Drug & supplement interaction

Eucalyptus + Naproxen

Naproxen brand names: Naprosyn, Naprelan, Anaprox, Anaprox DS, Naproxyn, and others.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Naproxen 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 Naproxen

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. Naproxen 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 Naproxen

Naproxen 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

Here's the gist with naproxen and eucalyptus. Lab and animal studies hint that eucalyptus oil might slow down a liver enzyme called CYP1A2, which is one of the enzymes that helps clear naproxen out of your body. If that enzyme is partly blocked, naproxen could hang around a little longer and build up. Naproxen isn't a prodrug, so more drug in your system would mean stronger effects, and possibly more of its usual side effects like stomach upset, heartburn, or stomach irritation.

The honest part: this is theoretical and has only been seen in test-tube research, never confirmed in people. Occasional inhaled use (vapor rubs, lozenges) is unlikely to matter. Still, if you plan to use concentrated eucalyptus regularly, run it by your pharmacist or doctor first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
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 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Naproxen also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, eucalyptus might increase the levels of CYP2C9 substrates.
In vitro research suggests that eucalyptus oil might inhibit CYP2C9, 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 gist: your body clears naproxen using a liver enzyme called CYP2C9. Lab studies hint that eucalyptus oil might slow that enzyme down a bit. If that happened in real life, naproxen could hang around longer than usual, which in theory means more of its typical side effects, things like stomach upset, heartburn, an increased risk of stomach irritation or bleeding, and fluid retention.

The important part: this is only seen in test-tube research, not in actual people, so it's very much theoretical. Simply smelling eucalyptus in a vapor rub or inhaler is unlikely to matter at all. If you're using concentrated eucalyptus oil regularly while taking naproxen, just run it by your pharmacist or doctor first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
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 Naproxen one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 877 No known interaction 1,953 (incl. Naproxen)
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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Eucalyptus or Naproxen

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

This page covers Eucalyptus only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Naproxen page lists 311 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major), Danshen (major) and Piracetam (major).

By severity: 7 major · 260 moderate · 44 minor.

Open the Naproxen 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 Naproxen 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 Naproxen 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 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Naproxen
Top 5%

#57 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
Medication

About Naproxen

What Is Naproxen Used For?

Brand names: Naprosyn, Naprelan, Anaprox, Anaprox DS, Naproxyn, Navalbine, Naproxen, Naprosyn EC, Napro-Na, Aleve, Arthroxen, Synflex, EC-Naprosyn

Naproxen tablets, naproxen sodium tablets, and naproxen oral suspension are used to relieve the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. They are also used for tendonitis, bursitis, and acute gout, and for managing pain and primary dysmenorrhea (menstrual cramps).

Naproxen Sodium Controlled-Release Tablets are indicated for the same conditions plus the relief of mild to moderate pain. Several over-the-counter naproxen sodium products are indicated for the temporary relief of minor aches and pains from headache, backache, muscular aches, toothache, menstrual cramps, minor arthritis pain, and the common cold, and to temporarily reduce fever.

See full Naproxen drug information
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
877 Moderate 1,952 No 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

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,952 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Eucalyptus list.

See the full Eucalyptus interactions page
See every supplement checked against Naproxen, ranked by severity
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

Keep exploring
Eucalyptus monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Naproxen supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Naproxen, ranked by severity Naproxen drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Eucalyptus and Naproxen Together: Common Questions

Can you take Eucalyptus with Naproxen?
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 Naproxen?
Naproxen 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 Naproxen 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

Still Have a Question About Naproxen and Eucalyptus?

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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.