Drug & supplement interaction

Pu-erh Tea + Aspirin, Hydrocodone

Aspirin, Hydrocodone brand names: Alor 5 500, Lortab ASA.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Pu-erh Tea has a moderate interaction with Aspirin, Hydrocodone. Theoretically, pu-erh tea may increase the risk of bleeding if used with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.

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

Pu-erh Tea and Aspirin, Hydrocodone

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

Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

Why this applies to Aspirin, Hydrocodone

Aspirin, Hydrocodone falls under ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS — the group Pu-erh Tea interacts with.

Theoretically, pu-erh tea may increase the risk of bleeding if used with anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs.
Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. Caffeine is reported to have antiplatelet activity. Theoretically, the caffeine in pu-erh tea might increase the risk of bleeding when used concomitantly with antiplatelet drugs. However, this interaction 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

Your medicine combines aspirin with hydrocodone, and it's the aspirin part that matters here. Aspirin already thins the blood by keeping platelets from clumping together. Pu-erh tea contains caffeine, and in lab studies caffeine showed some mild platelet-blocking activity too. So the idea is that the two could add up and slightly raise your chance of bruising or bleeding, like nosebleeds, easy bruises, or a cut that takes longer to stop.

I want to be honest about the evidence though: this comes only from test-tube and animal work, and it has never actually been reported in people. A normal cup or two of pu-erh as a drink is very unlikely to cause trouble. Still, if you take this medicine regularly or drink large amounts of tea, mention it to your pharmacist or doctor so they can keep an eye on things.

References
  1. Ali M, Afzal M. A potent inhibitor of thrombin stimulated platelet thromboxane formation from unprocessed tea. Prostaglandins Leukot Med 1987;27:9-13. PubMed
  2. Ardlie NG, Glew G, Schultz BG, Schwartz CJ. Inhibition and reversal of platelet aggregation by methyl xanthines. Thromb Diath Haemorrh 1967;18:670-3. DOI
  3. Steptoe, A., Gibson, E. L., Vuononvirta, R., Hamer, M., Wardle, J., Rycroft, J. A., Martin, J. F., and Erusalimsky, J. D. The effects of chronic tea intake on platelet activation and inflammation: a double-blind placebo controlled trial. Atherosclerosis 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

Pu-erh Tea Also Interacts With Other Medications

Pu-erh Tea has 9 major, 447 moderate, 210 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Aspirin, Hydrocodone one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

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 Aspirin, Hydrocodone

This page covers Pu-erh Tea only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Aspirin, Hydrocodone page lists 363 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Beer (major) and Danshen (major).

By severity: 13 major · 308 moderate · 42 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Aspirin, Hydrocodone page

“Combining supplements with aspirin and hydrocodone (Lortab ASA, Alor 5 500) deserves real vigilance, because this medication carries two separate kinds of risk. Aspirin thins the blood, and by far the largest share of these interactions can add to that effect and raise bleeding risk.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Aspirin, Hydrocodone interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Pu-erh Tea and Aspirin, Hydrocodone 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

#1,383 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Aspirin, Hydrocodone
Top 25%

#643 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
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
447Moderate
210Minor
2,163No known interaction
Major

9 interactions

Moderate

447 interactions

Showing 60 of 447 moderate interactions — see all 447 on the Pu-erh Tea page.

Minor

210 interactions

Showing 60 of 210 minor interactions — see all 210 on the Pu-erh Tea page.

No interaction 2,163 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Pu-erh Tea and Aspirin, Hydrocodone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Pu-erh Tea with Aspirin, Hydrocodone?
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.
How serious is the Pu-erh Tea and Aspirin, Hydrocodone 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

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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.