Drug & supplement interaction

Lemon Balm + Rifapentine

Rifapentine brand name: Priftin.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Lemon Balm and Rifapentine 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. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Rifapentine states a food rule worth keeping to, and the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Lemon Balm and Rifapentine

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 Rifapentine and Lemon Balm 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.

Lemon Balm safety at a glance

Lemon Balm overall Use caution Generally well tolerated for short-term use in most healthy adults, but high doses and long-term safety are not well studied.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough reliable safety data, so it is best avoided during pregnancy unless your doctor advises otherwise.
Breastfeeding Use caution Limited safety information exists, so use caution and talk to your doctor before using while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Rifapentine and Lemon Balm? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Rifapentine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Rifapentine is filed under 4 classifications — including cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) inducers, cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) inducers, antibiotic drugs. Lemon Balm has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being cns depressants (moderate) and thyroid hormone (moderate) — and none of Rifapentine’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

Lemon Balm Does Interact With Other Medications

Lemon Balm has 264 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Rifapentine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 264 No known interaction 2,566 (incl. Rifapentine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Lemon Balm

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Lemon Balm and Rifapentine May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Drowsiness Additional detail

    Lemon Balm

    “Orally, lemon balm has been reported to cause dizziness and sedation; however, it does not seem to occur more often with lemon balm than placebo. Additionally, other clinical research shows that using lemon balm in conjunction with alcohol does not affect reaction time or influence cognitive performance.”

    Lemon Balm · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cognitive function.

    4 sources cited
    1. 9993. Akhondzadeh S, Noroozian M, Mohammadi M, et al. Melissa officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2003;74:863-6. PubMed
    2. 104433. Araj-Khodaei M, Noorbala AA, Yarani R, et al. A double-blind, randomized pilot study for comparison of Melissa officinalis L. and Lavandula angustifolia Mill. with Fluoxetine for the treatment of depression. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):207. PubMed
    3. 19427. Albrecht M, Berger W, Laux P, Schmidt U, et al. Psychopharmaka und Verkehrssicherheit. Der Einfluß von Euvegal® - Dragees forte auf die Fahrtüchtigkeit und Kombinationswirkungen mit Alkohol Z Allg Med 1995;71:1215-25.
    4. 19723. Herberg, KW. Nebenwirkungen pflanzlicher Beruhigungsmittel/ Leistung und Befinden nach Einnahme einer Baldrian-Hopfen-Kombination. Z.Allg Med 1996;72:234-240.

    Rifapentine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Rifapentine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Stomach pain / Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    Lemon Balm

    “Orally, lemon balm might increase appetite in some patients. Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain have been reported rarely and do not seem to occur more often than in patients taking placebo.”

    Lemon Balm · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    3 sources cited
    1. 91732. Alijaniha F, et al. Heart palpitation relief with Melissa officinalis leaf extract: double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial of efficacy and safety. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;164:378-384. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.02.007. Epub 2015 Feb 11. PubMed
    2. 104433. Araj-Khodaei M, Noorbala AA, Yarani R, et al. A double-blind, randomized pilot study for comparison of Melissa officinalis L. and Lavandula angustifolia Mill. with Fluoxetine for the treatment of depression. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):207. PubMed
    3. 9993. Akhondzadeh S, Noroozian M, Mohammadi M, et al. Melissa officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2003;74:863-6. PubMed

    Rifapentine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Rifapentine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Tiredness Additional detail

    Lemon Balm

    “Orally, a case of transient complete atrioventricular block and QT prolongation is reported in a 25-year-old female following the post-workout use of a specific product (Muscle Eze Advanced) containing lemon balm and several other ingredients. Symptoms of fatigue and lightheadedness started 1 week into use of the product.”

    Lemon Balm · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in fatigue.

    1 source cited
    1. 112556. Kucuk U, Pham M, Raza Raja MH, Saad Shaukat MH, Clark R. Transient complete atrioventricular block associated with herbal supplement use. S D Med 2023;76(7):311-313.

    Rifapentine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Rifapentine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Dizziness Additional detail

    Lemon Balm

    Recorded for Lemon Balm in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Drowsiness above.

    Rifapentine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Rifapentine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Lemon Balm but not commonly for Rifapentine: an irregular heartbeat.

Effects for Rifapentine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Lemon Balm come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Rifapentine Products Have a Food Rule — Lemon Balm Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Rifapentine says to take it with food. If you take Lemon Balm on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Rifapentine with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Rifapentine products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

( 2.2 ) Take with food.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Rifapentine — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

From our Q&A

Questions About Lemon Balm or Rifapentine

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

This page covers Lemon Balm only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Rifapentine page lists 64 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Alkanna (moderate), Alpine Ragwort (moderate), Bacillus Coagulans (moderate) and Bacillus Subtilis (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 53 moderate · 10 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Rifapentine page

“Rifapentine (Priftin) treats tuberculosis and is often dosed just once or twice a week, so a single blunted dose costs more than it would with a daily pill. That is why I read this list of 64 interacting supplements as a real warning rather than routine fine print.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Rifapentine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 2,076 real supplement products containing Lemon Balm, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Lemon Balm. Even though Lemon Balm itself has no known interaction with Rifapentine, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Lemon Balm and Rifapentine 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 Lemon Balm
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Rifapentine
Steady interest

#2,684 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 Lemon Balm reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Lemon Balm and Rifapentine records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 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 Lemon Balm

What is Lemon Balm?

