Drug & supplement interaction

American Pawpaw + Phenylephrine

Phenylephrine brand names: Gilchew, AH Chew D, Gilchew IR, Sudafed PE, Biorphen.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between American Pawpaw and Phenylephrine in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

American Pawpaw and Phenylephrine

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Phenylephrine and American Pawpaw in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

American Pawpaw safety at a glance

American Pawpaw overall Use caution The ripe fruit is generally eaten as food, but concentrated leaf, twig, and seed extracts may be toxic and lack good safety data.
Pregnancy Avoid There is not enough safety information, and concentrated extracts may be harmful, so avoid during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety has not been studied, so avoid concentrated pawpaw supplements while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Phenylephrine and American Pawpaw? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Phenylephrine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Phenylephrine is filed under 5 classifications — including alpha-adrenergic agonists, stimulant drugs, serotonergic drugs. American Pawpaw has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being antineoplastics (minor) — and none of Phenylephrine’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

American Pawpaw Does Interact With Other Medications

American Pawpaw has 25 minor known drug interactions in our database — Phenylephrine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Minor 25 No known interaction 2,805 (incl. Phenylephrine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against American Pawpaw

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against American Pawpaw. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests American Pawpaw and Phenylephrine May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    American Pawpaw

    “In general, American pawpaw is well tolerated. However, cases of urticaria, nausea, vomiting, bowel disturbances, headache, and faintness have been reported following ingestion of pawpaw fruit. Similarly, American pawpaw extract may cause vomiting when taken orally or contact dermatitis when applied topically.”

    American Pawpaw · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    3 sources cited
    1. 89428. Barber MA. Poisoning due to the papaw (Asimina triloba). JAMA. 1905;XLV(27):2013-2014. DOI
    2. 89429. McLaughlin JL. Paw paw and cancer: Annonaceous acetogenins from discover to commercial products. J Nat Prod. 2008;71:1311-1321.
    3. 1525. Avalos J, Rupprecht JK, McLaughlin JL, et al. Guinea pig maximization test of the bark extract from pawpaw, Asimina triloba (Annonaceae). Contact Dermatitis 1993;29:33-5.

    “Orally, American pawpaw fruit can cause nausea, vomiting, bowel disturbances, and burning of the throat and stomach. American pawpaw extract can cause vomiting when taken orally.”

    American Pawpaw · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    2 sources cited
    1. 89428. Barber MA. Poisoning due to the papaw (Asimina triloba). JAMA. 1905;XLV(27):2013-2014. DOI
    2. 89429. McLaughlin JL. Paw paw and cancer: Annonaceous acetogenins from discover to commercial products. J Nat Prod. 2008;71:1311-1321.

    Phenylephrine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Phenylephrine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Headache Additional detail

    American Pawpaw

    “Orally, American pawpaw fruit can cause headache and faintness.”

    American Pawpaw · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    1 source cited
    1. 89428. Barber MA. Poisoning due to the papaw (Asimina triloba). JAMA. 1905;XLV(27):2013-2014. DOI

    Phenylephrine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Phenylephrine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for American Pawpaw but not commonly for Phenylephrine: a skin rash and hives.

Effects for Phenylephrine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for American Pawpaw come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

From our Q&A

Questions About American Pawpaw or Phenylephrine

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers American Pawpaw or Phenylephrine, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Phenylephrine

This page covers American Pawpaw only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Phenylephrine page lists 81 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Ephedra (major), Lithium (major), Peyote (major) and Rauvolfia Vomitoria (major).

By severity: 6 major · 60 moderate · 15 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Phenylephrine page

“If you take phenylephrine (Sudafed PE, Biorphen) for congestion, treat this list as one that needs real attention, since six of its 81 entries carry a major rating. Phenylephrine tightens blood vessels to clear your nose, and more than half of the interactions here come from stimulant ingredients, ephedra above all, that can push blood…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Phenylephrine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where American Pawpaw and Phenylephrine Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement American Pawpaw
Top half

#711 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Phenylephrine
Top half

#838 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every American Pawpaw reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The American Pawpaw and Phenylephrine records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About American Pawpaw

What is American Pawpaw?

