Why I Built a Free Herb-Drug Interaction Checker (And What I Found)

Here's something that should worry anyone taking supplements: most people who use herbal products don't tell their doctor, and most doctors don't ask.

A 2023 systematic review found that up to 70% of herbal supplement users don't disclose their use to healthcare providers. Meanwhile, herb-drug interactions are a real clinical problem — St. John's Wort alone interacts with over 50 prescription medications, including birth control, antidepressants, and blood thinners.

The problem

Try searching "can I take turmeric with metformin" right now. You'll get: - SEO-optimized blog posts that say "consult your doctor" (helpful, thanks) - Forums where strangers share anecdotes - Academic papers behind paywalls - Supplement company blogs that conveniently find no interactions

What you won't easily find: a simple, searchable database that shows you specific interactions with evidence quality ratings and severity levels.

So I built one

The Botanica Andina Interaction Checker currently covers:

- 154 medicinal plants (from well-known ones like turmeric and ginkgo to South American plants like cat's claw and maca) - 203 medications (the most commonly prescribed drugs globally) - 503 documented interactions with severity ratings and mechanism explanations

It's free, no signup required, works on mobile, and sources everything from PubMed-indexed research.

Surprising things I learned building it

1. "Natural" doesn't mean "safe to combine"

Ginkgo biloba + aspirin = significantly increased bleeding risk. Both have antiplatelet effects. This isn't theoretical — it's documented in case reports and pharmacological studies.

2. The most dangerous interactions involve the most common supplements

St. John's Wort, garlic, ginkgo, and turmeric — the four most popular herbal supplements globally — all have significant interaction profiles with common medications.

3. Some interactions are actually beneficial

Piperine (black pepper extract) increases absorption of curcumin by 2000%. That's an interaction, but a useful one — if you know about it.

How to use it

Go to the interaction checker, type a plant name or medication, and see what comes up. Each interaction shows: - Severity level (major, moderate, minor) - The mechanism (how the interaction works) - Clinical evidence quality - Source references

If you find something concerning, bring the specific information to your doctor. "I found that X interacts with Y through Z mechanism" is a much more productive conversation than "the internet says herbs are dangerous."

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Botanica Andina — evidence-based medicinal plant research for Latin America.