Drug & supplement interaction

Boswellia Serrata + Trimethoprim

Trimethoprim brand names: Proloprim, Trimpex.

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 Boswellia Serrata and Trimethoprim 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

Boswellia Serrata and Trimethoprim

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 Trimethoprim and Boswellia Serrata 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.

Boswellia Serrata safety at a glance

Boswellia Serrata overall Use caution Generally well tolerated short-term, but quality and dose vary widely between products.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of using Boswellia serrata in medicin... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of using Boswellia serrata in medicin... 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.

Pharmacist analysis

No interaction has been noted between Boswellia and the drug in question on this interaction check.

In terms of other interactions, Boswellia serrata has been shown in laboratory studies to mildly inhibit several enzymes involved in drug metabolism, including CYP1A2, CYP2C19, CYP2C9, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4. This inhibition may increase the levels of drugs metabolized by these enzymes, potentially leading to adverse effects.

However, it is important to note that this inhibition has only been seen in a lab setting, and has not been reported in humans. Whether or not Boswellia supplements have clinically significant drug interactions due to the effects on the above enzymes isn't well known. In most cases, it appears unlikely that these interactions would be clinically significant as there is a lack of reports of problems being caused in humans.

In addition, Boswellia serrata may interact with immunosuppressive drugs. 

Studies show that Boswellia may help reduce the activity of some cells involved in autoimmune diseases. This could lead to a decrease in the production of antibodies and certain immune cells. However, other studies have found that certain components of Boswellia serrata may actually stimulate the immune system in certain situations. More research is needed to better understand the effect of Boswellia on immunosuppressive drugs.

—

Still wondering about combining Trimethoprim and Boswellia Serrata? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Trimethoprim

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Trimethoprim is filed under 4 classifications — including qt interval-prolonging drugs, antibiotic drugs, oral drugs. Boswellia Serrata has documented interactions with 6 drug classes — the most serious being cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) substrates (moderate), cytochrome p450 2c19 (cyp2c19) substrates (moderate) and cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) substrates (moderate) — and none of Trimethoprim’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

Boswellia Serrata Does Interact With Other Medications

Boswellia Serrata has 952 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Trimethoprim isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 952 No known interaction 1,878 (incl. Trimethoprim)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Boswellia Serrata

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Boswellia Serrata and Trimethoprim May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

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.

  • Itching Additional detail

    Boswellia Serrata

    “Orally, Boswellia serrata extract (5-Loxin) has been associated with itching at doses of 100-250 mg daily.”

    Boswellia Serrata · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in myasthenia gravis.

    1 source cited
    1. 17948. Sengupta K, Alluri KV, Satish AR, et al. A double blind, randomized, placebo controlled study of the efficacy and safety of 5-Loxin. Arthritis Res Ther 2008;10:R85.

    Trimethoprim

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

  • Nausea reported in 6.0% of FDA reports for Trimethoprim Additional detail

    Boswellia Serrata

    “Orally, Boswellia serrata extract may cause diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, and heartburn. A case of a large gastrointestinal bezoar has been reported in a 17-year-old female who chewed and swallowed large quantities of boswellia gum resin (Boswellia species not specified) for celiac disease.”

    Boswellia Serrata · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    6 sources cited
    1. 1708. Gupta I, Gupta V, Parihar A, et al. Effects of Boswellia serrata gum resin in patients with bronchial asthma: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week clinical study. Eur J Med Res 1998;3:511-4.
    2. 12432. Kimmatkar N, Thawani V, Hingorani L, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of Boswellia serrata extract in treatment of osteoarthritis of knee--a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial. Phytomedicine 2003;10:3-7. PubMed
    3. 12438. Gupta I, Parihar A, Malhotra P, et al. Effects of gum resin of Boswellia serrata in patients with chronic colitis. Planta Med 2001;67:391-5. PubMed
    4. 17948. Sengupta K, Alluri KV, Satish AR, et al. A double blind, randomized, placebo controlled study of the efficacy and safety of 5-Loxin. Arthritis Res Ther 2008;10:R85.
    5. 17949. Sengupta K, Krishnaraju AV, Vishal AA, et al. Comparative efficacy and tolerability of 5-Loxin and Aflapin against osteoarthritis of the knee: a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled clinical study. Int J Med Sci 2010;7:366-77.
    6. 17950. Ernst E. Frankincense: systematic review. BMJ 2008;337:a2813. PubMed

    Trimethoprim

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Trimethoprim, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Boswellia Serrata but not commonly for Trimethoprim: stomach pain, heartburn, dizziness and diarrhea.