American Pawpaw
  • Anticancer interest
  • Lice and head lice treatment (topical)
  • Traditional digestive remedy
  • General wellness/antioxidant
  • Insecticide (historical seed use)

American pawpaw is a North American fruit tree whose leaves, twigs, and seeds contain compounds called acetogenins that have shown cancer-cell-killing activity in laboratory studies. However, strong human evidence for any health benefit is lacking, and the seeds, bark, and unripe parts can be toxic, so supplements should be used cautiously and only under professional guidance.

Asimina triloba · Annonaceae · Fruit, seeds, bark, leaves, and twigs · Fresh fruit, capsules, extracts, and standardized acetogenin products

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether American Pawpaw is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our American Pawpaw record says about it on its own.

American Pawpaw: dosing

There is no established standardized dose for American pawpaw supplements. Products vary widely in strength and which part of the plant they use, which makes safe dosing hard to determine.If you choose to use a pawpaw product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them.

From our American Pawpaw monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full American Pawpaw monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Phenylephrine

What Is Phenylephrine Used For?

Brand names: Gilchew, AH Chew D, Gilchew IR, Sudafed PE, Biorphen

Phenylephrine is used in a number of different forms for different purposes. Intravenous (IV) phenylephrine — including products like Biorphen and Immphentiv — is given in hospital settings to raise blood pressure in adults when it drops dangerously low due to blood vessel widening (vasodilation), such as during anesthesia. Phenylephrine Hydrochloride Injection 10 mg/mL is also approved for use in septic shock (a life-threatening infection that causes a severe drop in blood pressure).

Nasal spray and drop products (such as Neo-Synephrine and Equate Nasal) temporarily relieve nasal congestion from colds, hay fever, or upper respiratory allergies. Ophthalmic (eye drop) solutions dilate the pupil for eye exams. Rectal suppository products (such as Preparation H and ReVIVOL-XR) help relieve itching, burning, and discomfort associated with hemorrhoids.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Phenylephrine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (221,388 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 20,609 reports
Headache 17,301 reports
Nausea 16,925 reports
Diarrhea 14,221 reports
Dyspnea 13,719 reports
See full Phenylephrine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & American Pawpaw

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against American Pawpaw — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
0Moderate
25Minor
2,804No known interaction
25 Minor 2,804 No interaction
Minor

25 interactions

No interaction 2,804 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked American Pawpaw against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,804 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full American Pawpaw list.

See the full American Pawpaw interactions page
See every supplement checked against Phenylephrine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

American Pawpaw References

The 4 references that drive our American Pawpaw monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Avalos J, Rupprecht JK, McLaughlin JL, et al. Guinea pig maximization test of the bark extract from pawpaw, Asimina triloba (Annonaceae). Contact Dermatitis 1993;29:33-5.
  2. McCage, C. M., Ward, S. M., Paling, C. A., Fisher, D. A., Flynn, P. J., and McLaughlin, J. L. Development of a paw paw herbal shampoo for the removal of head lice. Phytomedicine 2002;9(8):743-748. PubMed
  3. Barber MA. Poisoning due to the papaw (Asimina triloba). JAMA. 1905;XLV(27):2013-2014. DOI
  4. McLaughlin JL. Paw paw and cancer: Annonaceous acetogenins from discover to commercial products. J Nat Prod. 2008;71:1311-1321.

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking American Pawpaw and Phenylephrine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take American Pawpaw with Phenylephrine?
We do not list a known interaction between American Pawpaw and Phenylephrine. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do American Pawpaw and Phenylephrine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 3 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
How was the American Pawpaw and Phenylephrine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Phenylephrine is filed under 5 classifications, and American Pawpaw has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Phenylephrine's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does American Pawpaw interact with any other medications?
Yes. American Pawpaw has 25 documented drug interactions in our database — Phenylephrine is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Phenylephrine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Phenylephrine has documented interactions with 81 supplements in our database — American Pawpaw is not one of them. The Phenylephrine interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

American Pawpaw monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Phenylephrine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Phenylephrine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Phenylephrine, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 4 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Phenylephrine and American Pawpaw?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.