Drug & supplement interaction

Myrrh + Tretinoin

Tretinoin brand names: Vesanoid, Retin-A, Renova, Altreno.

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 Myrrh and Tretinoin 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 Tretinoin 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

Myrrh and Tretinoin

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 Tretinoin and Myrrh 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.

Myrrh safety at a glance

Myrrh overall Use caution Likely fine for short-term topical or mouth-rinse use, but oral safety is not well studied.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When used orally. Myrrh stimulates uterine tone and blood flow and may have an abortifacient effect. There is insufficient reliable information available about... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information is available, so it is best avoided.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Tretinoin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Tretinoin is filed under 5 classifications — including retinoids, cytochrome p450 2c8 (cyp2c8) substrates, topical drugs. Myrrh has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate) and warfarin (coumadin) (moderate) — and none of Tretinoin’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

Myrrh Does Interact With Other Medications

Myrrh has 88 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Tretinoin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 88 No known interaction 2,742 (incl. Tretinoin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Myrrh

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Myrrh and Tretinoin 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.

  • Itching / Swelling Additional detail

    Myrrh

    “Orally, myrrh has been reported to cause severe allergic skin reactions, with redness, swelling, and itching, in two case reports of individuals using oral traditional Chinese medicines containing myrrh.”

    Myrrh · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in pruritus.

    1 source cited
    1. 101114. Xu YY, Li L, Xuan L, Guan K. Patch test diagnosis of non-immediate cutaneous reaction to myrrh following oral intake of a traditional Chinese medicine decoction. Contact Dermatitis. 2019;80(2):135-136. PubMed

    Tretinoin

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

  • Stomach pain Additional detail

    Myrrh

    “Severe lower abdominal pain has been reported in a pregnant woman drinking myrrh resin dissolved in 500 mL of water twice daily as prescribed by a traditional practitioner. This adverse effect resolved one day after discontinuing myrrh. The investigators suggest that this acute abdominal pain was related to myrrh's activity as a uterine stimulant.”

    Myrrh · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in pain.

    1 source cited
    1. 93645. Al-Jaroudi D, Kaddour O, Al-Amin N. Risks of myrrh use in pregnancy. JBRA Assist Reprod 2016;20(4):257-8.

    Tretinoin

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

  • A skin rash reported in 5.2% of FDA reports for Tretinoin Additional detail

    Myrrh

    “Topically, myrrh has been reported to cause dermatitis (6).”

    Myrrh · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    1 source cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.

    Tretinoin

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Tretinoin, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Diarrhea Additional detail

    Myrrh

    “Orally, myrrh may cause diarrhea in some patients when taken at doses of 2-4 grams (12,19).”

    Myrrh · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    2 sources cited
    1. 12. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
    2. 19. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.

    Tretinoin

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

Effects for Tretinoin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Myrrh come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 8,580 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Tretinoin that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Myrrh in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Likely Unsafe

When used orally. Myrrh stimulates uterine tone and blood flow and may have an abortifacient effect. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of the topical use of myrrh during pregnancy.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

How to take them

Some Tretinoin Products Have a Food Rule — Myrrh Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Tretinoin says to take it with food. If you take Myrrh on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Tretinoin 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 Tretinoin 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.

Take tretinoin capsules with a meal.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Tretinoin — 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.

Overlapping uses

What Tretinoin Is Prescribed For, and What Myrrh Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Tretinoin is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Myrrh is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Tretinoin is prescribed for: Tretinoin cream 0.02% is approved to help lessen the look of fine facial wrinkles in people who also follow a comprehensive skin care and sun-avoidance program — including daily sunscreen, protective clothing, and moisturizers. It's important to know what tretinoin does not do: it will not erase wrinkles, reverse sun damage, repair deeply weathered skin, or restore younger-looking skin. It has also not been shown to help with coarse or deep wrinkles, rough skin texture, dark spots, or sagging skin.

Myrrh has been studied for:

  • Cancer studied, not established Myrrh has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Myrrh for cancer

    Although there has been interest in using oral myrrh for cancer, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of myrrh for this purpose.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Tretinoin on your own; if you are taking Myrrh for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Tretinoin

This page covers Myrrh only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Tretinoin page lists 52 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Vitamin A (major), African Wild Potato (moderate), Alfalfa (moderate) and Angelica Archangelica (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 37 moderate · 13 minor.

