Herb & supplement monograph

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

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Bupleurum 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

Check Bupleurum against your medication

Add one medication

✓ Supplement

Bupleurum

1 Your medication

Start typing any prescription or over-the-counter drug name.

Reviewed by licensed pharmacists Sourced from Natural Medicines

On this page

Bupleurum 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 Bupleurum drug interaction appears low for most people, since none of the reported interactions have been confirmed in human studies. Every listed interaction is rated moderate rather than major, and all rest on lab or animal research rather than documented effects in people.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The combinations we would watch most closely involve medicines with little room for error. Lab research hints that bupleurum could add to the bleeding risk of anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs such as blood thinners. Animal studies suggest it might raise blood sugar, which could work against diabetes medications. It may also stimulate the immune system, potentially blunting immunosuppressants, a real concern for transplant patients where even a small change in effect matters.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of medications reflects just three broad drug categories, so a large count does not mean hundreds of separate proven risks. Each concern is theoretical, based on how bupleurum's compounds behave in lab or animal studies, and none has been shown to cause meaningful problems in people so far.

Check your medications against Bupleurum

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Bupleurum

327 medications have a known interaction with Bupleurum, 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 Bupleurum using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Bupleurum 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 Bupleurum 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 Bupleurum affects

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

All 3 drug categories Bupleurum interacts with

Anticoagulant/antiplatelet DrugsAntidiabetes DrugsImmunosuppressants

Anticoagulant/Antiplatelet Drugs

Theoretically, bupleurum might increase the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.
In vitro research suggests that saikosaponins, constituents of bupleurum, can inhibit platelet aggregation.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Antidiabetes Drugs

Theoretically, bupleurum might decrease the effects of antidiabetes drugs.
Animal research suggests that saikosaponins, constituents of bupleurum, can increase blood glucose.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Immunosuppressants

Theoretically, bupleurum might decrease the effects of immunosuppressants.
In vitro and animal research suggests that bupleurum might stimulate immune function.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Bupleurum: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

Bupleurum (Chai Hu) is a root used in traditional Chinese medicine, usually as part of multi-herb formulas, for liver, digestive, and fever-related complaints. High-quality human evidence for its benefits is limited, and it has been linked to lung and liver problems in some reports, so use it cautiously and only under professional guidance.

Scientific name: Bupleurum chinense
Family: Apiaceae
Part used: Root
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, dried root, teas, tinctures, and traditional Chinese herbal formulas

People commonly use it for

Liver and digestive support
Cold, flu, and fever
Inflammation
Stress and mood
Immune support

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

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Generally used short-term in formulas, but it has been linked to rare lung and liver problems and quality varies.

PregnancyInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; 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.

Jump to a section

Overview

Bupleurum is a flowering plant in the carrot family (Apiaceae) that grows in parts of Asia and Europe. It has small yellow flowers and thin, narrow leaves. In Chinese medicine it is known as Chai Hu, and the part most often used is the dried root.

Bupleurum is rarely taken on its own. Instead, it is usually combined with other herbs in traditional formulas. It comes in capsules, teas, tinctures, and packaged herbal blends. People have used it for hundreds of years for fever, liver complaints, digestive problems, and to help "move" energy in the body, according to traditional theories.

How it works

Bupleurum root contains compounds called saikosaponins, which are thought to be its main active ingredients. It also contains polysaccharides and flavonoids.

In laboratory and animal studies, saikosaponins have shown anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating, and liver-related effects. Researchers have also studied possible effects on fever and stress hormones. However, these mechanisms are mostly based on cell and animal research, and it is not clear how well they apply to people taking the herb by mouth.

Effectiveness

Does Bupleurum work?

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

Evidence overview · 10 uses evaluated

10 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.

For Bupleurum, current evidence isn’t strong enough to rate any specific use. The conditions it has been studied for are listed below.

Also studied for 10 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Asthma