Drug & supplement interaction

Propolis + Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine

Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine brand name: Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine falls into 2 drug categories that Propolis can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, high doses of propolis might increase blood levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Propolis and Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Propolis interacts with whole categories of medication. Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Propolis in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine

Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Propolis interacts with.

Theoretically, high doses of propolis might increase blood levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.
Some in vitro research shows that propolis extract can inhibit CYP3A4; however, other in vitro research shows that propolis has no effect on CYP3A4 activity. Furthermore, animal research shows that propolis extract does not significantly affect CYP3A4 activity when administered to rats at doses up to 250 mg/kg. It is postulated that the constituents of propolis that might in inhibit CYP3A4 in vitro do not have significant effects in vivo due to low bioavailability and hepatic first-pass effect. This effect has not been reported in humans.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

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 quick version: this combo product (aspirin for pain, chlorpheniramine for allergy symptoms, and phenylpropanolamine as a decongestant) shares a liver pathway called CYP3A4 with some of propolis's natural compounds. In a test tube, propolis sometimes slows that pathway down, which in theory could let these medicines hang around a bit longer and slightly bump up their effects, things like drowsiness from the antihistamine, a jittery or wide-awake feeling from the decongestant, or stomach upset from the aspirin.

That said, I want to keep this in perspective. This is theoretical and comes only from lab and animal studies. Animal research at fairly high doses showed no real effect, and it has never been reported in people. Normal propolis use likely won't cause a problem, but if you take concentrated doses, just mention it to your pharmacist.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Naramoto K, Kato M, Ichihara K. Effects of an ethanol extract of Brazilian green propolis on human cytochrome P450 enzyme activities in vitro. J Agric Food Chem 2014;62(46):11296-302. PubMed
  2. Ryu CS, Oh SJ, Oh JM, et al. Inhibition of cytochrome P450 by propolis in human liver microsomes. Toxicol Res 2016;32(3):207-13. PubMed
Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

2 of 2

Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine also falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS.

Theoretically, propolis might increase the risk of bleeding when taken with antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs.
In vitro research shows that propolis water extract and the propolis constituent, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, can inhibit platelet aggregation. Additionally, evidence from an animal model shows that taking propolis in addition to warfarin decreases INR, suggesting that propolis can decrease the effectiveness of warfarin.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

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

This combination cold product contains aspirin, which already thins your blood a bit by keeping platelets from sticking together. In test-tube studies, propolis (and one of its compounds called CAPE) seems to do something similar, slowing platelet clumping. So the worry here is that stacking the two could nudge your bleeding risk a little higher, meaning easier bruising, nosebleeds, or stomach upset and bleeding from the aspirin.

The good news: this concern comes only from lab and animal research, not from real patients, so it's theoretical at this point. Food or occasional propolis lozenge use is unlikely to be a big deal, but concentrated daily supplements are worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor, especially if you bruise easily or take other blood thinners.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Chen, T. G., Lee, J. J., Lin, K. H., Shen, C. H., Chou, D. S., and Sheu, J. R. Antiplatelet activity of caffeic acid phenethyl ester is mediated through a cyclic GMP-dependent pathway in human platelets. Chin J Physiol 6-30-2007;50(3):121-126.
  2. Akbay E, Özenirler Ç, Çelemli ÖG, Durukan AB, Onur MA, Sorkun K. Effects of propolis on warfarin efficacy. Kardiochir Torakochirurgia Pol. 2017;14(1):43-46. PubMed
  3. Zhang YX, Yang TT, Xia L, Zhang WF, Wang JF, Wu YP. Inhibitory Effect of Propolis on Platelet Aggregation In Vitro. J Healthc Eng. 2017;2017:3050895. 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

Propolis Also Interacts With Other Medications

Propolis has 920 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 920 No known interaction 1,910 (incl. Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Propolis

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine

This page covers Propolis only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine page lists 372 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), Danshen (major) and Ephedra (major).

By severity: 16 major · 308 moderate · 48 minor.

Open the Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 723 real supplement products containing Propolis, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Propolis. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine too, on top of Propolis — 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 Propolis and Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine 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 Propolis
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine
Steady interest

#1,549 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 Propolis

What is Propolis?

Propolis
  • Cold sores and herpes lesions (topical)
  • Sore throat and mouth sores
  • Wound and skin healing
  • Immune support
  • Oral and gum health

Propolis is a natural, resin-like substance made by bees that has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties in lab studies. Early research suggests it may help with cold sores, mouth sores, and minor wounds, but high-quality evidence is limited for most uses. It is generally well tolerated, but allergic reactions can occur, especially in people allergic to bee products.

Read the full Propolis monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Propolis

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

0Major
920Moderate
0Minor
1,909No known interaction
920 Moderate 1,909 No interaction
Moderate

920 interactions

Showing 60 of 920 moderate interactions — see all 920 on the Propolis page.

No interaction 1,909 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,909 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Propolis list.

See the full Propolis interactions page
See every supplement checked against Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine, 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
Propolis monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine, 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 Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Propolis and Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Propolis with Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Propolis and Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine?
Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine belongs to more than one drug category, and Propolis interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Propolis and Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Aspirin, Chlorpheniramine, Phenylpropanolamine and Propolis?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.