Drug & supplement interaction

Pu-erh Tea + Tigecycline

Tigecycline brand name: Tygacil.

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

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

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

Pu-erh Tea and Tigecycline

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

Minor

QUINOLONE ANTIBIOTICS

Why this applies to Tigecycline

Tigecycline falls under QUINOLONE ANTIBIOTICS — the group Pu-erh Tea interacts with.

Theoretically, quinolone antibiotics might increase the levels and adverse effects of caffeine.
Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. Concomitant use of caffeine and quinolones can decrease caffeine clearance and increase effects and risk of adverse effects.
Severity Minor Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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 honest take on this one. The interaction on file is really about quinolone antibiotics slowing down how your body clears caffeine. Tigecycline is grouped here, but it's actually a tetracycline-class antibiotic, not a quinolone, so this caffeine effect doesn't really apply to it the same way. Tigecycline is also given in the hospital through an IV, so you wouldn't be sipping pu-erh tea alongside it anyway.

The bigger thing worth knowing is that pu-erh contains caffeine, and tigecycline often causes nausea and vomiting on its own. Extra caffeine could add to a jittery, queasy feeling. This concern is mostly theoretical, but always run your tea and supplement habits by your pharmacist or doctor to be safe.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Harder S, Fuhr U, Staib AH, Wolff T. Ciprofloxacin-caffeine: a drug interaction established using in vivo and in vitro investigations. Am J Med 1989;87:89S-91S. PubMed
  2. Carbo M, Segura J, De la Torre R, et al. Effect of quinolones on caffeine disposition. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1989;45:234-40. PubMed
  3. Healy DP, Polk RE, Kanawati L, et al. Interaction between oral ciprofloxacin and caffeine in normal volunteers. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1989;33:474-8. PubMed
  4. Stille, W., Harder, S., Mieke, S., Beer, C., Shah, P. M., Frech, K., and Staib, A. H. Decrease of caffeine elimination in man during co-administration of 4-quinolones. J.Antimicrob.Chemother. 1987;20(5):729-734. PubMed
  5. Harder S, Staib AH, Beer C, et al. 4-quinolones inhibit biotransformation of caffeine. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1988;35:651-6. PubMed
  6. Zhang LL, Zhang JR, Guo K, et al. Effects of fluoroquinolones on CYP4501A and 3A in male broilers. Res Vet Sci 2011;90:99-105. PubMed
  7. Cesana M, Broccali G, Imbimbo BP, Crema A. Effect of single doses of rufloxacin on the disposition of theophylline and caffeine after single administration. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol 1991:29:133-8.

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 Tigecycline 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. Tigecycline)
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 Tigecycline

This page covers Pu-erh Tea only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Tigecycline page lists 98 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Oleander (major), Para-aminobenzoic Acid (paba) (major), Acerola (moderate), Alfalfa (moderate) and Alpha-lipoic Acid (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 88 moderate · 8 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Tigecycline page

“Tigecycline (Tygacil) is an intravenous antibiotic usually reserved for serious or resistant infections, and its supplement list deserves real attention. The two major-rated entries come first: oleander, a heart-toxic plant whose compounds may build to dangerous levels with certain antibiotics on board, and PABA, which can blunt the an…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Tigecycline interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Pu-erh Tea and Tigecycline 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Tigecycline
Steady interest

#1,511 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 Tigecycline Injection

What Is Tigecycline Injection Used For?

Brand name: Tygacil

Tygacil (tigecycline for injection) is approved for adults 18 and older to treat three types of serious bacterial infections: complicated skin and skin structure infections, complicated intra-abdominal (stomach and intestinal) infections, and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (pneumonia caught outside a hospital).

It is not approved for diabetic foot infections or for pneumonia caught in a hospital setting, including ventilator-associated pneumonia — clinical trials showed it did not work well enough for those uses and was associated with higher mortality in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia.

See full Tigecycline 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
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 Tigecycline, 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 Tigecycline supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Tigecycline, ranked by severity Tigecycline Injection 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 Tigecycline Together: Common Questions

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