Drug & supplement interaction

Royal Jelly + Pirfenidone

Pirfenidone brand name: Esbriet.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Royal Jelly and Pirfenidone in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Pirfenidone states a food rule worth keeping to, and the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Royal Jelly and Pirfenidone

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Pirfenidone and Royal Jelly in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Royal Jelly safety at a glance

Royal Jelly overall Use caution Generally well tolerated, but it can trigger serious allergic reactions in sensitive people.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information; best to avoid during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information; best to avoid while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Pirfenidone and Royal Jelly? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Pirfenidone

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Pirfenidone is filed under 4 classifications — including cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) substrates, cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) substrates, photosensitizing drugs. Royal Jelly has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being antihypertensive drugs (moderate) and warfarin (coumadin) (moderate) — and none of Pirfenidone’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Royal Jelly Does Interact With Other Medications

Royal Jelly has 174 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Pirfenidone isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 174 No known interaction 2,656 (incl. Pirfenidone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Royal Jelly

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Royal Jelly. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Royal Jelly and Pirfenidone May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Diarrhea / Stomach pain reported in 8.1% of FDA reports for Pirfenidone Additional detail

    Royal Jelly

    “There is one case report of hemorrhagic colitis with abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea with concomitant hemorrhagic and edematous mucosa of the sigmoid colon after ingestion of royal jelly. Symptoms resolved within 2 weeks following discontinuation of royal jelly and conservative treatment.”

    Royal Jelly · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    1 source cited
    1. 3516. Yonei Y, Shibagaki K, Tsukada N, et al. Case report: haemorrhagic colitis associated with royal jelly intake. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 1997;12:495-9.

    Pirfenidone

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Pirfenidone, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Dizziness Additional detail

    Royal Jelly

    “There is one report of dizziness in a patient who took a combination product containing royal jelly, bee pollen extract, and a bee pollen plus pistil extract.”

    Royal Jelly · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in vertigo.

    1 source cited
    1. 12008. Winther K, Hedman C. Assessment of the Effects of the Herbal Remedy Femal on the Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp 2002;63:344-53. DOI

    Pirfenidone

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Pirfenidone. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Royal Jelly

    “In people with a history of atopy or asthma, royal jelly taken orally appears to cause a high rate of allergic symptoms including pruritus, urticaria, eczema, eyelid and facial edema, conjunctivitis, rhinorrhea, dyspnea, oral allergy syndrome, and asthma. In severe cases, royal jelly can cause status asthmaticus, anaphylaxis, and death.”

    Royal Jelly · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in allergic rhinitis (hay fever).

    6 sources cited
    1. 792. Bullock RJ, et al. Fatal royal jelly-induced asthma. Med J Aust 1994;160:44. DOI
    2. 7315. Harwood M, Harding S, Beasley R, Frankish PD. Asthma following royal jelly. N Z Med J 1996;109:325.
    3. 7316. Laporte JR, Ibaanez L, Vendrell L, Ballarin E. Bronchospasm induced by royal jelly. Allergy 1996;51:440. DOI
    4. 10623. Leung R, Thien FC, Baldo B, et al. Royal jelly-induced asthma and anaphylaxis: clinical characteristics and immunologic correlations. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1995;96:1004-7. PubMed
    5. 10624. Peacock S, Murray V, Turton C. Respiratory distress and royal jelly. BMJ 1995;311:1472. DOI
    6. 108511. Li JD, Cui L, Xu YY, Guan K. A case of anaphylaxis caused by major royal jelly protein 3 of royal jelly and its cross-reactivity with honeycomb. J Asthma Allergy 2021;14:1555-7. PubMed

    Pirfenidone

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Pirfenidone. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Royal Jelly but not commonly for Pirfenidone: an allergic reaction, a severe allergic reaction, hives and itching.

Effects for Pirfenidone come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Royal Jelly come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 40,089 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Pirfenidone that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Pirfenidone Products Have a Food Rule — Royal Jelly Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Pirfenidone says to take it with food. If you take Royal Jelly on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Pirfenidone with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Pirfenidone products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Take with food.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Pirfenidone — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Pirfenidone

This page covers Royal Jelly only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Pirfenidone page lists 115 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Adrafinil (moderate), African Wild Potato (moderate), Alfalfa (moderate) and Angelica Archangelica (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 80 moderate · 34 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Pirfenidone page

“Pirfenidone (Esbriet) slows the lung scarring of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and when a drug is doing that kind of work, this is not a list to skim. Most of the 115 ingredients on file touch CYP1A2, the liver enzyme that clears pirfenidone, so they can push its blood level up (more nausea and liver strain) or drag it down and quietl…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Pirfenidone interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Royal Jelly as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 677 real supplement products containing Royal Jelly, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Royal Jelly. Even though Royal Jelly itself has no known interaction with Pirfenidone, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Royal Jelly and Pirfenidone 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 Royal Jelly
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Pirfenidone
Top 25%

#683 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.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Royal Jelly reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Royal Jelly and Pirfenidone records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Royal Jelly

What is Royal Jelly?

