Drug & supplement interaction

Oriental Arborvitae + Methylene Blue

Methylene Blue brand names: Urolene Blue, Provayblue.

No Known Interaction

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026

The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Oriental Arborvitae and Methylene Blue 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

Oriental Arborvitae and Methylene Blue

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 Methylene Blue and Oriental Arborvitae 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Oriental Arborvitae at all — not against Methylene Blue, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Oriental Arborvitae safety at a glance

Oriental Arborvita... overall Use caution Some plant parts and oils can be toxic, and human safety data are limited.

Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe When the leafy twig is used orally during pregnancy. Oriental arborvitae contains thujone. Thujone might stimulate uterine activity; avoid using. There is insuf... Read the full pregnancy detail

Breastfeeding Avoid No reliable safety information, so it is best avoided while breastfeeding.

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 Methylene Blue and Oriental Arborvitae? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Oriental Arborvitae and Methylene Blue May Share a Side Effect

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.

Seizures Worth acting on Additional detail
Oriental Arborvitae
“Orally, taking oriental arborvitae long-term or at high doses might cause adverse effects due to the thujone constituent. Thujone-containing herbs can cause restlessness, vomiting, dizziness, tremors, kidney damage, hallucinations, and convulsions when used long-term or at high doses. Thujone intoxication can cause psychoactivity similar to tetrahydrocannibinol, the active constituent in marijuana. (12).”

Oriental Arborvitae · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.
1 source cited

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.
“Orally, thujone-containing herbs such as oriental arborvitae may cause dizziness and convulsions when used long-term or at high doses (12).”

Oriental Arborvitae · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in vertigo.
1 source cited

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.
Methylene Blue

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

Reported for Oriental Arborvitae but not commonly for Methylene Blue: hallucinations, kidney problems, anxiety or restlessness and dizziness.

Effects for Methylene Blue come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Oriental Arborvitae 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.

Special populations

Oriental Arborvitae in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe

When the leafy twig is used orally during pregnancy. Oriental arborvitae contains thujone. Thujone might stimulate uterine activity; avoid using. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of oriental arborvitae when used topically during pregnancy; avoid using.

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Methylene Blue

This page covers Oriental Arborvitae only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Methylene Blue page lists 38 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Lithium (major), 5-htp (moderate), Acetyl-l-carnitine (moderate) and Ayahuasca (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 25 moderate · 11 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Methylene Blue page

“The pairing I would worry about first with methylene blue (Urolene Blue, Provayblue) is anything that raises serotonin, and lithium heads that group with a major rating. Methylene blue inhibits monoamine oxidase A, the enzyme that breaks serotonin down, so combining it with serotonin-boosting supplements can tip someone into serotonin…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Methylene Blue interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 76 real supplement products containing Oriental Arborvitae, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Oriental Arborvitae. Even though Oriental Arborvitae itself has no known interaction with Methylene Blue, 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 Oriental Arborvitae and Methylene Blue 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 Oriental Arborvitae

Steady interest

#1,194 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Medication Methylene Blue

Top 5%

#53 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 Oriental Arborvitae reference on this page ↓
Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Oriental Arborvitae and Methylene Blue 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 Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS.

Supplement

About Oriental Arborvitae

What is Oriental Arborvitae?

Insomnia and restlessness
Constipation (seeds)
Hair loss and scalp health (topical)
Bleeding and heavy menstruation (traditional)
Cough and respiratory complaints

Oriental Arborvitae is an evergreen conifer used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, where the seeds (Bai Zi Ren) are taken to calm the mind and ease constipation, and the leaves (Ce Bai Ye) are used for bleeding and hair loss. Solid human evidence for these uses is limited, and parts of the plant can be toxic if misused. Talk with a pharmacist or doctor before trying it, and avoid it in pregnancy.

Platycladus orientalis · Cupressaceae · Seeds (Bai Zi Ren) and leaves/twigs (Ce Bai Ye) · Dried seeds, dried leaf, decoctions (teas), powders, capsules, and topical preparations

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

Oriental Arborvitae: dosing

There is no well-established standardized dose for Oriental Arborvitae as a supplement. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the seeds and leaves are used in specific amounts within formulas prepared by a trained practitioner, and the right amount depends on the part used and the preparation.If you choose to use a commercial product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them. Never ingest the concentrated essential oil unless directed by a qualified professional.

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

Read the full Oriental Arborvitae monograph & all interactions

Keep checking

Other Drugs & Oriental Arborvitae

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

0Major

0Moderate

0Minor

2,829No known interaction

2,829 No interaction

No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Oriental Arborvitae list.

See the full Oriental Arborvitae interactions page

See every supplement checked against Methylene Blue, ranked by severity

Evidence & sources

Oriental Arborvitae References

The 2 references that drive our Oriental Arborvitae 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.

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

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 Oriental Arborvitae and Methylene Blue Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Oriental Arborvitae with Methylene Blue?

We do not list a known interaction between Oriental Arborvitae and Methylene Blue. 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 Oriental Arborvitae and Methylene Blue have any of the same side effects?

Yes — our sources link each of them separately to one 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.

Does Methylene Blue interact with any supplements?

Yes. Methylene Blue has documented interactions with 38 supplements in our database — Oriental Arborvitae is not one of them. The Methylene Blue 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

Oriental Arborvitae monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Methylene Blue supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Methylene Blue, 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 2 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Methylene Blue and Oriental Arborvitae?

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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.