Drug & supplement interaction

Pu-erh Tea + Carphenazine

Carphenazine brand name: Proketazin.

Minor Interaction
The bottom line Minor

Pu-erh Tea has a minor interaction with Carphenazine. Theoretically, phenothiazines might increase the levels and adverse effects of caffeine.

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

Pu-erh Tea and Carphenazine

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

Minor

PHENOTHIAZINES

Why this applies to Carphenazine

Carphenazine falls under PHENOTHIAZINES — the group Pu-erh Tea interacts with.

Theoretically, phenothiazines might increase the levels and adverse effects of caffeine. Also, pu-erh tea may bind to phenothiazines and reduce their absorption.
Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. Phenothiazines can reduce the metabolism of caffeine by inhibiting cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2). Additionally, the tannins in pu-erh tea may bind to phenothiazines in the gastrointestinal tract and reduce their absorption.
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 deal with pu-erh tea and your Carphenazine (Proketazin). This goes in two directions, and honestly both are pretty mild. First, Carphenazine can slow down how your body clears caffeine, so the caffeine in your tea may hang around longer. That could leave you feeling more jittery, restless, or wide awake at night than you'd expect from a single cup.

Second, the tannins in pu-erh can grab onto the medication in your gut and lower how much you absorb, which could blunt how well it works. Both of these are theoretical, based on how the drugs behave rather than real reports. To play it safe, just don't take your dose at the exact same time as your tea, and check with your pharmacist if you have questions.

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.
  3. Wojcikowski, J. and Daniel, W. A. Perazine at therapeutic drug concentrations inhibits human cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 1A2 (CYP1A2) and caffeine metabolism--an in vitro study. Pharmacol Rep. 2009;61(5):851-858. PubMed
  4. Daniel, W. A., Syrek, M., Rylko, Z., and Kot, M. Effects of phenothiazine neuroleptics on the rate of caffeine demethylation and hydroxylation in the rat liver. Pol.J Pharmacol 2001;53(6):615-621.

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 Carphenazine 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 Carphenazine

This page covers Pu-erh Tea only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Carphenazine page lists 70 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Henbane (major), Indian Snakeroot (major), Rauvolfia Vomitoria (major) and Scopolia (major).

By severity: 5 major · 42 moderate · 23 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Carphenazine page

“Carphenazine (Proketazin) is an older phenothiazine antipsychotic, and its supplement list calls for genuine care, with five major-rated entries leading the way. The dominant pattern is additive anticholinergic load.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Carphenazine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Pu-erh Tea and Carphenazine 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 Carphenazine
Top half

#1,266 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
448Moderate
209Minor
2,163No known 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
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
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Pu-erh Tea and Carphenazine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Pu-erh Tea with Carphenazine?
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 Carphenazine 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

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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.