Drug & supplement interaction

Peppermint + Acetaminophen

Acetaminophen brand names: Tylenol Ex Strength, Children's Tylenol, Tylenol, Children's Tylenol Meltaways.

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

Peppermint has a minor interaction with Acetaminophen. Theoretically, peppermint might increase the levels of CYP1A2 substrates.

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

Peppermint and Acetaminophen

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

Minor

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Acetaminophen

Acetaminophen falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES — the group Peppermint interacts with.

Theoretically, peppermint might increase the levels of CYP1A2 substrates.
In vitro and animal research shows that peppermint oil and peppermint leaf inhibit CYP1A2. However, in clinical research, peppermint tea did not significantly affect the metabolism of caffeine, a CYP1A2 substrate. It is possible that the 6-day duration of treatment may have been too short to identify a difference.
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

Here's the short version: peppermint and acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a very low-key combination. In lab and animal studies, peppermint appears to slow down an enzyme called CYP1A2, which is one of the routes your body uses to process certain medicines. In theory, blocking that enzyme could let a little more of the drug hang around. For acetaminophen specifically, this isn't a prodrug, so any small slowdown would just mean slightly higher levels, not a loss of pain or fever relief.

In real life, though, this barely registers. When researchers gave people peppermint tea with caffeine (another CYP1A2 substrate), they saw no meaningful change. The rating is minor and mostly theoretical. Still, if you take acetaminophen often or use concentrated peppermint oil, it never hurts to run it by your pharmacist.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Unger M, Frank A. Simultaneous determination of the inhibitory potency of herbal extracts on the activity of six major cytochrome P450 enzymes using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and automated online extraction. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 2004;1 PubMed
  2. Maliakal PP, Wanwimolruk S. Effect of herbal teas on hepatic drug metabolizing enzymes in rats. J Pharm Pharmacol 2001;53:1323-9. PubMed
  3. Begas E, Tsioutsiouliti A, Kouvaras E, et al. Effects of peppermint tea consumption on the activities of CYP1A2, CYP2A6, Xanthine Oxidase, N-acetyltranferase-2 and UDP-glucuronosyltransferases-1A1/1A6 in healthy volunteers. Food Chem Toxicol 2017;100:80-9 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

Peppermint Also Interacts With Other Medications

Peppermint has 733 moderate, 64 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Acetaminophen one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 733 Minor 64 No known interaction 2,033 (incl. Acetaminophen)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Peppermint

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Peppermint or Acetaminophen

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

This page covers Peppermint only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Acetaminophen page lists 155 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major) and Wine (major).

By severity: 5 major · 114 moderate · 36 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Acetaminophen page

“Acetaminophen (Tylenol) feels harmless because it sits on every shelf, but this list deserves real attention, mostly because of your liver. Of the 155 supplements and herbs on file, five carry a major rating, and the largest serious group, 38 ingredients, adds liver strain on top of acetaminophen's own well-known potential to harm the…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Acetaminophen interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,980 real supplement products containing Peppermint, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Peppermint. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Acetaminophen too, on top of Peppermint — 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 Peppermint and Acetaminophen 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 Peppermint
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Acetaminophen
Top 1%

#20 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 Peppermint

What is Peppermint?

Peppermint
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Indigestion and gas
  • Nausea
  • Tension headache (topical oil)
  • Colds and congestion
  • Freshening breath

Peppermint is a popular herb with the best evidence supporting enteric-coated peppermint oil for easing IBS symptoms. It is generally well tolerated for most adults, but it can cause heartburn and is not recommended in concentrated oil form for infants and young children. Check with your pharmacist or doctor before using it regularly, especially during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Read the full Peppermint monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Acetaminophen

What Is Acetaminophen Used For?

Brand names: Tylenol Ex Strength, Children's Tylenol, Tylenol, Children's Tylenol Meltaways

Across the oral products (tablets and suspensions), acetaminophen temporarily relieves minor aches and pains and temporarily reduces fever.

The aches and pains named include the common cold, headache, backache, minor arthritis pain, toothache, muscle aches, and menstrual and premenstrual cramps. Robitussin Direct Sore Throat Pain tablets also list sore throat pain.

See full Acetaminophen drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Peppermint

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

0Major
733Moderate
64Minor
2,032No known interaction
733 Moderate 64 Minor 2,032 No interaction
Moderate

733 interactions

Showing 60 of 733 moderate interactions — see all 733 on the Peppermint page.

Minor

64 interactions

Showing 60 of 64 minor interactions — see all 64 on the Peppermint page.

No interaction 2,032 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,032 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Peppermint list.

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

Can you take Peppermint with Acetaminophen?
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 Peppermint and Acetaminophen 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 Acetaminophen and Peppermint?

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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.