Drug & supplement interaction

Greek Sage + Ethosuximide

Ethosuximide brand name: Zarontin.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Greek Sage and Ethosuximide 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

Greek Sage and Ethosuximide

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 Ethosuximide and Greek Sage 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.

Greek Sage safety at a glance

Greek Sage overall Use caution Likely safe in food and tea amounts, but concentrated extracts and the essential oil need more caution.
Pregnancy Avoid Avoid medicinal or concentrated amounts during pregnancy due to limited safety data.
Breastfeeding Use caution Limited data; avoid concentrated forms and check with your doctor.

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

Still wondering about combining Ethosuximide and Greek Sage? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ethosuximide

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Ethosuximide is filed under 7 classifications — including anticonvulsants, cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) inducers, cns depressants. Greek Sage has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being hexobarbital (moderate) — and none of Ethosuximide’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

Greek Sage Does Interact With Other Medications

Greek Sage has 1 moderate known drug interaction in our database — Ethosuximide 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 Greek Sage

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

What to actually watch for

What Ethosuximide’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Greek Sage. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Ethosuximide’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. 9 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Unsteadiness Worth acting on
  • Hallucinations Worth acting on
  • A severe skin reaction Worth acting on
  • Low mood Worth acting on
  • A low platelet count Worth acting on
  • Hives Worth acting on
  • A low white blood cell count Worth acting on
  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on
  • An allergic reaction Worth acting on
  • A change in sex drive

Showing the 10 most notable of 22 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 Ethosuximide. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 2,490 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Ethosuximide that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Greek Sage’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Greek Sage side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Greek Sage has no side effects.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ethosuximide

This page covers Greek Sage only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ethosuximide page lists 226 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), Beer (major), Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (ghb) (major) and Grapefruit (major).

By severity: 9 major · 179 moderate · 38 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ethosuximide page

“Ethosuximide (Zarontin) prevents absence seizures, and a steady blood level is what keeps them away, so I treat this list of 226 interacting supplements and herbs with real care, especially the nine rated major. More than half of the entries can change how the liver clears the drug; grapefruit can raise its level while St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ethosuximide interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Greek Sage and Ethosuximide 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 Greek Sage
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ethosuximide
Steady interest

#2,283 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 Greek Sage reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Greek Sage and Ethosuximide records this page draws on were last updated June 22, 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 Greek Sage

What is Greek Sage?

  • Sore throat and mouth irritation
  • Digestive upset
  • Memory and cognition support
  • Antimicrobial purposes
  • Flavoring and aromatherapy

Greek sage (Salvia fruticosa) is a Mediterranean herb traditionally used as a tea and flavoring, and popularly for sore throats and digestion. Solid human research on its health benefits is limited, so most uses are based on tradition or early lab studies. It is generally considered safe in food amounts, but talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated extracts or essential oils.

Salvia fruticosa · Lamiaceae · Leaves and essential oil · Tea, dried leaf, capsules, essential oil, extracts

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

Greek Sage: dosing

There is no official standardized dose of Greek sage. Traditional use is usually a cup of tea made from a small amount of dried leaf.For capsules, extracts, or essential oil products, follow the directions on the label, since the strength varies a lot between products.

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

Read the full Greek Sage monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ethosuximide

What Is Ethosuximide Used For?

Brand name: Zarontin

Ethosuximide — sold as Zarontin and also available as generic Ethosuximide — is used to control absence (petit mal) epilepsy. Absence seizures are brief episodes where a person loses awareness for a few seconds, often mistaken for daydreaming.

Both Zarontin and Ethosuximide products (capsule and oral solution forms) are approved for this use. Either may also be used alongside other seizure medicines when a patient has absence seizures together with other types of epilepsy.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Ethosuximide

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (2,490 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Seizure 367 reports
Somnolence 157 reports
Generalised tonic-clonic seizure 149 reports
Petit mal epilepsy 118 reports
Treatment failure 116 reports
See full Ethosuximide drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Greek Sage

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

0Major
1Moderate
0Minor
2,828No known interaction
Moderate

1 interaction

No interaction 2,828 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Greek Sage References

The 1 references that drive our Greek Sage 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. Todorov S, Philianos S, Petkov V, et al. Experimental pharmacological study of three species from genus Salvia. Acta Physiol Pharmacol (Bulg) 1984;10:13-20.

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 Greek Sage and Ethosuximide Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Greek Sage with Ethosuximide?
We do not list a known interaction between Greek Sage and Ethosuximide. 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 Greek Sage and Ethosuximide combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ethosuximide is filed under 7 classifications, and Greek Sage has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Ethosuximide'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 Greek Sage interact with any other medications?
Yes. Greek Sage has 1 documented drug interaction in our database — Ethosuximide 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 Ethosuximide interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ethosuximide has documented interactions with 226 supplements in our database — Greek Sage is not one of them. The Ethosuximide 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 Ethosuximide and Greek Sage?

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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.