Drug & supplement interaction

Mangosteen + Cephalexin

Cephalexin brand names: Keflex, Keftab, Cephalex, Lexin.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Mangosteen and Cephalexin 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 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

Mangosteen and Cephalexin

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 Cephalexin and Mangosteen 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.

Mangosteen safety at a glance

Mangosteen overall Use caution Generally considered safe as a food, but long-term safety of concentrated supplements is not well studied.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information; avoid supplement amounts during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information; avoid supplement amounts while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Cephalexin and Mangosteen? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Cephalexin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Cephalexin is filed under 7 classifications — including organic anion transporter 3 (oat3) substrates, organic anion transporter 1 (oat1) substrates, antibiotic drugs. Mangosteen has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) and donepezil (aricept) (minor) — and none of Cephalexin’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

Mangosteen Does Interact With Other Medications

Mangosteen has 122 moderate, 3 minor known drug interactions in our database — Cephalexin 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 Mangosteen

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Mangosteen and Cephalexin 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Kidney problems Worth acting on Additional detail

    Mangosteen

    “Orally, mangosteen extract up to 560 mg daily has been reported to cause abnormal urination. It is not known if this side effect was related to mangosteen. In one case report, a patient with chronic kidney disease and metabolic syndrome consumed mangosteen juice daily for 12 months and later presented with severe lactic acidosis.”

    Mangosteen · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in myasthenia gravis.

    2 sources cited
    1. 97877. Suthammarak W, Numpraphrut P, Charoensakdi R, et al. Antioxidant-enhancing property of the polar fraction of mangosteen pericarp extract and evaluation of its safety in humans. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2016;2016:1293036. PubMed
    2. 16399. Wong LP, Klemmer PJ. Severe lactic acidosis associated with juice of the mangosteen fruit Garcinia mangostana. Am J Kidney Dis 2008;51:829-33. PubMed

    Cephalexin

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

  • Stomach upset / Diarrhea / Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    Mangosteen

    “Orally, mangosteen extract up to 560 mg daily has been reported to cause constipation, abnormal stool, abdominal discomfort, abdominal bloating, salivation, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea. It is not known if these side effects were related to mangosteen.”

    Mangosteen · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    1 source cited
    1. 97877. Suthammarak W, Numpraphrut P, Charoensakdi R, et al. Antioxidant-enhancing property of the polar fraction of mangosteen pericarp extract and evaluation of its safety in humans. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2016;2016:1293036. PubMed

    Cephalexin

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

  • Tiredness / Dizziness / Headache Additional detail

    Mangosteen

    “Orally, mangosteen extract up to 560 mg daily has been reported to cause mild tiredness, headache, dizziness, and malaise. It is not known if these side effects were related to mangosteen.”

    Mangosteen · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    1 source cited
    1. 97877. Suthammarak W, Numpraphrut P, Charoensakdi R, et al. Antioxidant-enhancing property of the polar fraction of mangosteen pericarp extract and evaluation of its safety in humans. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2016;2016:1293036. PubMed

    Cephalexin

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

Reported for Mangosteen but not commonly for Cephalexin: a stuffy or runny nose, constipation, weight loss and a skin rash.

Effects for Cephalexin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Mangosteen 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Mangosteen or Cephalexin

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

This page covers Mangosteen only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Cephalexin page lists 61 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), African Wild Potato (moderate) and Aristolochia (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 47 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Cephalexin page

“Cephalexin (Keflex) is one of the most commonly prescribed oral antibiotics, usually for skin and urinary infections, and its supplement list warrants genuine care rather than a quick skim. Three of the 61 ingredients on file rate major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Cephalexin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,201 real supplement products containing Mangosteen, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Mangosteen. Even though Mangosteen itself has no known interaction with Cephalexin, 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 Mangosteen and Cephalexin 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 Mangosteen
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Cephalexin
Top 5%

#65 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 Mangosteen reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Mangosteen and Cephalexin 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 Mangosteen

What is Mangosteen?

