Is Echinacea Safe with Codeine?
Free · No account · based on published sources including NIH ODS, FDA drug labels, and peer-reviewed literature
Use caution combining Echinacea with Codeine. Echinacea may mildly speed up Codeine metabolism via CYP3A4. Monitor for reduced effectiveness.
Why this interaction occurs
Echinacea modestly induces hepatic CYP3A4. Result: slightly decreased drug levels. Low clinical risk for most drugs but avoid with immunosuppressants
Evidence
Evidence level: moderate.
Reported safety data
The FDA’s adverse event reporting system (FAERS) has received 100,795 reports mentioning Codeine. This reflects reported cases involving the medication in general — not confirmed causation, and not specific to the Codeine + supplement combination on this page.
FAERS reports are voluntary and cannot prove that a drug caused an event. Do not use report counts to assess the safety of this specific drug-supplement pair.
Frequently asked questions
Related interactions
All Echinacea interactions → · All Codeine interactions →
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Educational only — not medical advice.
Always confirm with your doctor or pharmacist.