Herb & supplement monograph

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

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what White Mulberry 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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White Mulberry 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 White Mulberry drug interaction appears low for most people, though it deserves real attention if you take medicines for blood sugar. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and the concerns behind them rest mostly on theoretical or animal research rather than well-documented human studies.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The interaction that stands out most involves diabetes medications. Clinical research shows white mulberry leaf can lower blood glucose on its own, so combining it with drugs that do the same thing could push blood sugar lower than intended, which matters for anyone whose glucose is closely managed. The other concern involves medicines the kidneys clear through a transporter, such as metformin; animal research suggests white mulberry may slow how quickly the body removes these drugs, which could raise their levels.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of interacting medications largely traces back to those two effects, especially the kidney transporter one, which is predicted rather than proven in people. In other words, most listed combinations reflect what could theoretically happen, not what has been shown to cause meaningful problems in humans.

Check your medications against White Mulberry

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with White Mulberry

87 medications have a known interaction with White Mulberry, 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 White Mulberry using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our White Mulberry 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 White Mulberry 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 White Mulberry affects

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

All 2 drug categories White Mulberry interacts with

Antidiabetes DrugsOrganic Cation Transporter 2 (oct2) Substrates

Antidiabetes Drugs

Theoretically, white mulberry leaf might increase the risk of hypoglycemia when taken with antidiabetes drugs.
Clinical research shows that white mulberry leaf can lower blood glucose levels. Advise patients to monitor glucose levels closely.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Organic Cation Transporter 2 (Oct2) Substrates

Theoretically, white mulberry leaf might slow the elimination and increase the adverse effects of drugs which are OCT2 substrates.
Animal research shows that coadministration of white mulberry leaf extract with metformin, an OCT2 substrate, slows the renal elimination of metformin via inhibition of OCT2 activity. OCT2 is expressed in the kidneys and is responsible for transporting cationic drugs into tubular epithelial cells in order to be excreted in the urine.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

White Mulberry: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

White mulberry leaf is most studied for helping blunt the rise in blood sugar after meals, but the human evidence is limited and not strong. It is generally well tolerated as a food and tea, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements, especially if you take diabetes medicine.

Scientific name: Morus alba
Family: Moraceae
Part used: Leaves, fruit (berries), root bark, and twigs
Common forms: Capsules, tablets, leaf tea, powdered leaf extract, dried fruit, liquid extracts

People commonly use it for

Blood sugar support
High cholesterol
Weight management
Antioxidant support
High blood pressure (traditional use)

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

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Likely safe as a food, but concentrated supplements are less studied and may lower blood sugar.

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.

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Overview

White mulberry (Morus alba) is a deciduous tree that is native to China but now grows in many parts of the world, including Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. It has long been important in silk farming because silkworms feed on its leaves.

People eat the sweet white-to-pinkish berries fresh or dried, and the leaves, root bark, and twigs have a long history in traditional Chinese and other folk medicine systems. Today, white mulberry leaf is commonly sold as a capsule, tablet, powder, or tea, often marketed for blood sugar and weight support.

It is worth noting that white mulberry (Morus alba) is a different species from black mulberry (Morus nigra), even though both belong to the same plant genus.

How it works

White mulberry leaf contains a compound called 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), which can block enzymes in the gut that break down complex sugars. By slowing this process, less sugar is absorbed quickly, which may lessen the rise in blood sugar after eating.

The plant also contains flavonoids, polyphenols, and anthocyanins (especially in the fruit) that act as antioxidants in laboratory tests. Researchers have studied these compounds for possible effects on cholesterol and inflammation.

Most of these mechanisms come from test-tube and animal studies, so it is not certain how strongly they apply to people taking supplements.

Effectiveness

Does White Mulberry work?

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

Evidence overview · 9 uses evaluated

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

Also studied for 9 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Androgenic alopecia