Drug & supplement interaction

Anise + Esomeprazole

Esomeprazole brand name: Nexium.

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 Anise and Esomeprazole 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 label for Esomeprazole states a food rule worth keeping to, and 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.

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Interaction report

Anise and Esomeprazole

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 Esomeprazole and Anise 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.

Anise safety at a glance

Anise overall Use caution Generally safe as a food or tea, but the concentrated essential oil needs more care.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally in amounts commonly found in food. Anise and anise oil have Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US. There is insufficient reliabl... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally in amounts commonly found in food. Anise and anise oil have Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US. There is insufficient reliabl... Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Esomeprazole and Anise? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Esomeprazole

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Esomeprazole is filed under 6 classifications — including proton pump inhibitors (ppis), cytochrome p450 2c19 (cyp2c19) inhibitors, cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) inducers. Anise has documented interactions with 11 drug classes — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate), caffeine (moderate) and codeine (moderate) — and none of Esomeprazole’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

Anise Does Interact With Other Medications

Anise has 193 moderate, 52 minor known drug interactions in our database — Esomeprazole isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 193 Minor 52 No known interaction 2,585 (incl. Esomeprazole)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Anise

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Anise and Esomeprazole 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. 3 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Wheezing / An allergic reaction Worth acting on Additional detail

    Anise

    “Anise can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Orally or by inhalation, anise can cause rhinoconjunctivitis, occupational asthma, and anaphylaxis. Topically, anise can cause contact dermatitis, rhinitis, and asthma. Contact dermatitis and cheilitis have also been reported following the use of toothpaste containing anethole, a constituent of anise.”

    Anise · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in asthma.

    5 sources cited
    1. 13484. Garcia-Gonzalez JJ, Bartolome-Zavala B, Fernandez-Melendez S, et al. Occupational rhinoconjunctivitis and food allergy because of aniseed sensitization. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2002;88:518-22. . PubMed
    2. 31319. Gonzalez-Gutierrez, M. L., Sanchez-Fernandez, C., Esteban-Lopez, M. I., Sempere-Ortells, J. M., and Diaz-Alperi, P. Allergy to anis. Allergy 2000;55(2):195-196.
    3. 31341. Anliker, M. D., Borelli, S., and Wuthrich, B. Occupational protein contact dermatitis from spices in a butcher: a new presentation of the mugwort-spice syndrome. Contact Dermatitis 2002;46(2):72-74. PubMed
    4. 31403. Poon, T. S. and Freeman, S. Cheilitis caused by contact allergy to anethole in spearmint flavoured toothpaste. Australas.J Dermatol. 2006;47(4):300-301. PubMed
    5. 31528. Andersen, K. E. Contact allergy to toothpaste flavors. Contact Dermatitis 1978;4(4):195-198. PubMed

    Esomeprazole

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

  • A severe allergic reaction Worth acting on Additional detail

    Anise

    “Orally, anise seems to be well tolerated.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Topically: Contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals.

    Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):

    Orally: Anaphylaxis in sensitive individuals.”

    Anise · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    Esomeprazole

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

  • A stuffy or runny nose Additional detail

    Anise

    Recorded for Anise in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Wheezing / An allergic reaction above.

    Esomeprazole

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

  • Itching Additional detail

    Anise

    “Topically, anise, in combination with other herbs, has been reported to cause localized pruritus.”

    Anise · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in pruritus.

    1 source cited
    1. 13483. Mumcuoglu KY, Miller J, Zamir C, et al. The in vivo pediculicidal efficacy of a natural remedy. Isr Med Assoc J 2002;4:790-3.

    Esomeprazole

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

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Anise

    Recorded for Anise in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under A severe allergic reaction above.

    Esomeprazole

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

Effects for Esomeprazole come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Anise come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 235,235 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Esomeprazole that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Anise in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally in amounts commonly found in food. Anise and anise oil have Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of anise when taken orally in medicinal amounts during pregnancy or breast-feeding.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

How to take them

Some Esomeprazole Products Have a Food Rule — Anise Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Esomeprazole says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Anise included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Esomeprazole on its own and move Anise to a meal later in the day.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Esomeprazole products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

Table 2: Recommended Dosage of Esomeprazole Magnesium Delayed-Release Capsules in Pediatric Patients by Indication Indication Patient Age Recommended Dosage Duration Healing of EE 12 years to 17 years Esomeprazole magnesium delayed-release capsules: 20 mg or 40 mg once daily 4 to 8 Weeks Treatment of Symptomatic GERD 12 years to 17 years Esomeprazole magnesium delayed-release capsules: 20 mg once

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Esomeprazole — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

From our Q&A

Questions About Anise or Esomeprazole

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Anise or Esomeprazole, 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 Esomeprazole

This page covers Anise only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Esomeprazole page lists 154 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 102 moderate · 49 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Esomeprazole page

“St. John's wort can lower the amount of esomeprazole (Nexium) in your blood by speeding up how the liver clears it, which can leave heartburn or ulcer treatment falling short.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Esomeprazole interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Anise as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 465 real supplement products containing Anise, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Anise. Even though Anise itself has no known interaction with Esomeprazole, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Anise and Esomeprazole 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 Anise
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Esomeprazole
Top half

#1,031 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 Anise reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Anise and Esomeprazole 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 Anise

What is Anise?

