Herb & supplement monograph

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

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Panax Notoginseng 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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Panax Notoginseng 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 Panax Notoginseng drug interaction appears low for most people, since none of its reported interactions have been confirmed in human studies. Every listed interaction is rated moderate rather than major, and all rest on animal or lab research rather than proven effects in people.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The combination we would watch most closely is warfarin. Animal research suggests Panax notoginseng may raise warfarin levels and increase clotting times, and because warfarin is a narrow-margin blood thinner, even a possible bleeding effect deserves respect. Similarly, animal studies show that taking it with aspirin may raise blood levels of both products, which could add to bleeding risk. Panax notoginseng may also speed up an enzyme the body uses to clear caffeine and similar medications, potentially making them less effective.

What the rest of the list means

Although the list of interacting medications is long, that does not mean every combination is harmful. Most entries are theoretical, based on how this herb might affect enzymes the body uses to process medications. So far, none of these predicted effects have been shown to cause meaningful problems in people.

Check your medications against Panax Notoginseng

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Panax Notoginseng

207 medications have a known interaction with Panax Notoginseng, 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 Panax Notoginseng using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Panax Notoginseng 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 Panax Notoginseng 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 Panax Notoginseng affects

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

All 4 drug categories Panax Notoginseng interacts with

AspirinCaffeineCytochrome P450 1a2 (cyp1a2) SubstratesWarfarin (coumadin)

Aspirin

Theoretically, taking Panax notoginseng concomitantly with aspirin may increase the risk of adverse effects from both products.
Animal research shows that taking Panax notoginseng extract with aspirin increases blood levels of salicylic acid by approximately 50% and blood levels of Panax notoginseng by 75% to 196%. This effect may be due to increased absorption of both products.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Caffeine

Theoretically, taking Panax notoginseng may decrease the levels and clinical effects of caffeine.
Animal research shows that administering Panax notoginseng intravenously for 7 days before intraperitoneal injection of caffeine can decrease maximal blood levels of caffeine by 37%. This interaction is attributed to the ability of Panax notoginseng to increase the activity of cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) enzymes.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Cytochrome P450 1A2 (Cyp1A2) Substrates

Theoretically, taking Panax notoginseng might reduce the levels and clinical effects of CYP1A2 substrates.
Animal research shows that administering Panax notoginseng intravenously for 7 days before intraperitoneal injection of caffeine can decrease maximal blood levels of caffeine by 37%. This interaction was attributed to the ability of Panax notoginseng to increase the activity of CYP1A2.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Warfarin (Coumadin)

Theoretically, taking Panax notoginseng concomitantly with warfarin may increase the risk of bleeding.
Animal research shows that taking Panax notoginseng concomitantly with warfarin increases plasma warfarin levels, prothrombin time, and international normalized ratio when compared with control. In vitro research also suggests that Panax notoginseng may downregulate expression of cytochrome P450 3A4 enzymes, which may affect warfarin metabolism.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Panax Notoginseng: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

Panax notoginseng (sanqi or tienchi ginseng) is a traditional Chinese herb most often used to help with bleeding, bruising, and circulation. Human evidence for these uses is limited and mostly early, so it should not replace proven treatments. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Scientific name: Panax notoginseng
Family: Araliaceae
Part used: Root (and sometimes flowers and leaves)
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, powders, topical preparations, and dried root used in traditional formulas

People commonly use it for

Bleeding and bruising
Heart and circulation health
High blood pressure
Chest pain (angina)
Inflammation and swelling

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

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

May be tolerated short-term by healthy adults, but quality human safety data are limited.

PregnancyLikely Unsafe

When used orally. Ginsenoside Rb1, an active constituent of Panax notoginseng, has teratogenic effects in animal models.

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingLikely Unsafe

When used orally. Ginsenoside Rb1, an active constituent of Panax notoginseng, has teratogenic effects in animal models.

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

Panax notoginseng is a flowering plant in the same family as Asian ginseng. It is native to China, Vietnam, and Thailand, and is widely grown in southern China. It is also called sanqi, tienchi, San Qi, or sanchi ginseng.

The root is the part most often used in supplements, though the flowers and leaves are sometimes used too. In traditional Chinese medicine, it has been used for hundreds of years, often to help stop bleeding, reduce bruising, and support the heart and blood vessels.

Today it is sold as capsules, tablets, powders, and topical products, and it is found in many traditional Chinese herbal formulas.

How it works

The plant contains compounds called saponins, sometimes labeled ginsenosides or notoginsenosides, along with a compound called dencichine. These are thought to be the main active ingredients.

Laboratory and animal studies suggest these compounds may affect how blood clots, may relax or affect blood vessels, and may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Interestingly, the herb has been described as having effects on bleeding that can go in different directions depending on how it is used.

Keep in mind that most of these mechanisms come from test-tube and animal research. What happens in a lab does not always translate into safe or useful effects in people.

Effectiveness

Does Panax Notoginseng 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

3 Possibly effective 1 Leans ineffective 13 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 Angina