Drug & supplement interaction

Pu-erh Tea + Tranylcypromine

Tranylcypromine brand name: Parnate.

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

Pu-erh Tea has a moderate interaction with Tranylcypromine. Theoretically, concomitant use might increase the risk of a hypertensive crisis.

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

Pu-erh Tea and Tranylcypromine

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

Moderate

MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS (MAOIs)

Why this applies to Tranylcypromine

Tranylcypromine falls under MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS (MAOIs) — the group Pu-erh Tea interacts with.

Theoretically, concomitant use might increase the risk of a hypertensive crisis.
Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. Caffeine has been shown to inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B in laboratory studies. Concomitant intake of large amounts of caffeine with MAOIs might precipitate a hypertensive crisis. In a case report, a patient that consumed 10-12 cups of caffeinated coffee and took the MAOI tranylcypromine presented with severe hypertension. Hypertension was resolved after the patients switched to drinking decaffeinated coffee.
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 thing to keep in mind with Parnate (tranylcypromine): it's a strong MAOI, and these medications already come with a long list of food and drink cautions. Pu-erh tea matters here mainly because it contains caffeine. In lab studies, caffeine itself can block the MAO enzyme, and there's an old case report where someone on tranylcypromine drank 10 to 12 cups of caffeinated coffee and ended up with a dangerous spike in blood pressure that settled once they switched to decaf.

This is a theoretical, pharmacology-based concern, not a guaranteed reaction, and a normal cup or two probably isn't the problem. The bigger risk is large, repeated amounts of caffeine. Signs of a hypertensive crisis include a sudden pounding headache, racing heart, sweating, and chest tightness. Please check with your pharmacist or doctor before relying on pu-erh regularly, and don't change your medication on your own.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. McEvoy GK, ed. AHFS Drug Information. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 1998.
  2. MacKenzie, T., Comi, R., Sluss, P., Keisari, R., Manwar, S., Kim, J., Larson, R., and Baron, J. A. Metabolic and hormonal effects of caffeine: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. Metabolism 2007;56(12):1694-1698. PubMed
  3. Moisey, L. L., Robinson, L. E., and Graham, T. E. Consumption of caffeinated coffee and a high carbohydrate meal affects postprandial metabolism of a subsequent oral glucose tolerance test in young, healthy males. Br.J Nutr. 2010;103(6):833-841. PubMed
  4. Buscemi, S., Verga, S., Batsis, J. A., Donatelli, M., Tranchina, M. R., Belmonte, S., Mattina, A., Re, A., and Cerasola, G. Acute effects of coffee on endothelial function in healthy subjects. Eur.J Clin Nutr. 2010;64(5):483-489. PubMed
  5. Orozco-Gregorio, H., Mota-Rojas, D., Bonilla-Jaime, H., Trujillo-Ortega, M. E., Becerril-Herrera, M., Hernandez-Gonzalez, R., and Villanueva-Garcia, D. Effects of administration of caffeine on metabolic variables in neonatal pigs with peripartum asphyxia PubMed
  6. van der Hoeven N, Visser I, Schene A, van den Born BJ. Severe hypertension related to caffeinated coffee and tranylcypromine: a case report. Ann Intern Med. 2014 May 6;160(9):657-8. doi: 10.7326/L14-5009-8. No abstract available. 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 Tranylcypromine one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 9 Moderate 447 Minor 210 No known interaction 2,164 (incl. Tranylcypromine)
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 Tranylcypromine

This page covers Pu-erh Tea only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Tranylcypromine page lists 81 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Bitter Orange (major), Brewer's Yeast (major) and Cowhage (major).

By severity: 14 major · 55 moderate · 12 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Tranylcypromine page

“Tranylcypromine (Parnate) belongs to the MAOI class of antidepressants, and I read its supplement list with real seriousness, since the highest-rated entries can turn dangerous quickly. The drug blocks the enzyme that normally clears tyramine, so tyramine-rich items like brewer's yeast, fermented soy, and even beer or wine can push blo…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Tranylcypromine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Pu-erh Tea and Tranylcypromine 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Tranylcypromine
Top 25%

#701 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 Tranylcypromine

What Is Tranylcypromine Used For?

Brand name: Parnate

Tranylcypromine treats major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults. It is for people who have not responded adequately to other antidepressants.

It is not used as the first treatment for MDD. The reasons are the risk of serious side effects, drug interactions, and the need for diet restrictions. This applies to Parnate and to the other tranylcypromine tablets.

See full Tranylcypromine 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
9 Major 447 Moderate 210 Minor 2,163 No 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

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 Tranylcypromine, 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 Tranylcypromine supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Tranylcypromine, ranked by severity Tranylcypromine 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 Tranylcypromine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Pu-erh Tea with Tranylcypromine?
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 Tranylcypromine 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

Still Have a Question About Tranylcypromine 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.