Anise
  • Digestive upset and bloating
  • Cough and respiratory complaints
  • Sore throat
  • Menstrual discomfort
  • Flavoring agent

Anise is a fragrant, licorice-flavored seed used for centuries to ease digestion and soothe coughs. Most of its health claims are based on tradition and small or laboratory studies rather than strong human research, so evidence is limited. It is generally safe as a food and tea for most adults, but the concentrated essential oil should be used carefully and avoided in pregnancy.

Pimpinella anisum · Apiaceae · Seeds (fruit) and essential oil · Whole or ground seeds, tea, capsules, extracts, essential oil

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

Anise: dosing

There is no official standardized dose for anise. Amounts vary widely depending on the form, such as seeds steeped as tea, capsules, or extracts.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Anise monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Esomeprazole

What Is Esomeprazole Used For?

Brand name: Nexium

Esomeprazole treats problems caused by excess stomach acid. It's used to heal erosive esophagitis (damage to the esophagus from acid), control GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) symptoms like heartburn, and protect the stomach lining in people at risk for ulcers caused by NSAIDs (anti-inflammatory pain relievers like ibuprofen).

It's also used as part of a three-drug combination to wipe out H. pylori — a stomach bacteria linked to ulcers — and for people with rare conditions that cause the stomach to overproduce acid, such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Esomeprazole

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (235,235 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Chronic kidney disease 35,589 reports
Acute kidney injury 20,510 reports
Renal failure 16,295 reports
Nausea 13,667 reports
Gastrooesophageal reflux disease 12,006 reports
See full Esomeprazole drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Anise

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

0Major
193Moderate
52Minor
2,584No known interaction
193 Moderate 52 Minor 2,584 No interaction
Moderate

193 interactions

Showing 60 of 193 moderate interactions — see all 193 on the Anise page.

Minor

52 interactions

No interaction 2,584 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,584 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Anise list.

See the full Anise interactions page
See every supplement checked against Esomeprazole, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Anise References

The 12 references that drive our Anise 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. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21. Part 182 -- Substances Generally Recognized As Safe. Available at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=182
  2. Kassi E, Papoutsi Z, Fokialakis N, et al. Greek plant extracts exhibit selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM)-like properties. J Agric Food Chem 2004;52:6956-61. PubMed
  3. Mumcuoglu KY, Miller J, Zamir C, et al. The in vivo pediculicidal efficacy of a natural remedy. Isr Med Assoc J 2002;4:790-3.
  4. Garcia-Gonzalez JJ, Bartolome-Zavala B, Fernandez-Melendez S, et al. Occupational rhinoconjunctivitis and food allergy because of aniseed sensitization. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2002;88:518-22. . PubMed
  5. Tabanca N, Khan SI, Bedir E, et al. Estrogenic activity of isolated compounds and essential oils of Pimpinella species from Turkey, evaluated using a recombinant yeast screen. Planta Med 2004;70:728-35.
  6. Gonzalez-Gutierrez, M. L., Sanchez-Fernandez, C., Esteban-Lopez, M. I., Sempere-Ortells, J. M., and Diaz-Alperi, P. Allergy to anis. Allergy 2000;55(2):195-196.
  7. Anliker, M. D., Borelli, S., and Wuthrich, B. Occupational protein contact dermatitis from spices in a butcher: a new presentation of the mugwort-spice syndrome. Contact Dermatitis 2002;46(2):72-74. PubMed
  8. Poon, T. S. and Freeman, S. Cheilitis caused by contact allergy to anethole in spearmint flavoured toothpaste. Australas.J Dermatol. 2006;47(4):300-301. PubMed
  9. Andersen, K. E. Contact allergy to toothpaste flavors. Contact Dermatitis 1978;4(4):195-198. PubMed
  10. Samojlik I, Mijatovic V, Petkovic S, et al. The influence of essential oil of aniseed (Pimpinella anisum, L.) on drug effects on the central nervous system. Fitoterapia 2012;83:1466-73. PubMed
  11. Samojlik I, Petkovic S, Stilinovic N, et al. Pharmacokinetic herb-drug interaction between essential oil of aniseed (Pimpinella anisum L., Apiaceae) and acetaminophen and caffeine: A potential risk for clinical practice. Phytother Res 2016;30:253-9.
  12. Rajeshwari U, Shobha I, Andallu B. Comparison of aniseeds and coriander seeds for antidiabetic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant activities. Spatula DD-Peer Reviewed Journal on Complementary Medicine and Drug Discovery 2011;1:9-16. DOI

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 Anise and Esomeprazole Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Anise with Esomeprazole?
We do not list a known interaction between Anise and Esomeprazole. 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 Anise and Esomeprazole have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 6 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.
Should I take Anise and Esomeprazole at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Esomeprazole says to take it on an empty stomach, and supplements are usually taken with a meal — so taking them together at breakfast is the easy mistake. Where that applies, keep Esomeprazole on its own and move Anise to a meal later in the day. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient, so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Anise and Esomeprazole combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Esomeprazole is filed under 6 classifications, and Anise has documented interactions with 11 drug classes — none of Esomeprazole'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 Anise interact with any other medications?
Yes. Anise has 245 documented drug interactions in our database — Esomeprazole 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 Esomeprazole interact with any supplements?
Yes. Esomeprazole has documented interactions with 154 supplements in our database — Anise is not one of them. The Esomeprazole 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

Anise monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Esomeprazole drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Esomeprazole supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Esomeprazole, 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 12 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Esomeprazole and Anise?

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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.