Drug & supplement interaction

Bamboo + Benzonatate

Benzonatate brand names: Tessalon, Tessalon Perles.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Bamboo and Benzonatate 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

Bamboo and Benzonatate

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 Benzonatate and Bamboo 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.

Bamboo safety at a glance

Bamboo overall Use caution Properly cooked shoots are widely eaten, but supplement safety is not well studied and raw shoots can be toxic.
Pregnancy Avoid There is not enough safety data on bamboo supplements, so avoid concentrated forms during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Use caution Safety of bamboo supplements while breastfeeding is unknown; avoid concentrated extracts unless cleared by your doctor.

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

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

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Benzonatate

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Benzonatate is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. Bamboo has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being antithyroid drugs (moderate) — and none of Benzonatate’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

Bamboo Does Interact With Other Medications

Bamboo has 5 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Benzonatate isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 5 No known interaction 2,825 (incl. Benzonatate)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Bamboo

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

What to actually watch for

What Bamboo Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Benzonatate. It is the side-effect record for Bamboo on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Bamboo, this list is the first place to look.

  • Swelling Additional detail

    “Bamboo shoots are a source of cyanide glycosides. However, the hydrogen cyanide produced by the plant is eliminated during boiling, fermentation, or superheated steam drying of the shoots. During the rescue of a male who jumped into a well which was used for bamboo shoot pickling, cyanide poisoning occurred in 8 individuals.”

    Bamboo · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cardiac arrest.

    2 sources cited
    1. 96875. Satya S, Bal LM, Singhal P, Naik SN. Bamboo shoot processing: food quality and safety aspect (a review). Trends in Food Sci. Technol. 2010;21(4):181-9. DOI
    2. 96874. Sang-A-Gad P, Guharat S, Wananukul W. A mass cyanide poisoning from pickling bamboo shoots. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2011 Nov;49(9):834-9. PubMed
  • A skin rash Additional detail

    “Topically, bamboo shoots have been reported to cause contact dermatitis in a 44-year-old female.”

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

    1 source cited
    1. 33540. Kitajima T. Contact allergy caused by bamboo shoots. Contact Dermatitis 1986;15(2):100-102. PubMed

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Bamboo or Benzonatate

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

This page covers Bamboo only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Benzonatate page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Benzonatate page

“If you take benzonatate (Tessalon) for cough, give this page real attention, starting with activated charcoal. It is the only major-rated entry of the 17 on file, and charcoal can soak up the drug in your gut before it ever reaches your bloodstream.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Benzonatate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 536 real supplement products containing Bamboo, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Bamboo. Even though Bamboo itself has no known interaction with Benzonatate, 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 Bamboo and Benzonatate 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 Bamboo
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Benzonatate
Top half

#1,080 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 Bamboo reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Bamboo and Benzonatate 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 Bamboo

What is Bamboo?

Bamboo
  • Source of silica for hair, skin, and nails
  • Bone and joint support
  • General nutrition (cooked shoots as food)
  • Antioxidant support
  • Traditional digestive remedy

Bamboo is a giant grass whose shoots are eaten as food and whose leaves and silica-rich extracts are sold as supplements, often for hair, skin, nail, and bone support. Solid human evidence for these benefits is limited, and raw shoots must be properly cooked because they contain natural compounds that can release cyanide. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using bamboo supplements, especially if you have thyroid problems or are pregnant.

Poaceae · Shoots, leaves, and leaf extract (and silica-rich extracts) · Food (cooked shoots), capsules, tea, leaf extract, powder

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

Bamboo: dosing

There is no well-established standardized dose for bamboo supplements. Products vary widely in their form (leaf extract, silica extract, powder) and in how much active material they contain.If you choose to use a bamboo supplement, follow the directions on the product label and do not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Bamboo monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Benzonatate

What Is Benzonatate Used For?

Brand names: Tessalon, Tessalon Perles

Benzonatate capsules are used for the symptomatic relief of cough. This applies to all benzonatate capsule products — including Benzonatate 100 mg and Benzonatate 200 mg formulations taken by mouth.

It is intended to reduce the urge to cough when coughing is disruptive or uncomfortable. It does not treat the underlying cause of the cough.

See full Benzonatate drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Bamboo

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

0Major
5Moderate
0Minor
2,824No known interaction
5 Moderate 2,824 No interaction
Moderate

5 interactions

No interaction 2,824 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,824 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Bamboo list.

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

Bamboo References

The 4 references that drive our Bamboo 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. Chandra AK, Ghosh D, Mukhopadhyay S, et al. Effect of bamboo shoot, Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Willd. on thyroid status under conditions of varying iodine intake in rats. Indian J Exp Biol 2004;42(8):781-786.
  2. Kitajima T. Contact allergy caused by bamboo shoots. Contact Dermatitis 1986;15(2):100-102. PubMed
  3. Sang-A-Gad P, Guharat S, Wananukul W. A mass cyanide poisoning from pickling bamboo shoots. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2011 Nov;49(9):834-9. PubMed
  4. Satya S, Bal LM, Singhal P, Naik SN. Bamboo shoot processing: food quality and safety aspect (a review). Trends in Food Sci. Technol. 2010;21(4):181-9. 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 Bamboo and Benzonatate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Bamboo with Benzonatate?
We do not list a known interaction between Bamboo and Benzonatate. 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 Bamboo and Benzonatate combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Benzonatate is filed under 1 classification, and Bamboo has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Benzonatate'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 Bamboo interact with any other medications?
Yes. Bamboo has 5 documented drug interactions in our database — Benzonatate 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 Benzonatate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Benzonatate has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Bamboo is not one of them. The Benzonatate 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

Bamboo monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Benzonatate drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Benzonatate supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Benzonatate, 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 Benzonatate and Bamboo?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.