Drug & supplement interaction

Fennel + Esomeprazole, Naproxen

Esomeprazole, Naproxen brand name: Vimovo.

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

Esomeprazole, Naproxen falls into 2 drug categories that Fennel can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, fennel might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

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

Fennel and Esomeprazole, Naproxen

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

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Fennel interacts with whole categories of medication. Esomeprazole, Naproxen falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Fennel 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 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Esomeprazole, Naproxen

Esomeprazole, Naproxen falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Fennel interacts with.

Theoretically, fennel might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

In vitro research suggests that fennel inhibits CYP3A4 enzyme activity. This effect 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

Vimovo combines two medicines: esomeprazole (a stomach acid reducer) and naproxen (an anti-inflammatory pain reliever). The note on file is about fennel possibly slowing down a liver enzyme called CYP3A4. In a test tube, fennel blocked this enzyme, which in theory could let drugs that use it build up a bit. Honestly though, this has only been seen in lab dishes, never in actual people, so the real-world concern here is small.

If anything did shift, you might notice more typical naproxen effects like stomach upset, heartburn, or fluid retention. Cooking with fennel is very unlikely to matter. If you're using concentrated fennel capsules or the essential oil regularly, just mention it to your pharmacist or doctor so they can keep an eye on things.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Subehan, Usia, T., Iwata, H., Kadota, S., and Tezuka, Y. Mechanism-based inhibition of CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 by Indonesian medicinal plants. J Ethnopharmacol. 5-24-2006;105(3):449-455. PubMed
  2. Subehan, Zaidi, S. F., Kadota, S., and Tezuka, Y. Inhibition on human liver cytochrome P450 3A4 by constituents of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare): identification and characterization of a mechanism-based inactivator. J Agric.Food Chem. 12-12-2007;55(25):101 PubMed
Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

2 of 2

Esomeprazole, Naproxen also falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS.

Theoretically, fennel might increase the risk of bleeding when used with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs.

Animal research suggests that fennel oil has antithrombotic and antiplatelet effects.
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

Vimovo combines naproxen (an anti-inflammatory pain reliever) with esomeprazole (a stomach acid blocker added to protect your gut). The naproxen part is what matters here. Naproxen already has a mild blood-thinning, antiplatelet effect, which is why NSAIDs can raise bleeding risk and irritate the stomach lining.

The concern with fennel is that lab and animal studies hint it may also slow down clotting a little. Stacked on top of naproxen, the worry is a small bump in bleeding risk, think easier bruising, nosebleeds, or stomach upset and bleeding. To be honest, this is theoretical and based only on animal data, and ordinary fennel in food is very unlikely to cause trouble. Still, if you use concentrated fennel supplements or the essential oil, it's worth a quick word with your pharmacist or doctor.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Tognolini, M., Ballabeni, V., Bertoni, S., Bruni, R., Impicciatore, M., and Barocelli, E. Protective effect of Foeniculum vulgare essential oil and anethole in an experimental model of thrombosis. Pharmacol.Res 2007;56(3):254-260. PubMed
  2. Tognolini, M., Barocelli, E., Ballabeni, V., Bruni, R., Bianchi, A., Chiavarini, M., and Impicciatore, M. Comparative screening of plant essential oils: phenylpropanoid moiety as basic core for antiplatelet activity. Life Sci. 2-23-2006;78(13):1419-1432. 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

Fennel Also Interacts With Other Medications

Fennel has 739 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Esomeprazole, Naproxen one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 739 No known interaction 2,091 (incl. Esomeprazole, Naproxen)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Fennel

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Fennel or Esomeprazole, 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 Fennel or Esomeprazole, 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 Esomeprazole, Naproxen

This page covers Fennel only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Esomeprazole, Naproxen page lists 348 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 Grapefruit (major).

By severity: 9 major · 283 moderate · 56 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Esomeprazole, Naproxen page

“Bleeding risk is the thread running through nearly this whole page. Vimovo pairs naproxen, an anti-inflammatory that already makes stomach bleeding more likely, with esomeprazole on board to shield the gut, and most of the supplements flagged here could push that bleeding risk higher still.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Esomeprazole, Naproxen interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 2,219 real supplement products containing Fennel, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Fennel. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Esomeprazole, Naproxen too, on top of Fennel — 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 Fennel and Esomeprazole, 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 Fennel
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Esomeprazole, Naproxen
Steady interest

#2,152 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 Fennel

What is Fennel?

Fennel
  • Digestive upset and bloating
  • Infant colic
  • Menstrual cramps
  • Cough and respiratory complaints
  • Breast milk support (traditional)

Fennel is a Mediterranean herb widely used as a food and spice, and traditionally taken for digestive complaints, colic, and menstrual cramps. Some small studies suggest possible benefit for certain stomach and menstrual symptoms, but the evidence is limited. It is generally well tolerated in food amounts, but concentrated supplements and the essential oil should be used with caution and after checking with your pharmacist or doctor.

Read the full Fennel monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Fennel

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

0Major
739Moderate
0Minor
2,090No known interaction
739 Moderate 2,090 No interaction
Moderate

739 interactions

Showing 60 of 739 moderate interactions — see all 739 on the Fennel page.

No interaction 2,090 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,090 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Fennel list.

See the full Fennel interactions page
See every supplement checked against Esomeprazole, 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
Fennel monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Esomeprazole, Naproxen supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Esomeprazole, Naproxen, 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 Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Fennel and Esomeprazole, Naproxen Together: Common Questions

Can you take Fennel with Esomeprazole, 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 Fennel and Esomeprazole, Naproxen?
Esomeprazole, Naproxen belongs to more than one drug category, and Fennel 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 Fennel and Esomeprazole, 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 Esomeprazole, Naproxen and Fennel?

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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.