Does the Berberine in Phytomem One Interact With Medicines?

• Berberine HCl is on the label, inside a 458 mg blend with nine other names. Its own amount is not published.
• A two-week study found 900 mg a day slowed three liver enzymes (CYP2D6, CYP2C9 and CYP3A4) that break down many drugs.
• Berberine can lower blood sugar and may add to diabetes medicine. A berberine herb cut metformin levels by about 25% in healthy adults.
• Berberine has a known interaction with cyclosporine, a transplant drug.
• Olive leaf may lower blood pressure, fucoidan may slightly raise bleeding risk, and kudzu may interact with tamoxifen and methotrexate.
• Stomach and bowel upset is the side effect most often reported for berberine.

It can be. Berberine is studied for blood sugar. A review of 37 trials with 3,048 people who had type 2 diabetes found lower fasting blood sugar and HbA1c, mostly at 0.9 to 2.4 g a day (Chen et al., 2022). A health agency page warns that herbs which lower blood sugar can cause unwanted effects when combined with diabetes medicine (NCCIH, diabetes and dietary supplements).

In another case, goldenseal, a herb that contains berberine, cut metformin levels by about 25% in healthy adults (NCCIH, goldenseal). That does not mean the tablet will do the same. It means a doctor should see the list if you take metformin or any other diabetes drug.

• Saffron: safe in food amounts. About 5 g is linked to toxic effects and saffron supplements should be avoided in pregnancy (Drugs.com, saffron monograph). People with kidney or bleeding problems are told to avoid high-dose saffron (MD Anderson, saffron).
• Ceylon cinnamon: holds only trace coumarin, a compound that can matter in liver disease and is high in some cassia cinnamon (NCCIH, cinnamon).
• Corosolic acid from banaba: one person with weak kidneys, also taking a pain reliever, developed kidney injury and lactic acidosis (Zheng et al., 2010). Safety in pregnancy is unknown (Drugs.com, corosolic acid monograph).
• Kudzu flower: case reports link kudzu to liver and kidney problems, and people with hormone-sensitive cancer should avoid it (MSKCC, kudzu).
• Fucoxanthin: no safety problems showed in blood or urine tests at 1 to 3 mg a day for 4 weeks (Hitoe and Shimoda, 2017).
• Xylitol: toxic to dogs (FDA, xylitol and dogs), and gut upset showed at 35 to 50 g in one drink (Storey et al., 2007).

Morosil and oleuropein have fewer safety reports. Fewer reports can mean gentle, or it can mean less research.

1. Photograph the front and back of the bottle, or bring it.
2. Write the ten names from the blend: xylitol, Ceylon cinnamon, corosolic acid, saffron, fucoxanthin, fucoidan, Citrus sinensis, kudzu, oleuropein and berberine HCl.
3. List every medicine and supplement you take, with doses.
4. Ask a pharmacist or doctor whether any of them clash, and say plainly that the berberine amount is not published.
5. If the answer is no, or a maybe, do not start until you have a yes in writing.

Phytomem One is a dietary supplement. It is not FDA approved, and the FDA says it does not approve supplements (FDA, dietary supplement Q&A). It does not treat memory loss or any disease.

The honest answer is that nobody can tell you how this tablet will behave beside your medicines, because the amounts are not published and no study of the tablet exists. What can be said is that one of its ten names, berberine, has a well-documented habit of changing how other drugs are handled.

That is not a reason for alarm, and it is not a reason to skip the question either. If you take any prescription, show the label to the person who knows your list. If you take none, the usual cautions still apply: one tablet a day, with food, away from pets and children.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Written by the Phytomem Editorial Desk. Medically reviewed by Dr. Madeeha Shahzadi, MD Pulmonologist. This page is general information, not medical advice. Phytomem One is a dietary supplement. It is not FDA approved, and it does not treat or prevent any disease. Ask your own doctor about your own case.