Drug & supplement interaction

Honey + Sirolimus

Sirolimus brand name: Rapamune.

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

Honey has a minor interaction with Sirolimus. Theoretically, honey might decrease levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4, but research is conflicting.

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

Honey and Sirolimus

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

Minor

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Sirolimus

Sirolimus falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Honey interacts with.

Theoretically, honey might decrease levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4, but research is conflicting.
Some clinical research shows that honey induces CYP3A4. However, other clinical studies found no effect on CYP3A4 activity. Different honey preparations may have different effects on CYP3A4.
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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

Your body relies on an enzyme called CYP3A4 to break down sirolimus, and the level of this drug in your blood needs to stay in a fairly tight window to protect your transplanted kidney. The concern here is that some honey may gently speed up (induce) that enzyme, which could clear sirolimus a little faster and theoretically nudge your levels down. If levels drop too low, your immune system isn't suppressed as well, and that raises the risk of organ rejection.

Here's the honest part: the research is mixed, with some studies showing an effect and others showing none, so this is weak and uncertain. Normal food amounts of honey are unlikely to be a problem. Since sirolimus is closely monitored, just let your transplant team or pharmacist know before using concentrated honey supplements daily.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Tushar, T., Vinod, T., Rajan, S., Shashindran, C., and Adithan, C. Effect of honey on CYP3A4, CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 enzyme activity in healthy human volunteers. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2007;100(4):269-272. PubMed
  2. Fetzner, L., Burhenne, J., Weiss, J., Völker, M., Unger, M., Mikus, G., and Haefeli, W. E. Daily honey consumption does not change CYP3A activity in humans. J Clin Pharmacol 2011;51(8):1223-1232. 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

Honey Also Interacts With Other Medications

Honey has 5 moderate, 730 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Sirolimus one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 5 Minor 730 No known interaction 2,095 (incl. Sirolimus)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Honey

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Honey or Sirolimus

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

This page covers Honey only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Sirolimus page lists 188 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 Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 149 moderate · 36 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Sirolimus page

“Sirolimus (Rapamune) is the anti-rejection medicine transplant patients depend on, and it is a narrow-therapeutic-index drug, meaning small shifts in its blood level can invite rejection on one side or toxicity on the other. That is why the 188 supplements on this page deserve genuine wariness, starting with the three rated major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Sirolimus interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 298 real supplement products containing Honey, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Honey. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Sirolimus too, on top of Honey — 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 Honey and Sirolimus 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 Honey
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Sirolimus
Steady interest

#2,296 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 Honey

What is Honey?

Honey
  • Cough and sore throat
  • Wound and burn care
  • Soothing minor skin irritation
  • Sweetener and home remedy
  • Digestive upset

Honey is a natural food with some real, modest evidence for easing coughs and helping certain wounds, especially when special medical-grade or Manuka honey is used. It is generally safe for most adults and children over 1 year, but should never be given to infants under 12 months because of the risk of botulism.

Read the full Honey monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Sirolimus

What Is Sirolimus Used For?

Brand name: Rapamune

Sirolimus oral solution and tablets are used to help prevent organ rejection in kidney (renal) transplant patients aged 13 and older. They are also used to treat lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) — a rare lung disease in which abnormal muscle-like cells invade lung tissue.

Fyarro (sirolimus, intravenous injection) is used to treat adults with locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic malignant PEComa — a rare tumor that grows in soft tissue or organs. Hyftor (sirolimus topical gel) is used to treat facial angiofibroma (small benign skin growths on the face) associated with tuberous sclerosis in adults and children aged 6 and older.

See full Sirolimus drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Honey

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

0Major
5Moderate
730Minor
2,094No known interaction
5 Moderate 730 Minor 2,094 No interaction
Moderate

5 interactions

Minor

730 interactions

Showing 60 of 730 minor interactions — see all 730 on the Honey page.

No interaction 2,094 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,094 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Honey list.

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

Can you take Honey with Sirolimus?
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 Honey and Sirolimus 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 Sirolimus and Honey?

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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.