Herb & supplement monograph

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

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Dong Quai 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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Dong Quai 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 Dong Quai drug interaction is moderate for most people, and clearly higher for anyone taking blood thinners. Almost all listed interactions are rated moderate and rest on theoretical or animal findings, but the bleeding interaction with warfarin is backed by human case reports.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The combination that deserves the most attention is Dong Quai with warfarin. Case reports describe a sharp rise in INR, a measure of how thin the blood is, which means bleeding risk can climb quickly. A similar bleeding concern applies to other anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs, though research there is conflicting and less well documented. Because Dong Quai has estrogen-like activity, large amounts could in theory blunt the effects of estrogens used in hormone therapy.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of moderate interactions does not mean every combination is harmful. Most of these concerns come from lab or animal research or from theoretical effects, and human evidence outside of warfarin remains limited. Some predicted effects, including bleeding with blood thinners other than warfarin, have not been consistently confirmed in people.

Check your medications against Dong Quai

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Dong Quai

163 medications have a known interaction with Dong Quai, 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 Dong Quai.

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

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

AI summaries are generated from our Dong Quai 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 Dong Quai 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 Dong Quai affects

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

All 3 drug categories Dong Quai interacts with

Warfarin (coumadin)Anticoagulant/antiplatelet DrugsEstrogens

Warfarin (Coumadin)

Dong quai may increase the risk of bleeding when used with warfarin.
Case reports suggest that concomitant use of dong quai with warfarin can increase the anticoagulant effects of warfarin and increase the risk of bleeding. In one case, after 4 weeks of taking dong quai 565 mg once or twice daily, the international normalized ratio (INR) increased to 4.9. The INR normalized 4 weeks after discontinuation of dong quai.

Likelihood Probable Evidence D

Anticoagulant/Antiplatelet Drugs

Theoretically, dong quai may increase the risk of bleeding when used with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs; however, research is conflicting.
Animal studies suggest that dong quai has antithrombin activity and inhibits platelet aggregation due to its coumarin components. Additionally, some case reports in humans suggest that dong quai can increase the anticoagulant effects of warfarin. However, clinical research in healthy adults shows that taking 1 gram of dong quai root daily for 3 weeks does not significantly inhibit platelet aggregation or cause bleeding. Until more is known, use dong quai with caution in patients taking antiplatelet/anticoagulant drugs.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Estrogens

Theoretically, dong quai may reduce the effects of estrogens.
Dong quai has estrogenic effects. Theoretically, concomitant use of large amounts of dong quai might interfere with hormone replacement therapy due to competition for estrogen receptors.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Dong Quai: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

Dong Quai is a traditional Chinese herb often called "female ginseng" and is mostly used for menstrual and menopausal complaints. High-quality scientific evidence that it works for these uses is limited, and it can affect bleeding, so talk with your pharmacist or doctor before trying it.

Scientific name: Angelica sinensis
Family: Apiaceae
Part used: Root
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, dried root, tea, tincture, liquid extract

People commonly use it for

Menopause symptoms
Menstrual cramps and irregular periods
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Blood circulation support
General women's health tonic

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

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

It may increase bleeding and can cause skin sensitivity to sunlight, so use with care.

PregnancyPossibly Unsafe

When used orally. Dong quai has uterine stimulant and relaxant effects; theoretically, it could adversely affect pregnancy. Observational research has...

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid use.

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

Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis) is a flowering plant in the carrot and parsley family. It grows in the cool, high-altitude mountains of China, Korea, and Japan. The root of the plant is dried and used in supplements.

Dong Quai has been a part of traditional Chinese medicine for hundreds of years. It is sometimes called "female ginseng" because it is most often used for health concerns related to the female reproductive system, such as menstrual problems and menopause symptoms. It is also taken as a general "blood tonic" and is believed by some to support circulation.

You can find Dong Quai as a single-ingredient product or, more traditionally, combined with other herbs in Chinese herbal formulas. It comes as capsules, tablets, teas, tinctures, and dried root.

How it works

Dong Quai root contains many natural compounds, including ferulic acid, ligustilide and other volatile oils, and polysaccharides. Researchers have studied these for possible anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and blood-flow effects.

It is often described as a "phytoestrogen" herb, meaning some of its compounds were thought to act like estrogen in the body. However, studies have not clearly shown that Dong Quai has strong estrogen-like activity.

It is important to know that most of these proposed mechanisms come from test-tube and animal research. How well these effects apply to people taking the supplement is not well understood.

Effectiveness

Does Dong Quai work?

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

Evidence overview · 17 uses evaluated

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.

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

Also studied for 17 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Atopic dermatitis (eczema)