Drug & supplement interaction

Asian Water Plantain + Phenylephrine

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

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Asian Water Plantain 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.

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Interaction report

Asian Water Plantain 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 Asian Water Plantain 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.

Asian Water Plantain safety at a glance

Asian Water Planta... overall Use caution Human safety data are limited, and high or long-term use may stress the kidneys or liver.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information is available, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid There is no reliable safety data, so avoid use while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Phenylephrine and Asian Water Plantain? 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. Asian Water Plantain has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being nephrotoxic drugs (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

Asian Water Plantain Does Interact With Other Medications

Asian Water Plantain has 355 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.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Asian Water Plantain

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

What to actually watch for

What Asian Water Plantain Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Phenylephrine. It is the side-effect record for Asian Water Plantain on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Asian Water Plantain, this list is the first place to look. 2 entries are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Kidney problems / Liver problems Worth acting on Additional detail

    “There is limited information available about the potential adverse effects of Asian water plantain. Orally, it has been used as a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with apparent safety; there have been no reported adverse effects in most patients. However, one case of hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity has been reported with the use of a combination TCM product containing Asian water plantain.”

    Asian Water Plantain · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in drug-induced kidney damage.

    1 source cited
    1. 99434. Yuen MF, Tam S, Fung J, Wong DK, Wong BC, Lai CL. Traditional Chinese medicine causing hepatotoxicity in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection: a 1-year prospective study. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2006 Oct 15;24(8):1179-86. PubMed

    “One case report of drug-induced systemic toxicity, including hepatotoxicity, has occurred in a 59-year-old man with chronic hepatitis B who had taken six doses of a combination product containing Asian water plantain 3 weeks prior to admission. He presented with gum bleed and petechiae, and his admission lab values indicated fulminant liver failure.”

    Asian Water Plantain · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in hepatitis.

    1 source cited
    1. 99434. Yuen MF, Tam S, Fung J, Wong DK, Wong BC, Lai CL. Traditional Chinese medicine causing hepatotoxicity in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection: a 1-year prospective study. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2006 Oct 15;24(8):1179-86. PubMed
  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on Additional detail

    Recorded for Asian Water Plantain in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Kidney problems / Liver problems above.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Asian Water Plantain — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Phenylephrine’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Phenylephrine column appears here.

From our Q&A

Questions About Asian Water Plantain 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 Asian Water Plantain 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 Asian Water Plantain 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 Asian Water Plantain 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 Asian Water Plantain
Steady interest

#1,141 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Phenylephrine
Top half

#730 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 Asian Water Plantain reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Asian Water Plantain 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 Asian Water Plantain

What is Asian Water Plantain?

Asian Water Plantain
  • Promoting urination (diuretic)
  • Fluid retention and swelling
  • Urinary discomfort
  • Cholesterol and heart health support
  • Kidney and bladder support

Asian water plantain (Ze Xie) is a rhizome long used in traditional Chinese medicine, mainly as a diuretic and for fluid retention. Modern evidence is mostly limited to laboratory and animal studies, so its benefits in people are not well proven, and quality human safety data are lacking. Talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Alisma plantago-aquatica · Alismataceae · Dried rhizome (root-like stem), known as Rhizoma Alismatis or Ze Xie · Dried sliced rhizome, powders, decoctions (teas), capsules, and as part of multi-herb traditional Chinese medicine formulas

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

Asian Water Plantain: dosing

There is no well-established standardized dose for Asian water plantain as a supplement. In traditional Chinese medicine, the dried rhizome is typically used as part of a multi-herb formula prepared by a trained practitioner, not taken alone.If you use a commercial product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed the recommended amount. Do not use it as a substitute for prescribed diuretics or other proven treatments.

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

Read the full Asian Water Plantain 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 & Asian Water Plantain

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

0Major
0Moderate
355Minor
2,474No known interaction
Minor

355 interactions

Showing 60 of 355 minor interactions — see all 355 on the Asian Water Plantain page.

No interaction 2,474 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Asian Water Plantain References

The 1 references that drive our Asian Water Plantain 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. Yuen MF, Tam S, Fung J, Wong DK, Wong BC, Lai CL. Traditional Chinese medicine causing hepatotoxicity in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection: a 1-year prospective study. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2006 Oct 15;24(8):1179-86. PubMed

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 Asian Water Plantain and Phenylephrine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Asian Water Plantain with Phenylephrine?
We do not list a known interaction between Asian Water Plantain 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.
How was the Asian Water Plantain and Phenylephrine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Phenylephrine is filed under 5 classifications, and Asian Water Plantain 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 Asian Water Plantain interact with any other medications?
Yes. Asian Water Plantain has 355 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 — Asian Water Plantain 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

Still Have a Question About Phenylephrine and Asian Water Plantain?

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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.