Red Clover Drug Interactions

There are several medications that may cause negative interactions when taken with red clover. Some of these medications include aspirin, warfarin, and hormone medications. These red clover drug interactions can increase your risk of bleeding or make some of the medications less effective. To avoid these problems, be sure to talk to your healthcare provider before taking red clover with any other medications.

 

Red Clover Drug Interactions

Even though it is a natural herbal supplement, red clover (Trifolium pratense) can potentially interact with certain medications. However, there is little information available about red clover interactions. It is thought that red clover may interfere with "blood thinners," including anticoagulants (such as warfarin, Coumadin®, or Jantoven®) or antiplatelet medications (including aspirin). Theoretically, red clover may increase the risk of bleeding because it contains Coumadin-like chemicals.
 
Red clover may also interact with hormone medications, making them less effective. These medications include:
 

 

 

Early research suggests that red clover may inhibit several different liver enzymes. These enzymes are responsible for breaking down many different medications. If red clover inhibits these enzymes, high levels of other medications may accumulate to a dangerous level. However, because so little information is available, it is not known how exactly to handle these interactions.
 
If you are taking any prescription medications, check with your healthcare provider before using red clover. This is especially important for life-saving medications (such as HIV medications), medications with dangerous side effects (such as arrhythmia medications), or those for which the effectiveness is very important (such as birth control pills).
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;