Drug & supplement interaction

Pu-erh Tea + Fondaparinux

Fondaparinux brand name: Arixtra.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Pu-erh Tea has a moderate interaction with Fondaparinux. 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 Fondaparinux

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

Moderate

ANTICOAGULANT/ANTIPLATELET DRUGS

Why this applies to Fondaparinux

Fondaparinux 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

Here's the short version: Fondaparinux (Arixtra) is already a powerful blood thinner that blocks part of your clotting process. The concern with pu-erh tea is simply additive, meaning two things that thin the blood a little might add up. The caffeine and plant compounds in pu-erh have shown mild blood-thinning activity in lab dishes, so in theory they could nudge your bleeding risk a bit higher.

That said, this is theoretical and has not actually been reported in people, especially from drinking a few cups of tea. Concentrated pu-erh weight-loss supplements would be more of a question mark than a normal beverage. Watch for easy bruising, nosebleeds, or unusual bleeding, and check with your pharmacist or doctor if you have concerns.

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 Fondaparinux 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 Fondaparinux

This page covers Pu-erh Tea only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Fondaparinux page lists 202 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Danshen (major), Piracetam (major), Aconite (moderate), Allspice (moderate) and Aloe (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 183 moderate · 17 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Fondaparinux page

“Most people on fondaparinux (Arixtra) are recovering from surgery or treating a blood clot, exactly the moment supplements for circulation and recovery come out of the cabinet. This pairing deserves real care, because nearly all 202 ingredients on this list share one problem: they thin the blood a little on their own, so adding them to…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Fondaparinux interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Pu-erh Tea and Fondaparinux 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

#1,430 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Fondaparinux
Top 25%

#524 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 Fondaparinux Injection

What Is Fondaparinux Injection Used For?

Brand name: Arixtra

Fondaparinux sodium injection is used to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT) — blood clots that form in the legs — in adults who are having hip fracture surgery, hip replacement surgery, knee replacement surgery, or abdominal surgery. For hip fracture patients, an extended course of prevention is recommended after the initial treatment period.

It is also used to treat an existing DVT or acute pulmonary embolism (PE — a clot in the lungs) in adults, always given alongside warfarin sodium until warfarin reaches a therapeutic level. In pediatric patients aged 1 year and older who weigh at least 10 kg, fondaparinux sodium injection is approved for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE — blood clots in the veins).

See full Fondaparinux Injection 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
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 Fondaparinux Together: Common Questions

Can you take Pu-erh Tea with Fondaparinux?
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 Fondaparinux 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.