Herb & supplement monograph

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

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Avocado 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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On this page

Avocado 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 Avocado drug interaction appears low for most people. Avocado interacts with only a couple of medications, none of the interactions are rated major, and the supporting evidence is weak.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The one combination worth knowing about involves warfarin, a blood thinner with a narrow margin where even small changes in effect can matter. Avocado may work against warfarin's anticoagulant effect, which could in theory make blood more likely to clot. That said, this concern rests on a single case report, and the interaction is graded as unlikely to occur in most people. Anyone taking warfarin already has regular blood monitoring, which would typically catch a change like this.

What the rest of the list means

Unlike many supplements, avocado has a very short interaction profile, and nothing on it is well documented in human studies. A single published report is not proof that a problem will happen, only a signal that has been noted once. For the average person eating avocado, the data does not point to a meaningful concern.

Check your medications against Avocado

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Avocado

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

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

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

AI summaries are generated from our Avocado 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 Avocado 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 Avocado affects

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

All 1 drug category Avocado interacts with

Warfarin (coumadin)

Warfarin (Coumadin)

Avocado may antagonize the anticoagulant effects of warfarin.
Avocado may antagonize the anticoagulant effects of warfarin; however, there has been only one case report of this interaction.

Likelihood Unlikely Evidence D

Monograph

Avocado: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

Avocado is a nutritious fruit rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, fiber, and potassium, and eating it as part of a balanced diet may support heart health. A specific extract called avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU) has been studied for osteoarthritis, but evidence is mixed. As a food it is very safe for most people; talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements.

Scientific name: Persea americana
Family: Lauraceae
Part used: Fruit pulp, oil, seed, and leaves
Common forms: Whole fruit, avocado oil, capsules (avocado/soybean unsaponifiables or ASU), powders

People commonly use it for

Heart and cholesterol health
Osteoarthritis (as ASU)
General nutrition and healthy fats
Skin and hair care
Blood sugar support

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

Safety at a glance

OverallLikely safe

Avocado is widely eaten and considered safe as a food for most people.

PregnancyInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using in amounts exceeding those commonly found in foods.

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using in amounts exceeding those commonly found in foods.

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

Avocado is the fruit of the avocado tree (Persea americana), an evergreen tree native to Mexico and Central America that is now grown in warm regions around the world. The fruit has a creamy green flesh, a large central seed, and bumpy skin, which is why it is sometimes called an 'alligator pear.' The Hass variety is the most common type in the United States.

Most people simply eat avocado as a food. It is prized for its smooth texture and high content of healthy fats. Avocado oil is used in cooking and in skin and hair products. There are also dietary supplements, including a special extract called avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU), that are sold for joint health.

How it works

Avocado contains monounsaturated fats (mainly oleic acid), which is the same kind of healthy fat found in olive oil. These fats may help support healthy cholesterol levels when they replace less healthy saturated fats in the diet.

The fruit also provides fiber, potassium, and plant compounds such as beta-sitosterol and various antioxidants. In laboratory and animal studies, certain avocado compounds (like persenones) show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, but these effects have not been clearly proven in people.

For joint health, the ASU extract is thought to reduce inflammation and slow the breakdown of cartilage. Much of this understanding comes from lab and cell studies, so it should be viewed cautiously.

Effectiveness

Does Avocado work?

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

Evidence overview · 12 uses evaluated

1 Possibly effective 11 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 Hypercholesterolemia