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Can I take turmeric or curcumin with Eliquis (apixaban)?

Ask your prescriber before you try it. This interaction is theoretical only: nothing has been published on turmeric or curcumin taken with apixaban, in studies or case reports. The worry comes from lab and animal work, where curcumin made platelets less sticky and blocked the kinds of enzymes and pumps that clear apixaban, plus one case of a raised clotting test with an older blood thinner. A pharmacist can check your exact product.

How well documented: Theoretical only. No study or case report in people for this pair: the concern comes from how the two work.

Last reviewed

How we grade evidenceEditorial policy

What's known

  • Theory: how apixaban is cleared. Apixaban is cleared by a liver and gut enzyme (CYP3A4) and a pump (P-gp). The label says drugs that strongly block both raise apixaban levels and the risk of bleeding. In lab and animal studies, curcumin blocked CYP enzymes and P-gp, but a 2017 review found only one human trial, of any drug, in which curcumin clearly changed its levels. (Eliquis label; Bahramsoltani 2017)
  • Theory: platelets. Research reviewed in 2018, mostly in the lab, found that curcumin makes platelets less sticky and slows clotting. That would add to apixaban's effect, the way the label says aspirin and NSAID pain relievers do, but it has not been measured in people taking apixaban. (Keihanian 2018; Eliquis label)
  • Case reports with another blood thinner. French drug-safety doctors described a probable interaction in which turmeric raised the INR, a clotting test, in a person taking fluindione, an older blood thinner similar to warfarin. We found no case report with apixaban. (Daveluy 2014)
  • One small human study. In people taking warfarin or dabigatran (another newer blood thinner), 10 days of a curcumin supplement did not change their INR. The published summary gives no numbers of people. The dabigatran label says INR is relatively insensitive to that drug, so the test says little about newer blood thinners like apixaban. (Hu 2018; Pradaxa label)
  • A separate harm: the liver. NIH's LiverTox links some turmeric products to several dozen cases of acute liver injury, and NCCIH warns that curcumin products made to be better absorbed have harmed the liver. (LiverTox; NCCIH)

What to do

  • Talk to your prescriber or pharmacist before you start a turmeric or curcumin supplement, and tell them the product and amount. The apixaban label asks you to tell your healthcare provider about every vitamin and herbal supplement you use.
  • Call your healthcare provider or get medical help right away for signs of bleeding: bleeding gums, frequent nosebleeds, heavier periods, red, pink or brown urine, red or black stools, or coughing up or vomiting blood. (Eliquis label)
  • NCCIH says to stop turmeric and talk with your health care provider if you get signs of liver damage: tiredness, nausea, poor appetite, dark urine or yellow skin or eyes. (NCCIH)
  • If you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy, ask your doctor or midwife first: NCCIH says turmeric supplements may be unsafe in pregnancy.
  • Don't stop or change a prescribed medicine on your own. The label warns that stopping apixaban raises the risk of a stroke.

Sources

  1. US National Library of Medicine. Eliquis (apixaban) tablets: prescribing information and Medication Guide. DailyMed, revised April 2025. DailyMed
  2. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Turmeric. Last updated April 2025. NCCIH
  3. Bahramsoltani R, et al. Pharmacokinetic interactions of curcuminoids with conventional drugs: A review. J Ethnopharmacol. 2017. PubMed 28734960 · doi:10.1016/j.jep.2017.07.022
  4. Keihanian F, et al. Curcumin, hemostasis, thrombosis, and coagulation. J Cell Physiol. 2018. PubMed 29052850 · doi:10.1002/jcp.26249
  5. Daveluy A, et al. Probable interaction between an oral vitamin K antagonist and turmeric (Curcuma longa). Therapie. 2014. PubMed 25230280 · doi:10.2515/therapie/2014062
  6. LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Turmeric. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, updated June 2025. PubMed 31643876
  7. Hu S, et al. Interaction study between antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, thyroid replacement therapy and a bioavailable formulation of curcumin. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2018. PubMed 30070343 · doi:10.26355/eurrev_201808_15647
  8. US National Library of Medicine. Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) capsules: prescribing information. DailyMed, revised 06/2025. DailyMed