Open the Tretinoin interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 458 real supplement products containing Myrrh, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Myrrh. Even though Myrrh itself has no known interaction with Tretinoin, 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 Myrrh and Tretinoin 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 Myrrh
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Tretinoin
Steady interest

#2,444 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 Myrrh reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Myrrh and Tretinoin records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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 Myrrh

What is Myrrh?

Myrrh
  • Mouth and gum irritation
  • Sore throat
  • Minor wound and skin care
  • Digestive upset
  • Antimicrobial/antiseptic uses

Myrrh is a fragrant gum resin from Commiphora trees that has long been used in mouthwashes, throat remedies, and skin care. Modern evidence for most of its uses is limited and comes mostly from laboratory or small studies, so it should be viewed as a traditional remedy rather than a proven treatment. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it during pregnancy.

Commiphora myrrha · Burseraceae · Gum resin (and essential oil distilled from the resin) · Tincture, mouthwash/gargle, capsules, powder, essential oil, topical preparations, incense

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

Myrrh: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose of myrrh for any condition. Strengths vary widely between tinctures, mouthwashes, capsules, and essential oils.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed them. Mouthwashes and gargles are usually diluted and not swallowed. Essential oil should never be swallowed and must be diluted before applying to the skin.

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

Read the full Myrrh monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Tretinoin

What Is Tretinoin Used For?

Brand names: Vesanoid, Retin-A, Renova, Altreno

Tretinoin cream 0.02% is approved to help lessen the look of fine facial wrinkles in people who also follow a comprehensive skin care and sun-avoidance program — including daily sunscreen, protective clothing, and moisturizers.

It's important to know what tretinoin does not do: it will not erase wrinkles, reverse sun damage, repair deeply weathered skin, or restore younger-looking skin. It has also not been shown to help with coarse or deep wrinkles, rough skin texture, dark spots, or sagging skin.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Tretinoin

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.

Vomiting 498 reports
Rash 477 reports
Nausea 453 reports
Headache 434 reports
Diarrhea 414 reports
See full Tretinoin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Myrrh

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

0Major
88Moderate
0Minor
2,741No known interaction
88 Moderate 2,741 No interaction
Moderate

88 interactions

Showing 60 of 88 moderate interactions — see all 88 on the Myrrh page.

No interaction 2,741 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,741 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Myrrh list.

See the full Myrrh interactions page
See every supplement checked against Tretinoin, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Myrrh References

The 8 references that drive our Myrrh 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. Newall CA, Anderson LA, Philpson JD. Herbal Medicine: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals. London, UK: The Pharmaceutical Press, 1996.
  2. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  3. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  4. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
  5. Al Faraj S. Antagonism of the anticoagulant effect of warfarin caused by the use of Commiphora molmol as a herbal medication: a case report. Ann Trop Med Parasitol 2005;99:219-20.
  6. Al-Jaroudi D, Kaddour O, Al-Amin N. Risks of myrrh use in pregnancy. JBRA Assist Reprod 2016;20(4):257-8.
  7. Xu YY, Li L, Xuan L, Guan K. Patch test diagnosis of non-immediate cutaneous reaction to myrrh following oral intake of a traditional Chinese medicine decoction. Contact Dermatitis. 2019;80(2):135-136. PubMed
  8. Al-Romaiyan A, Huang GC, Jones P, Persaud S. Commiphora myrrha stimulates insulin secretion from mouse and human islets of Langerhans. J Ethnopharmacol. 2021 Jan 10;264:113075. 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 Myrrh and Tretinoin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Myrrh with Tretinoin?
We do not list a known interaction between Myrrh and Tretinoin. 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 Myrrh and Tretinoin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 5 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 Myrrh and Tretinoin at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Tretinoin says to take it with food. If you take Myrrh on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Tretinoin with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Tretinoin products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
Are Myrrh and Tretinoin used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Myrrh in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Tretinoin is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Myrrh and Tretinoin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Tretinoin is filed under 5 classifications, and Myrrh has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Tretinoin'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 Myrrh interact with any other medications?
Yes. Myrrh has 88 documented drug interactions in our database — Tretinoin 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 Tretinoin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Tretinoin has documented interactions with 52 supplements in our database — Myrrh is not one of them. The Tretinoin 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

Myrrh monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Tretinoin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Tretinoin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Tretinoin, 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 8 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Tretinoin and Myrrh?

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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.