Mangosteen
  • Antioxidant support
  • Anti-inflammatory support
  • Immune support
  • Skin health
  • General wellness

Mangosteen is a tropical fruit whose rind is rich in plant compounds called xanthones that act as antioxidants. While it is popular in juices and supplements for inflammation, immune support, and general wellness, strong human evidence for these benefits is limited. It is likely fine as a food, but talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements.

Garcinia mangostana · Clusiaceae · Fruit, and especially the rind (pericarp) · Juice, capsules, tablets, powders, dried rind, extracts

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

Mangosteen: dosing

There is no standard, well-established dose for mangosteen supplements. Products vary widely in strength and form, from juices to capsules to powders.The best advice is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Mangosteen monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Cephalexin

What Is Cephalexin Used For?

Brand names: Keflex, Keftab, Cephalex, Lexin

Cephalexin treats bacterial infections caused by susceptible strains of bacteria. It is used for respiratory tract infections, ear infections (otitis media), skin and skin structure infections, bone infections, and genitourinary tract infections — including acute prostatitis.

It works only against bacterial infections — not viruses like colds or flu. Your prescriber should use it only when a bacterial infection is confirmed or strongly suspected, to help prevent antibiotic resistance.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Cephalexin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (0 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Chronic kidney disease 2,157 reports
Renal failure 1,558 reports
Acute kidney injury 1,550 reports
Diarrhea 1,405 reports
Fatigue 1,303 reports
See full Cephalexin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Mangosteen

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

0Major
122Moderate
3Minor
2,704No known interaction
Moderate

122 interactions

Showing 60 of 122 moderate interactions — see all 122 on the Mangosteen page.

Minor

3 interactions

No interaction 2,704 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Mangosteen References

The 6 references that drive our Mangosteen 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. Chairungsrilerd N, Furukawa K, Ohta T, et al. Histaminergic and serotonergic receptor blocking substances from the medicinal plant Garcinia mangostana. Planta Med 1996;62:471-2.
  2. Wong LP, Klemmer PJ. Severe lactic acidosis associated with juice of the mangosteen fruit Garcinia mangostana. Am J Kidney Dis 2008;51:829-33. PubMed
  3. Furukawa, K., Chairungsrilerd, N., Ohta, T., Nozoe, S., and Ohizumi, Y. [Novel types of receptor antagonists from the medicinal plant Garcinia mangostana]. Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi 1997;110 Suppl 1:153P-158P. PubMed
  4. Chairungsrilerd, N., Furukawa, K., Tadano, T., Kisara, K., and Ohizumi, Y. Effect of gamma-mangostin through the inhibition of 5-hydroxy-tryptamine2A receptors in 5-fluoro-alpha-methyltryptamine-induced head-twitch responses of mice. Br J Pharmacol. 1998
  5. Suthammarak W, Numpraphrut P, Charoensakdi R, et al. Antioxidant-enhancing property of the polar fraction of mangosteen pericarp extract and evaluation of its safety in humans. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2016;2016:1293036. PubMed
  6. Bae M, Han SY, Kim ES, et al. Effect of Water Extract of Mangosteen Pericarp on Donepezil Pharmacokinetics in Mice. Molecules 2021;26(17):5246. PubMed

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 Mangosteen and Cephalexin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Mangosteen with Cephalexin?
We do not list a known interaction between Mangosteen and Cephalexin. 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 Mangosteen and Cephalexin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 8 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.
How was the Mangosteen and Cephalexin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Cephalexin is filed under 7 classifications, and Mangosteen has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Cephalexin'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 Mangosteen interact with any other medications?
Yes. Mangosteen has 125 documented drug interactions in our database — Cephalexin 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 Cephalexin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Cephalexin has documented interactions with 61 supplements in our database — Mangosteen is not one of them. The Cephalexin 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 Cephalexin and Mangosteen?

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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.