6 Supplements For Lupus That Worsen Lupus

posted in Complementary Alternative Medicine on January 4, 2025 by

Donald Thomas, MD

Updated January 6, 2025

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Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the immune system is overactive. This post discusses a 2024 research study that showed that some herbal supplements for lupus can make lupus worse. Patients should not take substances that are “immunostimulatory” and “boost” or “support” the immune system. The last thing you want to do is make the immune system more active by taking supplements that worsen lupus.

The proper way to treat lupus is to use the safest treatments available that calm down the immune system enough to control lupus without causing any side effects. To see the latest (2025) ways we should treat lupus, see my blog post:  https://www.lupusencyclopedia.com/treatment-of-lupus

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NOTE: Johns Hopkins University Press, publisher of The Lupus Encyclopedia, is a nonprofit publisher. If you purchase anything from JHUP, you support projects like Project MUSE.

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2024 Study Confirms: More Than 6 Supplements Increase Lupus Flares

For many years we have known that patients taking echinacea supplements or eat a lot of alfalfa or mung bean sprouts can get lupus flares. Now, we can confidently add other immune system boosting supplements to the list.

Lupus experts at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, followed 673 patients with lupus and dermatomyositis (another autoimmune disease). All patients had autoimmune skin (cutaneous) disease. Here are the findings:

• 1 out of every 3 patients took herbal supplements (showing that many patients are taking supplements that can make lupus worse)
• Younger patients were almost twice as likely to take herbal supplements for lupus than older patients
• Hispanic patients were more likely to take herbal supplements (58% Hispanics took herbs while only 30% of Whites did)
• Flares with the herbal supplements for lupus occurred as often in men as women (no sex differences in flares)
• Turmeric (curcumin) did not cause flares. One patient noted disease improvement on it. The study was not designed to see if any supplements improved lupus.
• Garlic was NOT reported to cause lupus flares. There is no evidence that garlic consumed in moderation is bad for lupus, though some websites (to include Johns Hopkins) continue to list garlic. Garlic was actually included in an anti-inflammatory diet shown to help autoimmune disease.

The 6 Herbs That Increased Lupus Flares

The percentage in parentheses after the name of the herbal supplement shows the percentage of lupus patients who flared when taking the supplement. These are listed in order starting with the herbs that caused the most lupus flares.

I have included links for each herb that supports it immunostimulatory effects (click on the name of the herb):

• Elderberry (50% of lupus patients flared on elderberry)
• Ashwagandha (25%)
• Echinacea (20%)
• Spirulina (20%)
• Alfalfa (18%)
• Chlorella (17%)
• Other (as a group; fewer patients took these): moringa, Zyflamend (blend of 10 herbs), herbal teas, green drinks, immune-system boosting supplements, and protein powders (18% of lupus patients taking any of these supplements flared)
• This study specifically studied cutaneous lupus. However, lupus primarily affects the skin as a major organ, with a pathogenesis similar to that in other organs, such as high levels of type 1 interferon.

NOTE: I wish they had included the ingredients in the herbal teas, green drinks and protein powders, so we would have more information. I suspect that most protein powders, green drinks and herbal teas are safe if they do not contain immunostimulatory herbal products. For example, there is no evidence that chamomile tea or whey protein worsens lupus or related disorders. Avoid those products that state they “boost” or “support” the immune system.

List of Supplements That May Help Lupus

The following supplements have shown promise for reducing lupus disease activity and help lupus include:

• Turmeric (curcumin)
• Ginger
• Omega-3 fatty acids (especially krill oil)
• Vitamin D
• NAC (n-acetylcysteine)
• DHEA

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For more in-depth information on 6 Supplements For Lupus That Worsen Lupus:

Read more in The Lupus Encyclopedia, edition 2

Look up your symptoms, conditions, and medications in the Index of The Lupus Encyclopedia

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