Drug & supplement interaction

Black Pepper + Amoxicillin

Amoxicillin brand names: Amoxil Capsules, Trimox, Wymox, Amix, Amoram, and others.

Minor Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Minor

Black Pepper has a minor interaction with Amoxicillin. Theoretically, black pepper might increase the effects and side effects of amoxicillin.

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

Black Pepper and Amoxicillin

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Minor

AMOXICILLIN (Amoxil, Trimox)

Theoretically, black pepper might increase the effects and side effects of amoxicillin.
Animal research shows that taking piperine, a constituent of black pepper, with amoxicillin increases plasma levels of amoxicillin. This has not been reported in humans.
Severity Minor 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 simple version: piperine, the active part of black pepper, may slow down some of the proteins in your gut and liver that normally clear medications out. The thinking is that this could let a little more amoxicillin hang around in your bloodstream. Amoxicillin is an active antibiotic on its own (not a prodrug), so more of it in the body could mean slightly stronger effects and a bit more chance of side effects like an upset stomach, nausea, or loose stools.

That said, I want to keep this in perspective. This was only seen in animal studies, never reported in people, and it's rated a minor interaction. The black pepper you sprinkle on dinner is not a concern. If you take concentrated piperine supplements, just mention it to your pharmacist or doctor.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Hiwale, A. R., Dhuley, J. N., and Naik, S. R. Effect of co-administration of piperine on pharmacokinetics of beta-lactam antibiotics in rats. Indian J Exp.Biol. 2002;40(3):277-281.

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

Black Pepper Also Interacts With Other Medications

Black Pepper has 976 moderate, 42 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Amoxicillin one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 976 Minor 42 No known interaction 1,812 (incl. Amoxicillin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Black Pepper

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Black Pepper or Amoxicillin

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

This page covers Black Pepper only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Amoxicillin page lists 96 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), Khat (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 6 major · 76 moderate · 14 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Amoxicillin page

“Amoxicillin, one of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics, has 96 supplement and herbal ingredients flagged against it, and six carry a major rating, which puts this list in the read-carefully category. The serious entries mostly add strain to organs the drug already touches.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Amoxicillin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 5,528 real supplement products containing Black Pepper, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Black Pepper. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Amoxicillin too, on top of Black Pepper — 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 Black Pepper and Amoxicillin 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 Black Pepper
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Amoxicillin
Top 5%

#39 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 Black Pepper

What is Black Pepper?

Black Pepper
  • Flavoring and culinary use
  • Digestive complaints like bloating and indigestion
  • Boosting absorption of other supplements
  • Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support
  • Cold and congestion remedies

Black pepper is a common kitchen spice that is generally safe in the amounts used in food. Its extract, piperine, is mostly added to supplements to help the body absorb other ingredients (like curcumin from turmeric). Strong human evidence for black pepper treating specific health conditions is limited, so use supplement-strength products with care and check with your pharmacist.

Read the full Black Pepper monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Amoxicillin

What Is Amoxicillin Used For?

Brand names: Amoxil Capsules, Trimox, Wymox, Amix, Amoram, Amoxident, Galenamox, Rimoxallin, Amoxil Injection

Amoxicillin treats infections caused by susceptible bacteria. It does not work on viruses. The label lists these uses:

  • Ear, nose and throat infections
  • Genitourinary tract (urinary and genital area) infections
  • Skin and skin structure infections
  • Lower respiratory tract (lung and airway) infections
  • Adults only: H. pylori infection with duodenal ulcer disease, combined with other medicines

Amoxicillin for Oral Suspension (Amoxil and other labels) also lists acute uncomplicated gonorrhea. It is not recommended as a first guess for gonorrhea because of high resistance rates.

See full Amoxicillin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Black Pepper

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

0Major
976Moderate
42Minor
1,811No known interaction
976 Moderate 42 Minor 1,811 No interaction
Moderate

976 interactions

Showing 60 of 976 moderate interactions — see all 976 on the Black Pepper page.

Minor

42 interactions

No interaction 1,811 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,811 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Black Pepper list.

See the full Black Pepper interactions page
See every supplement checked against Amoxicillin, ranked by severity
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

Keep exploring
Black Pepper monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Amoxicillin supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Amoxicillin, ranked by severity Amoxicillin drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Black Pepper and Amoxicillin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Black Pepper with Amoxicillin?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Black Pepper and Amoxicillin interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Amoxicillin and Black Pepper?

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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.