Effects for Trimethoprim come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Boswellia Serrata come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 93,588 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Trimethoprim 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

Boswellia Serrata in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of using Boswellia serrata in medicinal amounts; avoid using.

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

Overlapping uses

What Trimethoprim Is Prescribed For, and What Boswellia Serrata Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Trimethoprim is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Boswellia Serrata is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Trimethoprim is prescribed for: Trimethoprim tablets are used to treat initial episodes of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). It works against specific bacteria — including E. coli, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter species, and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (including S. saprophyticus).

Read the rest of what Trimethoprim is prescribed for

It should only be used when there is a proven or strongly suspected bacterial infection. Your doctor may order a urine culture to confirm which bacteria are present and whether trimethoprim will work against them.

Boswellia Serrata has been studied for:

  • Diarrhea studied, not established Boswellia Serrata has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Boswellia Serrata for diarrhea

    It is unclear if oral Boswellia serrata is beneficial in patients with acute diarrhea.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Trimethoprim on your own; if you are taking Boswellia Serrata for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Boswellia Serrata or Trimethoprim

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

This page covers Boswellia Serrata only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Trimethoprim page lists 59 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), Arsenic (major), Cesium (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 7 major · 41 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Trimethoprim page

“Most prescriptions for trimethoprim are short courses for bladder infections, which makes it easy to assume nothing swallowed alongside it matters much. Seven of the 59 supplement and herbal ingredients here rate major, though, and nearly all of them involve heart rhythm: grapefruit in large amounts, ephedra, and a few others can prolo…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Trimethoprim interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,914 real supplement products containing Boswellia Serrata, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Boswellia Serrata. Even though Boswellia Serrata itself has no known interaction with Trimethoprim, 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 Boswellia Serrata and Trimethoprim 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 Boswellia Serrata
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Trimethoprim
Steady interest

#1,444 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 Boswellia Serrata reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Boswellia Serrata and Trimethoprim 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 Boswellia Serrata

What is Boswellia Serrata?

Boswellia Serrata
  • Osteoarthritis joint pain
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Inflammation
  • Asthma
  • Inflammatory bowel conditions

Boswellia serrata is a tree resin used in traditional medicine, mainly for joint pain and inflammation. Some studies suggest it may help with osteoarthritis symptoms, but the overall evidence is limited and more research is needed. It is generally well tolerated, but you should check with your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Boswellia serrata · Burseraceae · Gum resin (and bark) · Capsules, tablets, extracts (often standardized to boswellic acids), topical creams, resin

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

Boswellia Serrata: dosing

There is no single official or proven dose for boswellia. Products vary in strength and in how much boswellic acid they contain, which makes a standard dose hard to recommend.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and to choose a product from a reputable brand.

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

Read the full Boswellia Serrata monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Trimethoprim

What Is Trimethoprim Used For?

Brand names: Proloprim, Trimpex

Trimethoprim tablets are used to treat initial episodes of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). It works against specific bacteria — including E. coli, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter species, and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (including S. saprophyticus).

It should only be used when there is a proven or strongly suspected bacterial infection. Your doctor may order a urine culture to confirm which bacteria are present and whether trimethoprim will work against them.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Trimethoprim

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (95,001 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fever 6,904 reports
Fatigue 5,992 reports
Diarrhea 5,716 reports
Nausea 5,685 reports
Dyspnea 5,098 reports
See full Trimethoprim drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Boswellia Serrata

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

0Major
952Moderate
0Minor
1,877No known interaction
952 Moderate 1,877 No interaction
Moderate

952 interactions

Showing 60 of 952 moderate interactions — see all 952 on the Boswellia Serrata page.

No interaction 1,877 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,877 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Boswellia Serrata list.

