Drug & supplement interaction

Green Tea + Clindamycin

Clindamycin brand names: Cleocin, Dalacin C, Cleocin T Gel, Clindesse, ClindaMax.

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

Green Tea has a minor interaction with Clindamycin. Green tea is unlikely to produce clinically significant changes in the levels and clinical effects of CYP3A4 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMinor
LikelihoodUnlikely
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Green Tea and Clindamycin

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Minor

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Clindamycin

Clindamycin falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Green Tea interacts with.

Green tea is unlikely to produce clinically significant changes in the levels and clinical effects of CYP3A4 substrates.
In vitro and in vivo research suggests that green tea can inhibit intestinal CYP3A and induce hepatic CYP3A4 enzymes. However, this effect is unlikely to be clinically significant, as green tea does not appear to affect CYP3A4 activity in humans.
Severity Minor Likelihood Unlikely Evidence D

Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the short version: clindamycin is partly cleared by a liver enzyme called CYP3A4, and green tea can tug on that enzyme a little in lab studies. In a test tube, green tea seems to slow this enzyme in the gut but speed it up in the liver. The catch is that in real people drinking real cups of tea, these effects mostly cancel out and don't change how clindamycin works.

So for most folks, enjoying green tea while taking clindamycin is not something I'd lose sleep over. The bigger thing to watch with this antibiotic is stomach upset or diarrhea, which comes from the drug itself, not the tea. If you're taking a concentrated green tea extract or have liver concerns, just give your pharmacist a quick heads up to be safe.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Donovan JL, Chavin KD, Devane CL, et al. Green tea (Camellia sinensis) extract does not alter cytochrome P450 3A4 or 2D6 activity in healthy volunteers. Drug Metab Dispos 2004;32:906-8. PubMed
  2. Nishikawa, M., Ariyoshi, N., Kotani, A., Ishii, I., Nakamura, H., Nakasa, H., Ida, M., Nakamura, H., Kimura, N., Kimura, M., Hasegawa, A., Kusu, F., Ohmori, S., Nakazawa, K., and Kitada, M. Effects of continuous ingestion of green tea or grape seed extrac
  3. Chow, H. H., Hakim, I. A., Vining, D. R., Crowell, J. A., Cordova, C. A., Chew, W. M., Xu, M. J., Hsu, C. H., Ranger-Moore, J., and Alberts, D. S. Effects of repeated green tea catechin administration on human cytochrome P450 activity. Cancer Epidemiol.B PubMed
  4. Engdal, S. and Nilsen, O. G. In vitro inhibition of CYP3A4 by herbal remedies frequently used by cancer patients. Phytother.Res. 2009;23(7):906-912.
  5. Schönthal AH. Adverse effects of concentrated green tea extracts. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2011 Jun;55(6):874-85. 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

Green Tea Also Interacts With Other Medications

Green Tea has 13 major, 905 moderate, 374 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Clindamycin one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 13 Moderate 905 Minor 374 No known interaction 1,538 (incl. Clindamycin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Green Tea

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Green Tea or Clindamycin

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

This page covers Green Tea only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Clindamycin page lists 169 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 123 moderate · 43 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Clindamycin page

“Someone on clindamycin (Cleocin) is usually mid-course against a stubborn bacterial infection, and often reaching for a probiotic to protect the gut at the same time. That instinct is understandable, but this list warrants genuine care.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Clindamycin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 9,084 real supplement products containing Green Tea, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Green Tea. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Clindamycin too, on top of Green Tea — 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 Green Tea and Clindamycin 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 Green Tea
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Clindamycin
Top 25%

#416 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 Green Tea

What is Green Tea?

Green Tea
  • Antioxidant support
  • Weight loss
  • Heart health
  • Mental alertness
  • Cancer risk reduction

Green tea is a popular beverage rich in antioxidants called catechins, and drinking it in normal amounts is considered safe for most people. Concentrated green tea extracts are a different story—they may help modestly with weight or heart health for some, but high doses have been linked to rare liver problems. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking green tea supplements, especially if you have liver concerns or are pregnant.

Read the full Green Tea monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Clindamycin

What Is Clindamycin Used For?

Brand names: Cleocin, Dalacin C, Cleocin T Gel, Clindesse, ClindaMax

Clindamycin is prescribed for serious infections caused by certain bacteria — including anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that thrive without oxygen), streptococci, staphylococci, and pneumococci. It's often chosen when penicillin-type antibiotics can't be used, such as in people with a penicillin allergy.

It can treat infections of the lungs, skin and soft tissue, bloodstream, abdomen, and female reproductive organs. Because it carries real risks, doctors reserve it for infections where safer antibiotics aren't appropriate.

See full Clindamycin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Green Tea

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

13Major
905Moderate
374Minor
1,537No known interaction
13 Major 905 Moderate 374 Minor 1,537 No interaction
Major

13 interactions

Moderate

905 interactions

Showing 60 of 905 moderate interactions — see all 905 on the Green Tea page.

Minor

374 interactions

Showing 60 of 374 minor interactions — see all 374 on the Green Tea page.

No interaction 1,537 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,537 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Green Tea list.

See the full Green Tea interactions page
See every supplement checked against Clindamycin, 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
Green Tea monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Clindamycin supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Clindamycin, ranked by severity Clindamycin 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 Green Tea and Clindamycin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Green Tea with Clindamycin?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Green Tea and Clindamycin interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Clindamycin and Green Tea?

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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.