Drug & supplement interaction

Chinese Prickly Ash + Cabotegravir Sodium

Cabotegravir Sodium brand name: Vocabria.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Chinese Prickly Ash and Cabotegravir Sodium 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.

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Interaction report

Chinese Prickly Ash and Cabotegravir Sodium

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 Cabotegravir Sodium and Chinese Prickly Ash 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.

Chinese Prickly Ash safety at a glance

Chinese Prickly As... overall Use caution Generally safe as a food spice, but medicinal-strength extracts are not well studied in people.
Pregnancy Avoid Avoid medicinal amounts during pregnancy because safety has not been established.
Breastfeeding Avoid Avoid medicinal use while breastfeeding due to a lack of safety data.

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

Still wondering about combining Cabotegravir Sodium and Chinese Prickly Ash? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Cabotegravir Sodium

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Cabotegravir Sodium is filed under 2 classifications — glucuronidated drugs, oral drugs. Chinese Prickly Ash has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) — and none of Cabotegravir Sodium’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

Chinese Prickly Ash Does Interact With Other Medications

Chinese Prickly Ash has 122 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Cabotegravir Sodium 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 Chinese Prickly Ash

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

What to actually watch for

What Cabotegravir Sodium’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Chinese Prickly Ash. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Cabotegravir Sodium’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you take both. 3 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Liver problems Worth acting on mentioned in 4.0% of FDA reports for Cabotegravir Sodium
  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on
  • An allergic reaction Worth acting on
  • Bloating or gas
  • Back pain
  • Drowsiness
  • Reduced appetite
  • Muscle pain
  • Fever
  • Tiredness mentioned in 3.6% of FDA reports for Cabotegravir Sodium

Showing the 10 most notable of 17 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Cabotegravir Sodium. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 1,558 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Cabotegravir Sodium that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Chinese Prickly Ash’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Chinese Prickly Ash side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Chinese Prickly Ash has no side effects.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Cabotegravir Sodium

This page covers Chinese Prickly Ash only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Cabotegravir Sodium page lists 29 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Breadfruit (moderate), Brussels Sprout (moderate), Cabbage (moderate) and Calcium D-glucarate (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 18 moderate · 10 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Cabotegravir Sodium page

“Cabotegravir (Vocabria) is an HIV medicine, and keeping its blood level steady is what keeps the virus suppressed, so I read this list of 29 interacting supplements with genuine concern. The one major entry is activated charcoal, a popular detox remedy that soaks up drugs in the gut and cuts how much reaches you.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Cabotegravir Sodium interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Chinese Prickly Ash and Cabotegravir Sodium 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 Chinese Prickly Ash
Steady interest

#1,410 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Cabotegravir Sodium
Top half

#1,089 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 Chinese Prickly Ash reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Chinese Prickly Ash and Cabotegravir Sodium records this page draws on were last updated June 20, 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 Chinese Prickly Ash

What is Chinese Prickly Ash?

  • Digestive upset and stomach pain
  • Toothache and oral numbing
  • Antimicrobial and antiparasitic use
  • Cooking spice (Sichuan pepper)
  • Mild pain relief

Chinese Prickly Ash is the fruit husk of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, best known as the Sichuan pepper that creates a tingling, numbing sensation on the tongue. It is widely used in cooking and traditional Chinese medicine for digestive complaints and pain, but strong human evidence for medicinal benefits is limited. Use culinary amounts safely, but talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated extracts.

Zanthoxylum bungeanum · Rutaceae · Dried fruit husks (pericarp), and sometimes the seeds and essential oil · Dried whole spice (Sichuan pepper), ground powder, essential oil, decoctions, and capsules

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

Chinese Prickly Ash: dosing

There is no established standardized medicinal dose for Chinese Prickly Ash. As a cooking spice, people use small culinary amounts to taste.If you choose a supplement, extract, or essential oil product, follow the directions on the product label and do not exceed them.

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

Read the full Chinese Prickly Ash monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Cabotegravir

What Is Cabotegravir Used For?

Brand name: Vocabria

Vocabria (cabotegravir) tablets are used in combination with rilpivirine (Edurant) to treat HIV-1 infection in adults and adolescents aged 12 and older who weigh at least 35 kg and whose HIV is already virologically suppressed (virus levels undetectable or very low on their current regimen). Vocabria tablets serve as a short-term oral lead-in — taken for roughly one month — before switching to long-acting injectable therapy.

Cabotegravir tablets are also used as an oral lead-in for HIV-1 pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) — helping HIV-negative adults and adolescents (weighing at least 35 kg) confirm they tolerate the drug before starting injectable PrEP. Both uses require confirmed HIV-negative status before starting.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Cabotegravir Sodium

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (1,558 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Viral load increased 109 reports
Injection site pain 105 reports
Virologic failure 64 reports
Hepatitis b 63 reports
Pathogen resistance 61 reports
See full Cabotegravir drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Chinese Prickly Ash

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

0Major
122Moderate
0Minor
2,707No known interaction
Moderate

122 interactions

Showing 60 of 122 moderate interactions — see all 122 on the Chinese Prickly Ash page.

No interaction 2,707 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Chinese Prickly Ash References

The 2 references that drive our Chinese Prickly Ash 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. Yang YP, Cheng MJ, Teng CM, et al. Chemical and anti-platelet constituents from Formosan Zanthoxylum simulans. Phytochemistry 2002;61:567-72.. PubMed
  2. Zeng X, Li X, Wang X, Wen X, Jiang X. The effect of Zanthoxylum bungeanum maxim extract on crow's feet: A double-blind, split-face trial. Dermatol Ther. 2019 Nov;32(6):e13079.

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 Chinese Prickly Ash and Cabotegravir Sodium Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Chinese Prickly Ash with Cabotegravir Sodium?
We do not list a known interaction between Chinese Prickly Ash and Cabotegravir Sodium. 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.
How was the Chinese Prickly Ash and Cabotegravir Sodium combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Cabotegravir Sodium is filed under 2 classifications, and Chinese Prickly Ash has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Cabotegravir Sodium'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 Chinese Prickly Ash interact with any other medications?
Yes. Chinese Prickly Ash has 122 documented drug interactions in our database — Cabotegravir Sodium 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 Cabotegravir Sodium interact with any supplements?
Yes. Cabotegravir Sodium has documented interactions with 29 supplements in our database — Chinese Prickly Ash is not one of them. The Cabotegravir Sodium 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 Cabotegravir Sodium and Chinese Prickly Ash?

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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.