Drug & supplement interaction

Pu-erh Tea + Amoxapine

Amoxapine brand name: Asendin.

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

Pu-erh Tea has a minor interaction with Amoxapine. Theoretically, TCAs might bind with pu-erh tea constituents when taken at the same time.

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

Pu-erh Tea and Amoxapine

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

Minor

TRICYCLIC ANTIDEPRESSANTS (TCAs)

Why this applies to Amoxapine

Amoxapine falls under TRICYCLIC ANTIDEPRESSANTS (TCAs) — the group Pu-erh Tea interacts with.

Theoretically, TCAs might bind with pu-erh tea constituents when taken at the same time.
In vitro research suggests that the tannins in pu-erh tea might cause precipitation of TCAs. However, this effect has not been reported in humans.
Severity Minor 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 gist with amoxapine (Asendin) and pu-erh tea. The concern is pretty mild. Pu-erh is rich in tannins, which are plant compounds that can latch onto certain medications right in your stomach. In a lab dish, those tannins made tricyclic antidepressants like amoxapine clump together (precipitate). If that happened in your gut, in theory a little less of your dose might get absorbed, which could mean your antidepressant works slightly less well.

The key word is theoretical. This has only been seen in test-tube studies, never reported in real people, so I wouldn't lose sleep over a cup of tea. If you want to be cautious, just space the tea a couple hours apart from your dose. And always check with your pharmacist or doctor before changing anything.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Lasswell WL Jr, Weber SS, Wilkins JM. In vitro interaction of neuroleptics and tricylic antidepressants with coffee, tea, and gallotannic acid. J Pharm Sci 1984;73:1056-8. PubMed
  2. Kulhanek F, Linde OK, Meisenberg G. Precipitation of antipsychotic drugs in interaction with coffee or tea. Lancet 1979;2:1130.

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

Pu-erh Tea Also Interacts With Other Medications

Pu-erh Tea has 9 major, 448 moderate, 209 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Amoxapine one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 9 Moderate 448 Minor 209 No known interaction 2,164 (incl. Amoxapine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Pu-erh Tea

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Pu-erh Tea. Pick one to open its full report.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Amoxapine

This page covers Pu-erh Tea only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Amoxapine page lists 68 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 3 major · 49 moderate · 16 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Amoxapine page

“Amoxapine (Asendin) is an older tricyclic antidepressant, and its supplement list deserves real care. Three of the 68 ingredients on file are rated major: activated charcoal can soak up the drug before your body gets it, lithium raises the risk of serotonin syndrome (a dangerous serotonin overload), and scopolia piles onto amoxapine's…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Amoxapine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Pu-erh Tea and Amoxapine 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 Pu-erh Tea
Steady interest

#1,340 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Amoxapine
Steady interest

#1,991 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 Pu-erh Tea

What is Pu-erh Tea?

  • Weight management
  • Cholesterol and heart health
  • Digestion after meals
  • Mental alertness
  • General antioxidant support

Pu-erh tea is a fermented, aged form of tea made from the same plant as green and black tea. It is enjoyed worldwide as a beverage and is sometimes promoted for weight loss, cholesterol, and digestion, but human evidence for these uses is limited. As a normal drink it is generally well tolerated, though it does contain caffeine.

Read the full Pu-erh Tea monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Amoxapine

What Is Amoxapine Used For?

Brand name: Asendin

Amoxapine is used to treat symptoms of depression. This includes neurotic or reactive depression (depression triggered by life events), as well as endogenous depression (depression that arises from within, without a clear external cause) and psychotic depression.

It is also indicated for depression that comes with significant anxiety or agitation.

See full Amoxapine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Pu-erh Tea

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

9Major
448Moderate
209Minor
2,163No known interaction
9 Major 448 Moderate 209 Minor 2,163 No interaction
Major

9 interactions

Moderate

448 interactions

Showing 60 of 448 moderate interactions — see all 448 on the Pu-erh Tea page.

Minor

209 interactions

Showing 60 of 209 minor interactions — see all 209 on the Pu-erh Tea page.

No interaction 2,163 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,163 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Pu-erh Tea list.

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

Can you take Pu-erh Tea with Amoxapine?
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 Pu-erh Tea and Amoxapine 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 Amoxapine and Pu-erh Tea?

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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.