See the full Boswellia Serrata interactions page
See every supplement checked against Trimethoprim, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Boswellia Serrata References

The 16 references that drive our Boswellia Serrata 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. Gupta I, Gupta V, Parihar A, et al. Effects of Boswellia serrata gum resin in patients with bronchial asthma: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-week clinical study. Eur J Med Res 1998;3:511-4.
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21. Part 182 -- Substances Generally Recognized As Safe. Available at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=182
  3. Kimmatkar N, Thawani V, Hingorani L, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of Boswellia serrata extract in treatment of osteoarthritis of knee--a randomized double blind placebo controlled trial. Phytomedicine 2003;10:3-7. PubMed
  4. Liu JJ, Nilsson A, Oredsson S, et al. Boswellic acids trigger apoptosis via a pathway dependent on caspase-8 activation but independent on Fas/Fas ligand interaction in colon cancer HT-29 cells. Carcinogenesis 2002;23:2087-93. PubMed
  5. Wildfeuer A, Neu IS, Safayhi H, et al. Effects of boswellic acids extracted from a herbal medicine on the biosynthesis of leukotrienes and the course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Arzneimittelforschung 1998;48:668-74.
  6. Gupta I, Parihar A, Malhotra P, et al. Effects of gum resin of Boswellia serrata in patients with chronic colitis. Planta Med 2001;67:391-5. PubMed
  7. Sengupta K, Alluri KV, Satish AR, et al. A double blind, randomized, placebo controlled study of the efficacy and safety of 5-Loxin. Arthritis Res Ther 2008;10:R85.
  8. Sengupta K, Krishnaraju AV, Vishal AA, et al. Comparative efficacy and tolerability of 5-Loxin and Aflapin against osteoarthritis of the knee: a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled clinical study. Int J Med Sci 2010;7:366-77.
  9. Ernst E. Frankincense: systematic review. BMJ 2008;337:a2813. PubMed
  10. Kirste S, Treier M, Wehrle SJ, et al. Boswellia serratea extract acts on cerebral edema in patients irradiated for brain tumors: a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot trial. Cancer 2011;117:3788-95.
  11. Frank A, Unger M. Analysis of frankincense from various Boswellia species with inhibitory activity on human drug metabolising cytochrome P450 enzymes using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry after automated on-line extraction. J Chromatogr A 2006;111 PubMed
  12. Altmann A, Poeckel D, Fischer L, et al. Coupling of boswellic acid-incuded Ca2+ mobilisation and MAPK activation to lipid metabolism and peroxide formation in human leucocytes. Br J Pharmacol 2004;141:223-32.
  13. El Fortia, M., Badi, H., Elalem, Kh, Kadiki, O., and Topov, Y. Olibanum bezoar: complication of a traditional popular medicine. East Mediterr.Health J 2006;12(6):927-929.
  14. Meshkat S, Mahmoodi Baram S, Rajaei S, et al. Boswellia serrata extract shows cognitive benefits in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial in individuals who suffered traumatic brain injury. Brain Inj 2022;36(4):553-559. PubMed
  15. Haron MH, Dale O, Martin K, et al. Evaluation of the Herb-Drug Interaction Potential of Commonly Used Botanicals on the US Market with Regard to PXR- and AhR-Mediated Influences on CYP3A4 and CYP1A2. J Diet Suppl 2022. 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 Boswellia Serrata and Trimethoprim Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Boswellia Serrata with Trimethoprim?
We do not list a known interaction between Boswellia Serrata and Trimethoprim. 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 Boswellia Serrata and Trimethoprim have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 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.
Are Boswellia Serrata and Trimethoprim used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Boswellia Serrata in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Trimethoprim is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Boswellia Serrata and Trimethoprim combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Trimethoprim is filed under 4 classifications, and Boswellia Serrata has documented interactions with 6 drug classes — none of Trimethoprim'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 Boswellia Serrata interact with any other medications?
Yes. Boswellia Serrata has 952 documented drug interactions in our database — Trimethoprim 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 Trimethoprim interact with any supplements?
Yes. Trimethoprim has documented interactions with 59 supplements in our database — Boswellia Serrata is not one of them. The Trimethoprim 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

Boswellia Serrata monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Trimethoprim drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Trimethoprim supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Trimethoprim, 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 16 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

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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.