Is Echinacea Safe with Cyclosporine?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Avoid concurrent use of Echinacea with cyclosporine. Inform your transplant or immunology team of any herbal supplement use before starting or stopping Echinacea. If already taking both, request cyclosporine blood level monitoring.
Why this interaction occurs
Cyclosporine has a narrow therapeutic window and its bioavailability is mediated by CYP3A4, CYP3A5, and P-glycoprotein. Echinacea may affect these pathways inconsistently, leading to unpredictable changes in cyclosporine blood concentrations, risking either toxicity or organ rejection.
Evidence
Evidence level: limited.
Data source
PubMed - PMID 24527031
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 58,058 reports mentioning Cyclosporine. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Cyclosporine + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All Echinacea interactions → · All Cyclosporine interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.