Drug & supplement interaction

Bishop's Weed + Naproxen

Naproxen brand names: Naprosyn, Naprelan, Anaprox, Anaprox DS, Naproxyn, and others.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Naproxen falls into 2 drug categories that Bishop's Weed can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Bishop's weed constituents seem to cause photosensitivity.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Bishop's Weed and Naproxen

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Bishop's Weed interacts with whole categories of medication. Naproxen falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Bishop's Weed in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

PHOTOSENSITIZING DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Naproxen

Naproxen falls under PHOTOSENSITIZING DRUGS — the group Bishop's Weed interacts with.

Bishop's weed constituents seem to cause photosensitivity. Theoretically, concomitant use of bishop's weed with photosensitizing drugs might result in increased photosensitivity.
Some drugs that cause photosensitivity include amitriptyline (Elavil), quinolones (Ciprofloxacin, others), sulfa drugs (Septra, Bactrim, others), and tetracycline.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist: Bishop's Weed naturally contains psoralens, compounds that make your skin much more reactive to sunlight. Naproxen can also make your skin more sun-sensitive on its own, so putting the two together could stack that effect. The worry isn't about how naproxen works in your body or how it's broken down. It's purely about your skin and the sun.

What this might look like in real life is an easier, faster sunburn, or a rash or stinging on areas that catch sunlight, even after fairly short outdoor time. I'll be honest with you though, this is based on weak, anecdotal evidence and is mostly theoretical. If you do end up using both, simple steps like sunscreen, a hat, and covering up go a long way. Bishop's Weed itself can be harmful taken on your own, so please loop in your doctor or pharmacist first.

References
  1. Ossenkoppele PM, van der Sluis WG, van Vloten WA. [Phototoxic dermatitis following the use of Ammi majus fruit for vitiligo]. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 1991;135:478-80.
  2. Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Available at: http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/.
Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

2 of 2

Naproxen also falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS.

Bergapten, a constituent of bishop's weed, has antiplatelet activity. Theoretically, bishop's weed might have additive effects with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs and possibly increase the risk of bleeding.
Some anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, ticlopidine (Ticlid), warfarin (Coumadin), and others.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the thing to keep in mind with this pairing. Naproxen is an NSAID, and on its own it can already nudge up your bleeding risk by making platelets a bit less sticky and by irritating the stomach lining. Bishop's Weed contains a compound called bergapten that, at least in theory, also has some blood-thinning (antiplatelet) activity. Stack the two together and you could, in principle, see a little more bleeding tendency than either would cause alone.

I want to be honest about how soft this evidence is. This concern is theoretical, based on how the compounds behave in the lab, not on real reports of people running into trouble. Still, if you ever notice easy bruising, nosebleeds, dark stools, or bleeding that won't stop, loop in your pharmacist or doctor, and check with them before combining these.

References
  1. Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Available at: http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/.

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Bishop's Weed Also Interacts With Other Medications

Bishop's Weed has 953 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Naproxen one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Bishop's Weed

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Bishop's Weed. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Bishop's Weed or Naproxen

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Bishop's Weed or Naproxen, 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 Naproxen

This page covers Bishop's Weed only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Naproxen page lists 311 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major), Danshen (major) and Piracetam (major).

By severity: 7 major · 260 moderate · 44 minor.

Open the Naproxen interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Bishop's Weed as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 83 real supplement products containing Bishop's Weed, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Bishop's Weed. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Naproxen too, on top of Bishop's Weed — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Bishop's Weed and Naproxen 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 Bishop's Weed
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Naproxen
Top 5%

#55 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.

Supplement

About Bishop's Weed

What is Bishop's Weed?

Bishop's Weed
  • Vitiligo (loss of skin color)
  • Psoriasis
  • Digestive complaints
  • Asthma and breathing problems
  • Kidney stones
  • Diuretic (increasing urine)

Bishop's Weed (Ammi majus) is a flowering plant whose seeds contain natural light-sensitizing compounds called psoralens, which have been studied mainly for skin conditions like vitiligo and psoriasis when combined with light therapy. The plant is potentially toxic and can cause severe skin and eye reactions when exposed to sunlight, so it is not something to take on your own. If you are interested in psoralen-based treatments, work with a dermatologist rather than self-treating.

Read the full Bishop's Weed monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Naproxen

What Is Naproxen Used For?

Brand names: Naprosyn, Naprelan, Anaprox, Anaprox DS, Naproxyn, Navalbine, Naproxen, Naprosyn EC, Napro-Na, Aleve, Arthroxen, Synflex, EC-Naprosyn

Naproxen tablets, naproxen sodium tablets, and naproxen oral suspension are used to relieve the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. They are also used for tendonitis, bursitis, and acute gout, and for managing pain and primary dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps).

Naproxen Sodium Controlled-Release Tablets are indicated for the same conditions plus the relief of mild to moderate pain. Several over-the-counter naproxen sodium products are indicated for the temporary relief of minor aches and pains from headache, backache, muscular aches, toothache, menstrual cramps, minor arthritis pain, and the common cold, and to temporarily reduce fever.

See full Naproxen drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Bishop's Weed

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

0Major
953Moderate
0Minor
1,876No known interaction
Moderate

953 interactions

Showing 60 of 953 moderate interactions — see all 953 on the Bishop's Weed page.

No interaction 1,876 drugs checked — show the list
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Bishop's Weed and Naproxen Together: Common Questions

Can you take Bishop's Weed with Naproxen?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Bishop's Weed and Naproxen?
Naproxen belongs to more than one drug category, and Bishop's Weed interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Bishop's Weed and Naproxen interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

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

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