Royal Jelly
  • Menopausal symptoms
  • Skin health and wound care
  • Immune support
  • General energy and vitality
  • Cholesterol support
  • Eye dryness (eye drops)

Royal jelly is a nutrient-rich substance made by worker bees to feed the queen bee. People take it for menopause symptoms, energy, skin, and immune support, but solid human evidence is limited for most uses. It is generally well tolerated by most people, but it can cause serious allergic reactions, especially in those allergic to bees or with asthma.

Secretion from the glands of worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) · Capsules, softgels, fresh (frozen) jelly, liquid, powder, and skin creams

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Royal Jelly is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Royal Jelly record says about it on its own.

Royal Jelly: dosing

There is no official or standardized dose of royal jelly. The amounts used in studies have varied widely, and products differ in their strength and purity.Because there is no proven best dose, it is wise to follow the directions on the product label and not take more than recommended.

From our Royal Jelly monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Royal Jelly monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Pirfenidone

What Is Pirfenidone Used For?

Brand name: Esbriet

Pirfenidone — available as capsules and tablets under the brand name Esbriet, as well as generic pirfenidone products — is indicated for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic, progressive disease in which scar tissue builds up in the lungs and makes breathing increasingly difficult.

Esbriet capsules and tablets, pirfenidone capsules, and pirfenidone tablets are each specifically approved for IPF. No other uses are supported by the available product labels.

See full Pirfenidone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Royal Jelly

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Royal Jelly — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
174Moderate
0Minor
2,655No known interaction
174 Moderate 2,655 No interaction
Moderate

174 interactions

Showing 60 of 174 moderate interactions — see all 174 on the Royal Jelly page.

No interaction 2,655 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Royal Jelly against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,655 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Royal Jelly list.

See the full Royal Jelly interactions page
See every supplement checked against Pirfenidone, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Royal Jelly References

The 14 references that drive our Royal Jelly monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Takahashi M, Matsuo I, Ohkido M. Contact dermatitis due to honeybee royal jelly. Contact Dermatitis 1983;9:452-5.
  2. Bullock RJ, et al. Fatal royal jelly-induced asthma. Med J Aust 1994;160:44. DOI
  3. Thien FC, Leung R, Baldo BA, et al. Asthma and anaphylaxis induced by royal jelly. Clin Exp Allergy 1996;26:216-22. PubMed
  4. Yonei Y, Shibagaki K, Tsukada N, et al. Case report: haemorrhagic colitis associated with royal jelly intake. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 1997;12:495-9.
  5. Harwood M, Harding S, Beasley R, Frankish PD. Asthma following royal jelly. N Z Med J 1996;109:325.
  6. Laporte JR, Ibaanez L, Vendrell L, Ballarin E. Bronchospasm induced by royal jelly. Allergy 1996;51:440. DOI
  7. Leung R, Thien FC, Baldo B, et al. Royal jelly-induced asthma and anaphylaxis: clinical characteristics and immunologic correlations. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1995;96:1004-7. PubMed
  8. Peacock S, Murray V, Turton C. Respiratory distress and royal jelly. BMJ 1995;311:1472. DOI
  9. Winther K, Hedman C. Assessment of the Effects of the Herbal Remedy Femal on the Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp 2002;63:344-53. DOI
  10. Lee NJ, Fermo JD. Warfarin and royal jelly interaction. Pharmacotherapy 2006;26:583-6. PubMed
  11. Tokunaga, K. H., Yoshida, C., Suzuki, K. M., Maruyama, H., Futamura, Y., Araki, Y., and Mishima, S. Antihypertensive effect of peptides from royal jelly in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Biol.Pharm.Bull. 2004;27(2):189-192. PubMed
  12. Sultana, A., Nabi, A. H., Nasir, U. M., Maruyama, H., Suzuki, K. M., Mishima, S., and Suzuki, F. A dipeptide YY derived from royal jelly proteins inhibits renin activity. Int.J.Mol.Med. 2008;21(6):677-681. DOI
  13. Gómez Torrijos E, Méndez Diaz Y, Borja Segade JM, et al. Occupational allergic respiratory disease due to royal jelly. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2016;117(1):102-3. PubMed
  14. Li JD, Cui L, Xu YY, Guan K. A case of anaphylaxis caused by major royal jelly protein 3 of royal jelly and its cross-reactivity with honeycomb. J Asthma Allergy 2021;14:1555-7. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Royal Jelly and Pirfenidone Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Royal Jelly with Pirfenidone?
We do not list a known interaction between Royal Jelly and Pirfenidone. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Royal Jelly and Pirfenidone have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 4 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Should I take Royal Jelly and Pirfenidone at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Pirfenidone says to take it with food. If you take Royal Jelly on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Pirfenidone with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Pirfenidone products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Royal Jelly and Pirfenidone combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Pirfenidone is filed under 4 classifications, and Royal Jelly has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Pirfenidone's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Royal Jelly interact with any other medications?
Yes. Royal Jelly has 174 documented drug interactions in our database — Pirfenidone is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Pirfenidone interact with any supplements?
Yes. Pirfenidone has documented interactions with 115 supplements in our database — Royal Jelly is not one of them. The Pirfenidone interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Royal Jelly monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Pirfenidone drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Pirfenidone supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Pirfenidone, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 14 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Pirfenidone and Royal Jelly?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.