Drug & supplement interaction

Perilla + Cephalexin

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

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Perilla 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.

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Interaction report

Perilla 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 Perilla 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 Perilla at all — not against Cephalexin, 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.

Perilla safety at a glance

Perilla overall Use caution Generally well tolerated as a food, but supplement-strength products are not well studied.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety data; avoid medicinal amounts during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety data; avoid medicinal amounts while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Cephalexin and Perilla? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Perilla Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Cephalexin. It is the side-effect record for Perilla on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Perilla, this list is the first place to look. 2 entries are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Wheezing Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Occupational asthma has been reported from breathing in smoke from roasted perilla seeds.”

    Perilla · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in asthma.

    1 source cited
    1. 94313. Yu H, Qiu JF, Ma LJ, Hu YJ, Li P, Wan JB. Phytochemical and phytopharmacological review of Perilla frutescens L. (Labiatae), a traditional edible-medicinal herb in China. Food Chem Toxicol 2017;108(Pt B):375-91. PubMed
  • A severe allergic reaction Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Orally, many cases of anaphylaxis have been reported in adults and children who consumed perilla seeds. Some research suggests that oleosin is the major constituent responsible for perilla allergies.”

    Perilla · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in allergic rhinitis (hay fever).

    2 sources cited
    1. 94313. Yu H, Qiu JF, Ma LJ, Hu YJ, Li P, Wan JB. Phytochemical and phytopharmacological review of Perilla frutescens L. (Labiatae), a traditional edible-medicinal herb in China. Food Chem Toxicol 2017;108(Pt B):375-91. PubMed
    2. 110611. Jeong K, Lee SY, Jeon SA, et al. Clinical and immunological characterization of perilla seed allergy in children. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2021. PubMed
  • A skin rash Additional detail

    “Topically, perilla may cause contact dermatitis (6,68664,94313).”

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

    3 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 68664. Kanzaki, T. and Kimura, S. Occupational allergic contact dermatitis from Perilla frutescens (shiso). Contact Dermatitis 1992;26(1):55-56.
    3. 94313. Yu H, Qiu JF, Ma LJ, Hu YJ, Li P, Wan JB. Phytochemical and phytopharmacological review of Perilla frutescens L. (Labiatae), a traditional edible-medicinal herb in China. Food Chem Toxicol 2017;108(Pt B):375-91. PubMed

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Perilla — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Cephalexin’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Cephalexin column appears here.

From our Q&A

Questions About Perilla 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 Perilla 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 Perilla 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 Perilla as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 199 real supplement products containing Perilla, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Perilla. Even though Perilla 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 Perilla 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 Perilla
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Cephalexin
Top 5%

#127 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 Perilla reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Perilla 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 Perilla

What is Perilla?

Perilla
  • Seasonal and food allergies
  • Asthma and airway inflammation
  • Atopic dermatitis (eczema)
  • Digestive upset
  • General anti-inflammatory support

Perilla is an Asian mint-family plant used in cooking and traditional medicine, mainly for allergy, breathing, and digestive complaints. Most human evidence is limited or preliminary, so it should not replace proven treatments. It is generally well tolerated as a food, but talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements.

Perilla frutescens · Lamiaceae · Leaves, seeds, stem, and seed oil · Tea, capsules, seed oil, essential oil, dried leaf, culinary herb

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

Perilla: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose for perilla supplements. Products vary widely in their form and strength, from leaf teas to seed oil softgels to standardized extracts.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not to exceed them.

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

Read the full Perilla 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 & Perilla

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Perilla — 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 Perilla 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 Perilla list.

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

Perilla References

The 4 references that drive our Perilla 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. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  2. Kanzaki, T. and Kimura, S. Occupational allergic contact dermatitis from Perilla frutescens (shiso). Contact Dermatitis 1992;26(1):55-56.
  3. Yu H, Qiu JF, Ma LJ, Hu YJ, Li P, Wan JB. Phytochemical and phytopharmacological review of Perilla frutescens L. (Labiatae), a traditional edible-medicinal herb in China. Food Chem Toxicol 2017;108(Pt B):375-91. PubMed
  4. Jeong K, Lee SY, Jeon SA, et al. Clinical and immunological characterization of perilla seed allergy in children. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2021. 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 Perilla and Cephalexin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Perilla with Cephalexin?
We do not list a known interaction between Perilla 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.
Does Cephalexin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Cephalexin has documented interactions with 61 supplements in our database — Perilla 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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Perilla monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Cephalexin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Cephalexin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Cephalexin, 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 4 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Cephalexin and Perilla?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.