Drug & supplement interaction

Basil + Lidocaine

Lidocaine brand names: Xylocaine, Dilocaine, Lidoject-1, Xylocaine MPF, Nervocaine, and others.

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 Basil and Lidocaine 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.

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Interaction report

Basil and Lidocaine

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 Lidocaine and Basil 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.

Basil safety at a glance

Basil overall Generally safe Basil is generally safe when eaten as a food, but concentrated extracts and essential oils are less studied.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When the above ground parts are used in amounts commonly found in foods. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When the above ground parts are used in amounts commonly found in foods. 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 Lidocaine and Basil? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Lidocaine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Lidocaine is filed under 5 classifications — including anesthesia, cytochrome p450 2d6 (cyp2d6) substrates, topical drugs. Basil has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) and antihypertensive drugs (moderate) — and none of Lidocaine’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

Basil Does Interact With Other Medications

Basil has 289 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Lidocaine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 289 No known interaction 2,541 (incl. Lidocaine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Basil

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Basil and Lidocaine May Share a Side Effect

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.

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Basil

    “Allergic contact dermatitis has been reported in a 45-year old woman with occupational exposure to basil.”

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

    1 source cited
    1. 95140. Kiec-Swierczynska M, Krecisz B, Chomiczewska D, et al. Occupational allergic contact dermatitis caused by basil (Ocimum basilicum). Contact Dermatitis 2010;63(6):365-7.

    Lidocaine

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

Effects for Lidocaine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Basil come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 96,036 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Lidocaine 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

Basil in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When the above ground parts are used in amounts commonly found in foods.

Pregnancy And Lactation Possibly Unsafe

When used in larger amounts due to the estragole constituent of the essential oil. Estragole might have mutagenic effects.

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Basil or Lidocaine

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

This page covers Basil only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Lidocaine page lists 145 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Fever Bark (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), 1,3-dmaa (moderate) and Acacia Rigidula (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 111 moderate · 31 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Lidocaine page

“Lidocaine (Xylocaine) deserves genuine care on this page, and I would learn its three major-rated entries first. Grapefruit and St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Lidocaine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 396 real supplement products containing Basil, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Basil. Even though Basil itself has no known interaction with Lidocaine, 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 Basil and Lidocaine 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 Basil
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Lidocaine
Top half

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

What is Basil?

Basil
  • Digestive upset and gas
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Antimicrobial support
  • Cold and cough symptoms
  • Headache
  • General antioxidant support

Basil is a popular cooking herb that is generally safe in the amounts used in food. While it has a long history of traditional medicinal use and contains antioxidant compounds, strong human evidence for most health claims is limited. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements or essential oils.

Ocimum basilicum · Lamiaceae · Leaves, flowering tops, seeds, and essential oil · Fresh or dried leaves, culinary herb, tea, capsules, extracts, and essential oil

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

Basil: dosing

There is no well-established standard medicinal dose for basil. As a food and seasoning, it is used freely to taste with no special precautions for most people.For supplements, teas, or extracts, the right amount is not clearly defined by research. Follow the directions on the product label and do not exceed them.

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

Read the full Basil monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Lidocaine Transdermal Patch

What Is Lidocaine Transdermal Patch Used For?

Brand names: Xylocaine, Dilocaine, Lidoject-1, Xylocaine MPF, Nervocaine, Lidoject-2, Duo-Trach Kit, Octocaine, Lidoderm, Ztlido

Lidocaine skin patches are applied directly to the painful area to treat post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) — the persistent burning or aching nerve pain that can remain after a shingles outbreak.

Lidoderm (lidocaine patch 5%) and ZTlido (lidocaine topical system 1.8%) are both indicated for this use in adults. Note that despite their different strengths, one ZTlido topical system provides equivalent lidocaine exposure to one Lidoderm patch.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Lidocaine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (96,036 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Nausea 4,961 reports
Fatigue 4,867 reports
Headache 4,439 reports
Product quality issue 3,920 reports
Dyspnea 3,658 reports
See full Lidocaine Transdermal Patch drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Basil

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

0Major
289Moderate
0Minor
2,540No known interaction
289 Moderate 2,540 No interaction
Moderate

289 interactions

Showing 60 of 289 moderate interactions — see all 289 on the Basil page.

No interaction 2,540 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,540 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Basil list.

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

Basil References

The 7 references that drive our Basil 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. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
  2. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  3. Tognolini, M., Barocelli, E., Ballabeni, V., Bruni, R., Bianchi, A., Chiavarini, M., and Impicciatore, M. Comparative screening of plant essential oils: phenylpropanoid moiety as basic core for antiplatelet activity. Life Sci. 2-23-2006;78(13):1419-1432. PubMed
  4. Tohti, I., Tursun, M., Umar, A., Turdi, S., Imin, H., and Moore, N. Aqueous extracts of Ocimum basilicum L. (sweet basil) decrease platelet aggregation induced by ADP and thrombin in vitro and rats arterio--venous shunt thrombosis in vivo. Thromb.Res 200 PubMed
  5. Amrani, S., Harnafi, H., Gadi, D., Mekhfi, H., Legssyer, A., Aziz, M., Martin-Nizard, F., and Bosca, L. Vasorelaxant and anti-platelet aggregation effects of aqueous Ocimum basilicum extract. J Ethnopharmacol. 8-17-2009;125(1):157-162. PubMed
  6. Umar, A., Imam, G., Yimin, W., Kerim, P., Tohti, I., Berke, B., and Moore, N. Antihypertensive effects of Ocimum basilicum L. (OBL) on blood pressure in renovascular hypertensive rats. Hypertens.Res 5-7-2010; PubMed
  7. Kiec-Swierczynska M, Krecisz B, Chomiczewska D, et al. Occupational allergic contact dermatitis caused by basil (Ocimum basilicum). Contact Dermatitis 2010;63(6):365-7.

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 Basil and Lidocaine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Basil with Lidocaine?
We do not list a known interaction between Basil and Lidocaine. 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 Basil and Lidocaine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to one 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 Basil and Lidocaine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Lidocaine is filed under 5 classifications, and Basil has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Lidocaine'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 Basil interact with any other medications?
Yes. Basil has 289 documented drug interactions in our database — Lidocaine 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 Lidocaine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Lidocaine has documented interactions with 145 supplements in our database — Basil is not one of them. The Lidocaine 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

Basil monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Lidocaine Transdermal Patch drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Lidocaine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Lidocaine, 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 7 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Lidocaine and Basil?

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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.