alpha 2-adrenergic receptor antagonist yohimbine inhibits epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation in healthy subjects. Clin Pharmacol.Ther. 199
  3. Braddock, L., Cowen, P. J., Elliott, J. M., Fraser, S., and Stump, K. Binding of yohimbine and imipramine to platelets in depressive illness. Psychol.Med 1986;16(4):765-773. PubMed
  4. Boon, N. A., Elliott, J. M., Grahame-Smith, D. G., John-Green, T., and Stump, K. A comparison of alpha 2-adrenoreceptor binding characteristics of intact human platelets identified by [3H]-yohimbine and [3H]- dihydroergocryptine. J Auton.Pharmacol 1983;3
  5. Betz, J. M., White, K. D., and der Marderosian, A. H. Gas chromatographic determination of yohimbine in commercial yohimbe products. J AOAC Int 1995;78(5):1189-1194. DOI
  6. Cohen PA, Wang YH, Maller G, DeSouza R, Khan IA. Pharmaceutical quantities of yohimbine found in dietary supplements in the USA. Drug Test Anal. 2015 Sep 22. PubMed
Minor

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Apixaban also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, yohimbe might decrease the levels and clinical effects of CYP3A4 substrates.
In vitro research shows that yohimbe extract induces CYP3A4 enzymes.
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 Eliquis (apixaban): it's a blood thinner that your body partly clears using a liver enzyme called CYP3A4. In lab dishes, yohimbe seems to speed that enzyme up. In theory, a faster enzyme could clear apixaban a little quicker, which might slightly lower its blood-thinning effect. Since apixaban's whole job is preventing strokes and clots, you don't want anything nudging it lower.

That said, this is very weak evidence, just test-tube and animal data, not real people, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. The bigger concern is that yohimbe itself can spike your blood pressure and heart rate. Please run it by your pharmacist or doctor before combining the two.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Haron MH, Dale O, Martin K, et al. Evaluation of the Herb-Drug Interaction Potential of Commonly Used Botanicals on the US Market with Regard to PXR- and AhR-Mediated Influences on CYP3A4 and CYP1A2. J Diet Suppl 2022. 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

Yohimbe Also Interacts With Other Medications

Yohimbe has 9 major, 680 moderate, 435 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Apixaban one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 9 Moderate 680 Minor 435 No known interaction 1,706 (incl. Apixaban)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Yohimbe

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Yohimbe or Apixaban

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

This page covers Yohimbe only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Apixaban page lists 285 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Danshen (major), Grapefruit (major), Piracetam (major) and St. John's Wort (major).

By severity: 5 major · 240 moderate · 40 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Apixaban page

“St. John's wort can weaken apixaban (Eliquis), speeding how the body clears this blood thinner and leaving you less protected from the strokes and clots it is prescribed to prevent.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Apixaban interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,054 real supplement products containing Yohimbe, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Yohimbe. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Apixaban too, on top of Yohimbe — 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 Yohimbe and Apixaban 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 Yohimbe
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Apixaban
Most looked up

#1 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 Yohimbe

What is Yohimbe?

Yohimbe
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Low sex drive
  • Sexual performance
  • Weight loss
  • Athletic performance

Yohimbe is a West African tree bark that contains yohimbine, a compound mainly promoted for erectile dysfunction and as an aphrodisiac. A prescription form of yohimbine has some evidence for erectile dysfunction, but over-the-counter yohimbe supplements vary widely in content and can cause serious side effects like high blood pressure and fast heart rate. Because of these safety concerns, talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Read the full Yohimbe monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Apixaban

What Is Apixaban Used For?

Brand name: Eliquis

Apixaban is used to reduce the risk of stroke and dangerous clots traveling through the body in adults with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm not caused by a heart valve problem). It is also used to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT — a blood clot in the leg) in adults after hip or knee replacement surgery, and to treat DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE — a blood clot in the lungs) in adults, including reducing the risk of those clots coming back.

Eliquis (the brand-name tablet and kit) is additionally approved to treat venous thromboembolism (VTE — blood clots in the veins) and reduce the risk of recurrent VTE in pediatric patients from birth and older, after at least 5 days of initial anticoagulant treatment. The generic apixaban tablet carries the adult indications only.

See full Apixaban drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Yohimbe

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

9Major
680Moderate
435Minor
1,705No known interaction
9 Major 680 Moderate 435 Minor 1,705 No interaction
Major

9 interactions

Moderate

680 interactions

Showing 60 of 680 moderate interactions — see all 680 on the Yohimbe page.

Minor

435 interactions

Showing 60 of 435 minor interactions — see all 435 on the Yohimbe page.

No interaction 1,705 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,705 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Yohimbe list.

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

Can you take Yohimbe with Apixaban?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Yohimbe and Apixaban?
Apixaban belongs to more than one drug category, and Yohimbe interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Yohimbe and Apixaban 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 Apixaban and Yohimbe?

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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.