Lemon Balm
  • Anxiety and stress
  • Sleep problems
  • Digestive upset
  • Cold sores
  • Restlessness or nervousness

Lemon balm is a gentle, lemon-scented mint-family herb traditionally used to ease stress, support sleep, and calm digestion, and topically for cold sores. Early studies are promising but generally small, so the evidence is limited. It is usually well tolerated for most adults, but pregnant or breastfeeding people should check with a doctor or pharmacist first.

Melissa officinalis · Lamiaceae · Leaves and essential oil · Tea, capsules, tablets, liquid extracts, tinctures, topical creams, and essential oil

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

Lemon Balm: dosing

There is no single standard dose of lemon balm that has been firmly established. The right amount can depend on the form (tea, capsule, extract, or cream) and the reason it is being used.Because products vary widely in strength, the best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Lemon Balm monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Rifapentine

What Is Rifapentine Used For?

Brand name: Priftin

Rifapentine tablets — sold as Priftin and as rifapentine tablets — are used to treat two forms of tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. For active pulmonary TB (a live TB infection in the lungs), it is approved for adults and children 12 years and older. It must always be combined with other anti-TB drugs — never taken alone.

For latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) — where TB bacteria are in the body but not yet causing illness — it is approved for adults and children 2 years and older who are at high risk of the infection becoming active. For LTBI, it is always taken together with isoniazid, once weekly for 12 weeks. Active TB disease must be ruled out before starting LTBI treatment.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Rifapentine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (509 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fever 66 reports
Nausea 52 reports
Fatigue 42 reports
Hypertension 40 reports
Vomiting 40 reports
See full Rifapentine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Lemon Balm

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

0Major
264Moderate
0Minor
2,565No known interaction
264 Moderate 2,565 No interaction
Moderate

264 interactions

Showing 60 of 264 moderate interactions — see all 264 on the Lemon Balm page.

No interaction 2,565 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,565 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Lemon Balm list.

See the full Lemon Balm interactions page
See every supplement checked against Rifapentine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Lemon Balm References

The 12 references that drive our Lemon Balm 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. Wolbling RH, Leonhardt K. Local therapy of herpes simplex with dried extract from Melissa officinalis. Phytomedicine 1994;1:25-31.
  2. Akhondzadeh S, Noroozian M, Mohammadi M, et al. Melissa officinalis extract in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease: a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2003;74:863-6. PubMed
  3. Kennedy DO, Scholey AB, Tildesley NT, et al. Modulation of mood and cognitive performance following acute administration of Melissa officinalis (lemon balm). Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2002;72:953-64. PubMed
  4. Albrecht M, Berger W, Laux P, Schmidt U, et al. Psychopharmaka und Verkehrssicherheit. Der Einfluß von Euvegal® - Dragees forte auf die Fahrtüchtigkeit und Kombinationswirkungen mit Alkohol Z Allg Med 1995;71:1215-25.
  5. Herberg, KW. Nebenwirkungen pflanzlicher Beruhigungsmittel/ Leistung und Befinden nach Einnahme einer Baldrian-Hopfen-Kombination. Z.Allg Med 1996;72:234-240.
  6. Soulimani R, Fleurentin J, Mortier F, et al. Neurotropic action of the hydroalcoholic extract of Melissa officinalis in the mouse. Planta Med. 1991 Apr;57:105-9.
  7. Sourgens H, Winterhoff H, Gumbinger HG, et al. Antihormonal effects of plant extracts. TSH- and prolactin-suppressing properties of Lithospermum officinale and other plants. Planta Med. 1982 Jun;45:78-86. DOI
  8. Auf'mkolk M, Ingbar JC, Amir SM, et al. Inhibition by certain plant extracts of the binding and adenylate cyclase stimulatory effect of bovine thyrotropin in human thyroid membranes. Endocrinology. 1984 Aug;115:527-34. PubMed
  9. Santini F, Vitti P, Ceccarini G, et al. In vitro assay of thyroid disruptors affecting TSH-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. J Endocrinol Invest. 2003 Oct;26:950-5. PubMed
  10. Alijaniha F, et al. Heart palpitation relief with Melissa officinalis leaf extract: double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial of efficacy and safety. J Ethnopharmacol. 2015;164:378-384. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.02.007. Epub 2015 Feb 11. PubMed
  11. Araj-Khodaei M, Noorbala AA, Yarani R, et al. A double-blind, randomized pilot study for comparison of Melissa officinalis L. and Lavandula angustifolia Mill. with Fluoxetine for the treatment of depression. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):207. PubMed
  12. Kucuk U, Pham M, Raza Raja MH, Saad Shaukat MH, Clark R. Transient complete atrioventricular block associated with herbal supplement use. S D Med 2023;76(7):311-313.

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 Lemon Balm and Rifapentine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Lemon Balm with Rifapentine?
We do not list a known interaction between Lemon Balm and Rifapentine. 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.
Do Lemon Balm and Rifapentine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 6 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Should I take Lemon Balm and Rifapentine at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Rifapentine says to take it with food. If you take Lemon Balm on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Rifapentine with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Rifapentine products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Lemon Balm and Rifapentine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Rifapentine is filed under 4 classifications, and Lemon Balm has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Rifapentine'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 Lemon Balm interact with any other medications?
Yes. Lemon Balm has 264 documented drug interactions in our database — Rifapentine 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 Rifapentine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Rifapentine has documented interactions with 64 supplements in our database — Lemon Balm is not one of them. The Rifapentine interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Lemon Balm monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Rifapentine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Rifapentine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Rifapentine, 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 References The 12 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Rifapentine and Lemon Balm?

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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.