Herb & supplement monograph

American Ginseng Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how American Ginseng interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug American Ginseng is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what American Ginseng is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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American Ginseng Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant American Ginseng drug interaction is moderate for most people, though it is a real concern for anyone taking warfarin. Nearly all listed interactions are rated moderate, and only the warfarin interaction is both major and well documented in human studies.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The interaction with warfarin deserves the most attention: a human study found that American ginseng significantly reduced warfarin's blood-thinning effect, which could raise the risk of clots. People taking diabetes medications should also be aware that American ginseng seems to lower blood sugar after meals, so combining the two might push blood sugar too low. There is also a theoretical concern that its immune-stimulating effect could work against immunosuppressants, such as those used after a transplant.

What the rest of the list means

American ginseng appears alongside a long list of medications, but most of these pairings are theoretical rather than proven problems. Many are based on how the herb might affect the body in lab or animal research, and only a few concerns have been confirmed in people.

Check your medications against American Ginseng

Based on HelloPharmacist’s American Ginseng interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with American Ginseng

217 medications have a known interaction with American Ginseng, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

2 major interactions. These combinations can be clinically significant — best avoided, or used only with close professional supervision. Always check with your pharmacist before combining them with American Ginseng.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against American Ginseng using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our American Ginseng interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction 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.
Possible. 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
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact American Ginseng combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs American Ginseng affects

Every type of medication (drug category) American Ginseng is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 4 drug categories American Ginseng interacts with

Warfarin (coumadin)Antidiabetes DrugsImmunosuppressantsMonoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (maois)

Warfarin (Coumadin)

American ginseng seems to decrease the effectiveness of warfarin therapy.
Healthy patients receiving warfarin 5 mg daily, who also take American ginseng 1 gram twice daily, seem to have a significantly reduced international normalized ratio (INR).

Likelihood Likely Evidence B

Antidiabetes Drugs

Theoretically, taking American ginseng with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
American ginseng seems to lower postprandial blood glucose. Theoretically, concomitant use with antidiabetes drugs might enhance blood glucose lowering effects and possibly cause hypoglycemia.

Likelihood Probable Evidence B

Immunosuppressants

Theoretically, American ginseng use might interfere with immunosuppressive therapy.
American ginseng seems to stimulate immune function. Theoretically, American ginseng might decrease the effectiveness of immunosuppressant drugs.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (Maois)

Theoretically, American ginseng can interfere with MAOI therapy.
There is one case report of insomnia, headache, and tremors when an unspecified ginseng product was used with phenelzine (Nardil), an MAOI. There is also one case report of hypomania when an unspecified ginseng product was used with phenelzine. Theoretically, American ginseng may interfere with MAOI therapy.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

American Ginseng: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

American ginseng is an herbal root used as an 'adaptogen' to support energy, stress, immune function, and blood sugar. Some uses—such as reducing the chance or length of colds and modestly lowering after-meal blood sugar—have early supportive evidence, but most claims are not well proven. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before use, especially if you have a health condition or take medications.

Scientific name: Panax quinquefolius
Family: Araliaceae
Part used: Root (and sometimes leaves)
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, dried root, powder, tea, liquid extracts, tinctures

People commonly use it for

Stress and energy support
Immune support and colds
Blood sugar management
Mental focus and clarity
General wellness (adaptogen)

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Generally well tolerated short-term in healthy adults, but quality and dosing vary and long-term safety is not well studied.

PregnancyPossibly Unsafe

When used orally. Ginsenoside Rb1, an active constituent of American ginseng, has teratogenic effects in animal models; avoid using.

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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Overview

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a plant native to forests of the eastern United States and Canada. Its root has been used for many years in traditional medicine, and it is closely related to Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng).

It is often called an adaptogen, a term used for herbs thought to help the body handle stress. People take American ginseng to support energy, focus, the immune system, and blood sugar. It comes in capsules, powders, dried root, teas, and liquid extracts. Products are sometimes standardized to contain a certain percentage of ginsenosides, the plant's main active compounds.

How it works

The compounds most often credited for American ginseng's effects are ginsenosides, along with certain polysaccharides. Laboratory and animal studies suggest these may influence the immune system, reduce inflammation, act as antioxidants, and affect how the body handles glucose.

It is important to know that much of this work comes from test-tube and animal research. How well these effects carry over to people—and at what doses—is still not fully understood. The mix of active compounds can also vary widely between products.

Effectiveness

Does American Ginseng work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 18 uses evaluated

1 Possibly effective 17 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

Possibly Effective Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI)