Drug & supplement interaction

Eucalyptus + Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate

Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate brand name: Anacin w/ Codeine.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate falls into 2 drug categories that Eucalyptus can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, eucalyptus might increase the levels of CYP1A2 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Eucalyptus and Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Eucalyptus interacts with whole categories of medication. Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Eucalyptus in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate

Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES — the group Eucalyptus interacts with.

Theoretically, eucalyptus might increase the levels of CYP1A2 substrates.
In vitro research suggests that eucalyptus oil might inhibit CYP1A2, although this has not been reported in humans.
Severity Moderate 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

In this combination product, the piece that matters here is the caffeine. Your body clears caffeine mainly through a liver enzyme called CYP1A2. Lab studies hint that eucalyptus oil might slow that enzyme down, which could let caffeine linger longer and feel stronger. That might mean more jitteriness, a racing heart, or trouble sleeping. The aspirin and codeine parts aren't really affected by this particular interaction.

Here's the reassuring part: this is only seen in test-tube research, never confirmed in real people, so it's mostly theoretical. Breathing in eucalyptus vapor or using a lozenge is very unlikely to cause a problem. If you're swallowing concentrated eucalyptus oil (which you shouldn't anyway), check with your pharmacist or doctor first.

References
  1. Unger M, Frank A. Simultaneous determination of the inhibitory potency of herbal extracts on the activity of six major cytochrome P450 enzymes using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and automated online extraction. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 2004;1 PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, eucalyptus might increase the levels of CYP3A4 substrates.
In vitro research suggests that eucalyptus oil might inhibit CYP3A4, although this has not been reported in humans.
Severity Moderate 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 thing about this combo pill: the codeine part is a prodrug, meaning your body has to convert it into morphine before it does much for pain. That activation runs mostly through a different enzyme (CYP2D6), not CYP3A4, so the eucalyptus link here is pretty indirect. The concern on file is that eucalyptus oil might mildly block CYP3A4, which could let a little more codeine and caffeine hang around.

In practice, this is based only on lab studies, not real people, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. If anything did add up, you might notice more drowsiness, constipation, or jitteriness from the caffeine. Never swallow eucalyptus oil, it's toxic by mouth. Inhaling a vapor rub or lozenge is very unlikely to matter, but check with your pharmacist if you're using concentrated drops.

References
  1. Unger M, Frank A. Simultaneous determination of the inhibitory potency of herbal extracts on the activity of six major cytochrome P450 enzymes using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and automated online extraction. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 2004;1 PubMed

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

Eucalyptus Also Interacts With Other Medications

Eucalyptus has 877 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Eucalyptus

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate

This page covers Eucalyptus only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate page lists 398 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major) and Danshen (major).

By severity: 17 major · 334 moderate · 47 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate page

“Anacin with Codeine combines aspirin, caffeine, and codeine, and each of the three picks up its own supplement problems, so this is a list worth real caution. Just over half of the 398 ingredients here, 202 of them, can add to aspirin's blood-thinning action and raise bleeding risk.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 216 real supplement products containing Eucalyptus, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Eucalyptus. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate too, on top of Eucalyptus — 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 Eucalyptus and Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate 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 Eucalyptus
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate
Top half

#1,415 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 Eucalyptus

What is Eucalyptus?

Eucalyptus
  • Cough and chest congestion
  • Colds and flu symptoms
  • Stuffy nose
  • Sore throat
  • Minor muscle and joint aches
  • Aromatherapy

Eucalyptus is best known for its strong-smelling oil used in vapor rubs, inhalants, and lozenges to ease coughs and congestion. It may provide mild, short-term relief of cold symptoms, but the oil is toxic if swallowed and must never be taken by mouth undiluted. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially in children, during pregnancy, or while breastfeeding.

Read the full Eucalyptus monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Eucalyptus

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

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

877 interactions

Showing 60 of 877 moderate interactions — see all 877 on the Eucalyptus page.

No interaction 1,952 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Eucalyptus and Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate Together: Common Questions

Can you take Eucalyptus with Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Eucalyptus and Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate?
Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate belongs to more than one drug category, and Eucalyptus interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Eucalyptus and Aspirin, Caffeine, Codeine Phosphate interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

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

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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.