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Herb and medicine interaction

Amla and blood pressure medicines

Amla (amalaki) (Phyllanthus emblica (Emblica officinalis)) with blood pressure medicines.

Conflicting evidencePending medical review

The short answer

The evidence is mixed. In an eight-week trial in Iran, 92 people whose blood pressure stayed high on their usual medicines were randomised to amla capsules or a placebo, and 81 finished. Systolic pressure fell 15.6% with amla and 6.3% with placebo. A larger 12-week trial at JIPMER, Puducherry, found that an amla extract added nothing to the routine medicines of 150 people with high blood pressure.

Both trials said amla was well tolerated, but they were short, and they tested capsules, not fresh amla, juice or powder. If you take a blood pressure medicine and want to add amla capsules, tell your prescribing doctor, and ask whether you should check your blood pressure at home for a while.

Common Indian packs include Telma (telmisartan), Amlong (amlodipine), Cardace (ramipril) and Met XL (metoprolol).

At a glance

What was seenHow it may workDirectionEvidence
Extra fall in blood pressure on top of usual medicines[1]Not establishedBlood pressure may fall further than with the medicine aloneRCT
No extra fall in blood pressure[2]Not establishedNo added effect on the medicineRCT

No listing is not a clearance. A missing interaction here never means a combination is safe.

The evidence, study by study

Trial in uncontrolled hypertension, Iran, 2020 RCT

Ninety-two people whose blood pressure stayed high despite their usual medicines added amla capsules (500 mg three times a day) or a placebo for eight weeks. Eighty-one finished. Systolic pressure fell 15.6% with amla against 6.3% with placebo, and diastolic pressure 12.3% against 3.9%. No side effects were reported. Pressure was measured only in the clinic, and the authors could not confirm how regularly people took their usual tablets.[1]

Trial in essential hypertension, Puducherry, 2021 RCT

At JIPMER, 150 people with high blood pressure took capsules of an aqueous amla extract (500 mg twice a day) or a placebo alongside their routine medicines for 12 weeks. Amla gave no additional fall in systolic or diastolic pressure, and it did not change cholesterol, HbA1c or arterial stiffness. The authors found it well tolerated. The product, dose and patients differed from the Iranian trial.[2]

What your doctor may watch for

  • Blood pressure readings, at home or in the clinic. In the trial that found an effect, pressure was checked every two weeks.[1]
  • Dizziness or light-headedness, especially on standing up, which can be a sign that blood pressure has gone too low.

What to tell your prescribing doctor

You can read this out, or show them this page:

“I am taking, or planning to take, amla (fruit, juice or capsules, and how much) along with my blood pressure medicine. One trial found amla lowered blood pressure further in people already on treatment, and another found no extra effect. Should I check my blood pressure at home for a while?”

Withheld until review

Dose adjustments and any “no known interaction” clearance appear only after a vaidya on our medical board has reviewed this page. Why we hold these back

Questions people ask

Is amla juice the same as the amla in these studies?

Not necessarily. One trial used amla capsules and the other an aqueous amla extract. Fresh fruit, juice and powders were not tested, and how much of the active material they carry varies.[1][2]

Does amla have side effects with BP medicine?

In the two trials, people taking amla with their usual blood pressure medicines reported no side effects in one and tolerated it well in the other. The trials ran for 8 and 12 weeks, which is too short and too small to pick up rarer problems.[1][2]

Related

Interaction

Amla and metformin

Amla lowered blood sugar further alongside metformin in one small rat study. Nobody has tested the two together in people.

Interaction

Amla and blood thinners

Amla extract slowed platelet clumping in small human studies, alone and with aspirin or clopidogrel. Warfarin has not been tested.

Interaction

Arjuna and blood pressure medicines

Arjuna capsules lowered blood pressure further in people taking telmisartan, in one small 28-day trial. Other BP drugs are untested.

Interaction

Ashwagandha and blood pressure medicines

We found no study of ashwagandha with a named BP medicine. A US health agency lists BP drugs among those it might interact with.

Sources

  1. Ghaffari S, Navabzadeh M, Ziaee M, Ghobadi A, Ghods R, Hashem-Dabaghian F. A randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, add-on clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of Emblica officinalis in uncontrolled hypertension. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020;2020:8592869. PMID 33082832.
  2. Shanmugarajan D, Girish C, Harivenkatesh N, Chanaveerappa B, Prasanna Lakshmi NC. Antihypertensive and pleiotropic effects of Phyllanthus emblica extract as an add-on therapy in patients with essential hypertension: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Phytother Res. 2021;35:3275-3285. PMID 33570228.

Awaiting review by The Good Vaidya Medical Board. Prepared from the sources below and checked against each one.

Published 4 November 2026 · Last updated 4 November 2026

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