Drug & supplement interaction

Boxwood + Metaxalone

Metaxalone brand name: Skelaxin.

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 Boxwood and Metaxalone 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

Boxwood and Metaxalone

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 Metaxalone and Boxwood 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.

Boxwood safety at a glance

Boxwood overall Use caution The raw plant is toxic; only processed extracts are used and safety data are limited.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When the whole leaf is used orally; avoid using. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of boxwood leaf extract when used during... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Unsafe When the whole leaf is used orally; avoid using. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of boxwood leaf extract when used during... 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 Metaxalone and Boxwood? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Metaxalone

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Metaxalone is filed under 2 classifications — skeletal muscle relaxants, oral drugs. Boxwood has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being anticholinergic drugs (moderate) and cholinergic drugs (moderate) — and none of Metaxalone’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

Boxwood Does Interact With Other Medications

Boxwood has 219 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Metaxalone isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 219 No known interaction 2,611 (incl. Metaxalone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Boxwood

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Boxwood and Metaxalone 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.

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Boxwood

    “Orally, boxwood leaf extract seems to be well tolerated. However, ingestion of whole boxwood leaf can cause serious side effects including vomiting, diarrhea, severe colonic spasms, paralysis, and death secondary to asphyxiation (18).

    Topically, the fresh plant and wood can cause allergic contact dermatitis (18, 37073).

    When inhaled, the wood dust can cause rhinoconjunctivitis and bronchitis.”

    Boxwood · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in acute bronchitis.

    3 sources cited
    1. 5643. Durant J, Chantre P, Gonzalez G, et al. Efficacy and safety of Buxus sempervirens L. preparations (SPV30) in HIV-infected asymptomatic patients: a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Phytomedicine 1998;5:1-10. DOI
    2. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
    3. 99904. Carballada F, Prat M, Núñez R, et al. Allergy to boxwood. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2014;24(5):359-61.

    “Occupational exposure to boxwood dust might cause allergic symptoms. In a case report, a 52-year-old male experienced symptoms such as rhinoconjunctivitis and bronchitis following occupational exposure to boxwood wood dust. Cases of allergic contact dermatitis to fresh boxwood leaves and a boxwood recorder have also been reported (18,37073).”

    Boxwood · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in acute bronchitis.

    3 sources cited
    1. 99904. Carballada F, Prat M, Núñez R, et al. Allergy to boxwood. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2014;24(5):359-61.
    2. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
    3. 37073. van Neer, F. J. and van Ginkel, C. J. Allergic contact dermatitis from a boxwood recorder. Contact Dermatitis 1997;36(6):305.

    Metaxalone

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

  • Vomiting Additional detail

    Boxwood

    “Orally, ingestion of whole boxwood leaf can cause serious side effects including vomiting, diarrhea, and severe colonic spasms (18). The extract, however, does not seem to have these effects.”

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

    2 sources cited
    1. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
    2. 5643. Durant J, Chantre P, Gonzalez G, et al. Efficacy and safety of Buxus sempervirens L. preparations (SPV30) in HIV-infected asymptomatic patients: a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Phytomedicine 1998;5:1-10. DOI

    Metaxalone

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

Reported for Boxwood but not commonly for Metaxalone: diarrhea.

Effects for Metaxalone come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Boxwood come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 3,328 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Metaxalone 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

Boxwood in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Unsafe

When the whole leaf is used orally; avoid using. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of boxwood leaf extract when used during pregnancy and lactation; 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

From our Q&A

Questions About Boxwood or Metaxalone

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

This page covers Boxwood only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Metaxalone page lists 20 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 2 major · 9 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Metaxalone page

“Most of what interacts with metaxalone (Skelaxin), a muscle relaxant prescribed for painful muscle spasms, works by getting between the pill and your bloodstream. Fiber gums, mucilage herbs like slippery elm, and above all activated charcoal can bind or slow the drug in the gut, leaving you with less relief than your dose should deliver.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Metaxalone interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 7 real supplement products containing Boxwood, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Boxwood. Even though Boxwood itself has no known interaction with Metaxalone, 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 Boxwood and Metaxalone 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 Boxwood
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Metaxalone
Steady interest

#1,704 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 Boxwood reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Boxwood and Metaxalone 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 Boxwood

What is Boxwood?

Boxwood
  • HIV/immune support
  • Malaria
  • Arthritis
  • Diabetes
  • Skin conditions
  • Fever

Boxwood is an evergreen shrub whose leaves have been used in folk medicine, most notably in some early studies looking at HIV. The whole plant is toxic, so only processed extracts are used, and solid evidence for any health benefit is very limited. Because of real safety concerns, talk with a pharmacist or doctor before trying boxwood.

Buxus sempervirens · Buxaceae · Leaves (processed into extracts) · Capsules, liquid extracts, tinctures

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

Boxwood: dosing

There is no well-established or standardized dose of boxwood for any condition. The strength and quality of commercial extracts can vary a lot from product to product.If you choose to use a boxwood product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them. Never use leaves or material from garden boxwood, since the raw plant is toxic.

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

Read the full Boxwood monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Metaxalone

What Is Metaxalone Used For?

Brand name: Skelaxin

Metaxalone tablets are used to help relieve discomfort caused by acute (short-term), painful musculoskeletal conditions — things like muscle strains, sprains, and similar injuries. It is meant to be used together with rest, physical therapy, and other treatments, not as a stand-alone fix.

This use applies to adults and adolescents 13 years of age and older. Metaxalone tablets are available as the branded product Skelaxin and as a generic.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Metaxalone

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (3,328 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Completed suicide 261 reports
Nausea 198 reports
Fatigue 196 reports
Headache 172 reports
Toxicity to various agents 164 reports
See full Metaxalone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Boxwood

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

0Major
219Moderate
0Minor
2,610No known interaction
219 Moderate 2,610 No interaction
Moderate

219 interactions

Showing 60 of 219 moderate interactions — see all 219 on the Boxwood page.

No interaction 2,610 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,610 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Boxwood list.

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

Boxwood References

The 6 references that drive our Boxwood 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. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  2. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
  3. Durant J, Chantre P, Gonzalez G, et al. Efficacy and safety of Buxus sempervirens L. preparations (SPV30) in HIV-infected asymptomatic patients: a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Phytomedicine 1998;5:1-10. DOI
  4. Orhan, I., Sener, B., Choudhary, M. I., and Khalid, A. Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activity of some Turkish medicinal plants. J Ethnopharmacol 2004;91(1):57-60. PubMed
  5. van Neer, F. J. and van Ginkel, C. J. Allergic contact dermatitis from a boxwood recorder. Contact Dermatitis 1997;36(6):305.
  6. Carballada F, Prat M, Núñez R, et al. Allergy to boxwood. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2014;24(5):359-61.

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 Boxwood and Metaxalone Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Boxwood with Metaxalone?
We do not list a known interaction between Boxwood and Metaxalone. 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 Boxwood and Metaxalone 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.
How was the Boxwood and Metaxalone combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Metaxalone is filed under 2 classifications, and Boxwood has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Metaxalone'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 Boxwood interact with any other medications?
Yes. Boxwood has 219 documented drug interactions in our database — Metaxalone 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 Metaxalone interact with any supplements?
Yes. Metaxalone has documented interactions with 20 supplements in our database — Boxwood is not one of them. The Metaxalone 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

Boxwood monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Metaxalone drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Metaxalone supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Metaxalone, 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 6 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Metaxalone and Boxwood?

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.