Herb & supplement monograph

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

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Maitake Mushroom 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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Maitake Mushroom Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the risk of a clinically significant Maitake Mushroom drug interaction is moderate for most people, and it centers on medicines that affect blood sugar, blood pressure, or blood clotting. None of the listed interactions are rated major, but all are rated moderate, and most rest on theoretical or limited evidence.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The best-documented concern is with diabetes medications, since human research shows a maitake extract can lower blood glucose, so adding it could push blood sugar too low. Warfarin also deserves care: in one case report, a patient stable on warfarin developed a markedly elevated INR, a sign of increased bleeding risk, after a week of maitake extract. A possible drop in blood pressure with blood pressure medications has been seen only in animal research, so it is less certain but worth knowing about.

What the rest of the list means

Although the list of interacting medications is long, it reflects a few broad concerns, mainly effects on blood sugar, blood pressure, and clotting, applied across many drugs. Most of these interactions are predicted rather than proven, and outside the warfarin case report, harmful combinations have not been clearly shown in people.

Check your medications against Maitake Mushroom

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Maitake Mushroom

260 medications have a known interaction with Maitake Mushroom, 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 Maitake Mushroom using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Maitake Mushroom 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 Maitake Mushroom 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 Maitake Mushroom affects

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

All 3 drug categories Maitake Mushroom interacts with

Antidiabetes DrugsAntihypertensive DrugsWarfarin (coumadin)

Antidiabetes Drugs

Theoretically, combining maitake mushroom with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Clinical research shows that taking maitake mushroom polysaccharide (MMP) can lower blood glucose levels in patients with types 2 diabetes.

Likelihood Possible Evidence B

Antihypertensive Drugs

Theoretically, combining maitake mushroom with antihypertensive drugs might increase the risk of hypotension.
Animal research shows that maitake mushroom can lower blood pressure.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Warfarin (Coumadin)

There is limited evidence that maitake mushroom may increase the anticoagulant effects of warfarin.
In a case report, a patient previously stabilized on warfarin developed an elevated international normalized ratio (INR) of 5.1 after taking maitake mushroom (Grifron-Pro Maitake D-Fraction) 1 drop/kg daily in three divided doses for one week. The elevated INR resolved after holding warfarin for two days, then reducing the dose by 11%. It is thought that the beta-glucan constituent of maitake mushroom might cause warfarin dissociation from proteins, resulting in increased free warfarin levels and increased warfarin effects.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Maitake Mushroom: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

Maitake is an edible mushroom long used as food and in traditional Japanese medicine, and it is being studied for possible immune, blood sugar, and blood pressure effects. The human evidence is still limited and not strong enough to recommend it as a treatment. It is generally well tolerated as food, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements.

Scientific name: Grifola frondosa
Family: Meripilaceae
Part used: Fruiting body (mushroom) and mycelium; also purified extracts such as the 'D-fraction'
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, powders, liquid extracts (D-fraction/SX-fraction), and whole mushroom used as food

People commonly use it for

Immune support
Blood sugar support in diabetes
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
General wellness and antioxidant support

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 food, but supplement safety has not been fully 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

Maitake (Grifola frondosa) is an edible mushroom that grows in clusters at the base of trees, especially oaks. It is native to parts of Japan, China, and North America. Its overlapping, fan-shaped caps give it the nickname "hen of the woods." In Japanese, "maitake" is often said to mean "dancing mushroom."

Maitake has been eaten as food for a long time and is valued for its rich, savory flavor. It has also been used in traditional Japanese medicine. Today it is sold both as a culinary mushroom and as a dietary supplement in capsules, powders, and liquid extracts. Supplement makers often highlight beta-glucan compounds such as the "D-fraction" and a protein-bound component called the "SX-fraction."

How it works

Maitake contains complex sugars called beta-glucans, including the much-discussed "D-fraction." In laboratory and animal research, beta-glucans appear to interact with immune cells and may influence how the immune system responds.

Other proposed effects, such as helping with blood sugar or blood pressure, may come from the way these mushroom compounds affect metabolism and blood vessels. Maitake also contains antioxidants that may help reduce cell-damaging molecules.

It is important to know that most of these mechanisms are based on lab and animal research, not on strong human studies. The exact way maitake works in the body is still not fully understood.

Effectiveness

Does Maitake Mushroom 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 Maitake Mushroom, 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 Allergic rhinitis (hay fever)