Herb & supplement monograph

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

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Indian Gooseberry 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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Indian Gooseberry 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 Indian Gooseberry drug interaction is moderate for people taking blood thinners or diabetes medications, and low for most others. None of the known interactions are rated major, and all of them trace back to two effects: a possible influence on blood clotting and a blood-sugar-lowering effect.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The combinations that deserve the most attention involve anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs, including aspirin and clopidogrel. Human studies found that Indian gooseberry can reduce platelet clumping and lengthen bleeding and clotting times, although the research is conflicting, so the added bleeding risk is not fully established. Diabetes medications also matter: Indian gooseberry can lower blood glucose on its own, so combining the two could push blood sugar too low, and diabetes drug doses may need adjusting.

What the rest of the list means

Although the number of medications involved sounds large, nearly all of them are simply individual blood thinners or diabetes drugs affected by the same two concerns. The supporting evidence comes from small human studies with mixed results, so a meaningful problem is not proven for every medication counted, but the potential effects are real enough to take seriously with these two groups.

Check your medications against Indian Gooseberry

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Indian Gooseberry

208 medications have a known interaction with Indian Gooseberry, 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 Indian Gooseberry using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Indian Gooseberry 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 Indian Gooseberry 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 Indian Gooseberry affects

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

All 4 drug categories Indian Gooseberry interacts with

Anticoagulant/antiplatelet DrugsAntidiabetes DrugsAspirinClopidogrel (plavix)

Anticoagulant/Antiplatelet Drugs

Theoretically, Indian gooseberry may increase the risk of bleeding if used with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs; however, research is conflicting.
Clinical research shows that taking Indian gooseberry 500 mg as a single dose or twice daily for 10 days reduces platelet aggregation by about 24% to 36%, increases bleeding time by about 3.8-5.9 seconds, and increases clotting time by about 9.8-12.7 seconds when compared to baseline. However, taking Indian gooseberry 500 mg along with clopidogrel 75 mg or ecosprin 75 mg, as a single dose or for 10 days, does not significantly reduce platelet aggregation or increase bleeding time or clotting time when compared with clopidogrel 75 mg or ecosprin 75 mg alone. Until more is known, use caution when taking Indian gooseberry in combination with anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs.

Likelihood Possible Evidence B

Antidiabetes Drugs

Taking Indian gooseberry with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Clinical research shows that taking Indian gooseberry fruit or fruit extract alone or in conjunction with antidiabetes medications can lower blood glucose levels. Dose adjustments to diabetes medications might be necessary.

Likelihood Possible Evidence B

Aspirin

Theoretically, Indian gooseberry may increase the risk of bleeding if used with aspirin; however, research is conflicting.
Clinical research shows that taking Indian gooseberry 500 mg as a single dose or twice daily for 10 days reduces platelet aggregation by about 24% to 36%, increases bleeding time by about 3.8-5.9 seconds, and increases clotting time by about 9.8-12.7 seconds when compared to baseline. However, taking a single dose of Indian gooseberry 500 mg along with ecosprin 75 mg, or taking a combination of Indian gooseberry 500 mg twice daily plus ecosprin 75 mg once daily for 10 days, does not significantly reduce platelet aggregation or increase bleeding time or clotting time when compared with ecosprin 75 mg alone.

Likelihood Possible Evidence B

Clopidogrel (Plavix)

Theoretically, Indian gooseberry may increase the risk of bleeding if used with clopidogrel; however, research is conflicting.
Clinical research shows that taking Indian gooseberry 500 mg as a single dose or twice daily for 10 days reduces platelet aggregation by about 24% to 36%, increases bleeding time by about 3.8-5.9 seconds, and increases clotting time by about 9.8-12.7 seconds when compared to baseline. However, taking a single dose of Indian gooseberry 500 mg along with clopidogrel 75 mg, or taking a combination of Indian gooseberry 500 mg twice daily plus clopidogrel 75 mg once daily for 10 days, does not significantly reduce platelet aggregation or increase bleeding time or clotting time when compared with clopidogrel 75 mg alone.

Likelihood Possible Evidence B

Monograph

Indian Gooseberry: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

Indian gooseberry (amla) is a vitamin C-rich fruit used in Ayurvedic medicine for many purposes, from antioxidant support to cholesterol and digestion. Early research is promising for some uses like cholesterol, but most claims are not yet proven by strong human studies. It is generally well tolerated as a food, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking concentrated supplements.

Scientific name: Phyllanthus emblica
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Part used: Fruit (sometimes seeds, leaves, and bark)
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, powder, juice, dried fruit, and extracts

People commonly use it for

Antioxidant support
Cholesterol and heart health
Immune support
Digestive health
Skin and hair care

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

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Generally well tolerated as a food, but supplement safety is less studied.

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

Indian gooseberry, often called amla or amalaki, comes from a small to medium tree (Phyllanthus emblica) that grows widely across India and parts of Southeast Asia. The fruit is small, round, and green, with a sour and somewhat bitter taste.

Amla has been used for centuries in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. It is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C and contains many plant compounds thought to act as antioxidants.

Today, people take amla as juice, powder, dried fruit, or in capsules and tablets. Supplements are often made from extracts of the whole fruit.

How it works

Indian gooseberry is rich in vitamin C and contains plant compounds such as tannins, flavonoids, and polyphenols (including emblicanin and gallic acid). Many of these act as antioxidants, meaning they may help protect cells from a type of damage called oxidative stress.

Researchers believe these compounds may also affect cholesterol processing and reduce inflammation in the body. Some lab studies suggest amla may influence blood sugar and certain enzymes.

It is important to know that much of this is based on test-tube and animal research. The way amla behaves in a lab does not always match what happens in the human body.

Effectiveness

Does Indian Gooseberry work?

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

Evidence overview · 23 uses evaluated

2 Possibly effective 21 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 Dyslipidemia