Drug & supplement interaction

Calea Zacatechichi + Methotrexate

Methotrexate brand names: Rheumatrex, Otrexup, Rasuvo, Reditrex.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Calea Zacatechichi and Methotrexate 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

Calea Zacatechichi and Methotrexate

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 Methotrexate and Calea Zacatechichi 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.

Calea Zacatechichi safety at a glance

Calea Zacatechichi overall Use caution It has a long folk-use history but little modern safety data, and it can cause nausea and vomiting.
Pregnancy Avoid There is no reliable safety data, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid There is no reliable safety data, so it is best avoided while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Methotrexate and Calea Zacatechichi? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Methotrexate

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Methotrexate is filed under 6 classifications — including organic anion-transporting polypeptide substrates (oatp), organic anion transporter 3 (oat3) substrates, hepatotoxic drugs. Calea Zacatechichi has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (minor) and cns depressants (minor) — and none of Methotrexate’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

Calea Zacatechichi Does Interact With Other Medications

Calea Zacatechichi has 334 minor known drug interactions in our database — Methotrexate isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Calea Zacatechichi

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Calea Zacatechichi and Methotrexate 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.

  • Drowsiness Additional detail

    Calea Zacatechichi

    “There is currently a limited amount of information on the adverse effects of Calea zacatechichi. Observations in healthy volunteers indicate that it is bitter tasting and may cause vomiting and somnolence.”

    Calea Zacatechichi · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    “In healthy volunteers, a methanol extract of Calea zacatechichi produces somnolence with short periods of light sleep and decreases in deep slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.”

    Calea Zacatechichi · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in insomnia.

    1 source cited
    1. 23602. Mayagoitia, L., Diaz, J. L., Contreras, C. M. Psychopharmacologic analysis of an alleged oneirogenic plant: Calea zacatechichi. J Ethnopharmacol. 1986;18:229-243. PubMed

    Methotrexate

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

  • Nausea reported in 5.9% of FDA reports for Methotrexate Additional detail

    Calea Zacatechichi

    “Observations in healthy volunteers indicate that Calea zacatechichi is bitter tasting and can cause nausea, vomiting, and retching.”

    Calea Zacatechichi · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    1 source cited
    1. 23602. Mayagoitia, L., Diaz, J. L., Contreras, C. M. Psychopharmacologic analysis of an alleged oneirogenic plant: Calea zacatechichi. J Ethnopharmacol. 1986;18:229-243. PubMed

    Methotrexate

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

  • Vomiting Additional detail

    Calea Zacatechichi

    Recorded for Calea Zacatechichi in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Drowsiness above.

    Methotrexate

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

Effects for Methotrexate come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Calea Zacatechichi come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 489,806 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Methotrexate 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Calea Zacatechichi or Methotrexate

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

This page covers Calea Zacatechichi only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Methotrexate page lists 82 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Beer (major), Grapefruit (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 7 major · 60 moderate · 15 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Methotrexate page

“The liver is where methotrexate and supplements clash most. Methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Otrexup, Rasuvo), used for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and certain cancers, can strain the liver on its own, and 38 of the 82 interacting ingredients on this list add liver risk of their own, alcohol included, which makes this a list to approach…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Methotrexate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 21 real supplement products containing Calea Zacatechichi, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Calea Zacatechichi. Even though Calea Zacatechichi itself has no known interaction with Methotrexate, 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 Calea Zacatechichi and Methotrexate 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 Calea Zacatechichi
Steady interest

#1,264 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Methotrexate
Top 5%

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

What is Calea Zacatechichi?

  • Promoting vivid or lucid dreams
  • Sleep and relaxation
  • Digestive upset
  • Fever
  • Traditional ritual use

Calea zacatechichi, often called 'dream herb,' is a Mexican plant traditionally used to encourage vivid dreams and to treat digestive complaints and fever. Human research is very limited, so its benefits are not well proven, and its safety has not been carefully studied. It tastes very bitter, can cause nausea, and should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Calea ternifolia · Asteraceae · Leaves and flowering tops (dried) · Dried leaf tea, capsules, tincture/liquid extract, and smoked dried leaf

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

Calea Zacatechichi: dosing

There is no established or standardized dose for Calea zacatechichi. The amount of active compounds can vary a lot from product to product, which makes safe dosing hard to judge.If you choose to use it, follow the directions on the product label and do not exceed them.

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

Read the full Calea Zacatechichi monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Methotrexate

What Is Methotrexate Used For?

Brand names: Rheumatrex, Otrexup, Rasuvo, Reditrex

Methotrexate treats a wide range of serious conditions. In cancer care, it is used for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, osteosarcoma, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (a rare tumor related to pregnancy). It is also used to prevent and treat meningeal leukemia (cancer affecting the lining of the brain and spinal cord).

Outside of cancer, methotrexate is prescribed for adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), children with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (a form of childhood arthritis), and adults with severe psoriasis that hasn't responded well to other treatments.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Methotrexate

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (489,806 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Rheumatoid arthritis 42,798 reports
Arthralgia 40,830 reports
Fatigue 33,049 reports
Nausea 28,999 reports
Joint swelling 25,026 reports
See full Methotrexate drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Calea Zacatechichi

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

0Major
0Moderate
334Minor
2,495No known interaction
Minor

334 interactions

Showing 60 of 334 minor interactions — see all 334 on the Calea Zacatechichi page.

No interaction 2,495 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Calea Zacatechichi References

The 2 references that drive our Calea Zacatechichi 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. Mayagoitia, L., Diaz, J. L., Contreras, C. M. Psychopharmacologic analysis of an alleged oneirogenic plant: Calea zacatechichi. J Ethnopharmacol. 1986;18:229-243. PubMed
  2. Roman, Ramos R., Alarcon-Aguilar, F., Lara-Lemus, A., and Flores-Saenz, J. L. Hypoglycemic effect of plants used in Mexico as antidiabetics. Arch.Med.Res 1992;23:59-64.

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 Calea Zacatechichi and Methotrexate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Calea Zacatechichi with Methotrexate?
We do not list a known interaction between Calea Zacatechichi and Methotrexate. 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 Calea Zacatechichi and Methotrexate have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 3 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 Calea Zacatechichi and Methotrexate combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Methotrexate is filed under 6 classifications, and Calea Zacatechichi has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Methotrexate'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 Calea Zacatechichi interact with any other medications?
Yes. Calea Zacatechichi has 334 documented drug interactions in our database — Methotrexate 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 Methotrexate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Methotrexate has documented interactions with 82 supplements in our database — Calea Zacatechichi is not one of them. The Methotrexate interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Still Have a Question About Methotrexate and Calea Zacatechichi?

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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.