Drug & supplement interaction

Perilla + Guaifenesin

Guaifenesin brand names: Robitussin, Humibid LA, Amibid LA, Numobid, Muco-Fen 800, and others.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Perilla and Guaifenesin 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 Guaifenesin

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 Guaifenesin 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 Guaifenesin, 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 Guaifenesin 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 Guaifenesin. 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 haven’t matched Guaifenesin to its FDA label in our system yet, so we can’t compare its own side-effect list here — the leaflet that comes with your prescription is the authoritative list for Guaifenesin.

From our Q&A

Questions About Perilla or Guaifenesin

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 Guaifenesin, 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 Guaifenesin

This page covers Perilla only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Guaifenesin page lists 26 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Berberine (moderate), Bitter Orange (moderate) and Coffee Charcoal (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 15 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Guaifenesin page

“Guaifenesin (Robitussin, Humibid LA) loosens chest mucus, and by itself it is a mild medicine, but two of the 26 supplements on this list rate major, so those two deserve your attention first. Activated charcoal can bind the drug in your gut and blunt what it does, and grapefruit raises blood levels of dextromethorphan, the cough suppr…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Guaifenesin 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 Guaifenesin, 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 Guaifenesin 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Guaifenesin
Steady interest

#1,490 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 Guaifenesin 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 Guaifenesin

What Is Guaifenesin Used For?

Brand names: Robitussin, Humibid LA, Amibid LA, Numobid, Muco-Fen 800, Bidex, Organidin, X-pect, Mucinex

Guaifenesin helps loosen phlegm (mucus) and thin bronchial secretions — the sticky fluid in your airways — so your cough can clear it out more effectively. It is used to relieve chest congestion associated with colds, respiratory infections, and other conditions that cause a mucus-filled cough.

This use is supported across multiple products including tablets, extended-release tablets, and oral solutions such as Childrens Mucus Relief, Tussin, Guaifenesin STRAWBERRY-BANANA FLAVOR, 12 Hour Mucus Relief, 365 Whole Foods Market Guaifenesin, Dr. Simi Mucus Relief, and others.

See full Guaifenesin 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
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
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 Guaifenesin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Perilla with Guaifenesin?
We do not list a known interaction between Perilla and Guaifenesin. 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 Guaifenesin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Guaifenesin has documented interactions with 26 supplements in our database — Perilla is not one of them. The Guaifenesin 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 Guaifenesin and Perilla?

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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.