Drug & supplement interaction

Sage + Mephobarbital

Mephobarbital brand name: Mebaral.

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

Mephobarbital falls into 3 drug categories that Sage can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, taking sage might increase the sedative and adverse effects of CNS depressants.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions3
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Sage and Mephobarbital

These two interact in 3 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 3 Interactions?

Sage interacts with whole categories of medication. Mephobarbital falls into 3 of those categories, so it can interact with Sage in 3 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CNS DEPRESSANTS

1 of 3

Why this applies to Mephobarbital

Mephobarbital falls under CNS DEPRESSANTS — the group Sage interacts with.

Theoretically, taking sage might increase the sedative and adverse effects of CNS depressants.
Some constituents of sage have CNS depressant activity.
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

Mephobarbital is a barbiturate, which means it already works by calming down your brain and nervous system. It can leave you feeling drowsy, foggy, slowed down, or unsteady on your own. The concern here is simple: some compounds in sage may have a mild calming effect of their own, so stacking the two together could add up to extra sleepiness, slower breathing, or trouble concentrating.

I want to be honest about the strength of this, though. It's based on lab and animal findings, not real patient cases, so it's more of a theoretical caution than a proven problem. A little sage in your cooking is very unlikely to matter. Concentrated sage extracts or the essential oil are where I'd be more careful. Before adding any sage supplement, check with your doctor or pharmacist first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Perry NS, Bollen C, Perry EK, Ballard C. Salvia for dementia therapy: review of pharmacological activity and pilot tolerability clinical trial. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2003;75:651-9.. PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) SUBSTRATES

2 of 3

Mephobarbital also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, sage might increase the levels and clinical effects of drugs metabolized by CYP2C19.
In vitro evidence suggests that aqueous extracts of sage can inhibit CYP2C19. So far, 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 gist for Mephobarbital (Mebaral), an older barbiturate used for seizures and anxiety. Your liver uses an enzyme called CYP2C19 to help clear this drug. Lab studies suggest that water-based sage extracts can slow that enzyme down. If that happens in your body, mephobarbital could build up a bit more than usual, which might mean more drowsiness, dizziness, slowed breathing, or feeling overly sedated.

I want to be honest about the evidence, though: this is only seen in test-tube studies and has never been reported in real people. Everyday cooking amounts of sage almost certainly won't matter. Concentrated sage capsules or oils are the bigger question mark. Since barbiturates are potent, just check with your pharmacist or doctor before adding sage supplements.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Foster BC, Vandenhoek S, Hana J, et al. In vitro inhibition of human cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism of marker substrates by natural products. Phytomedicine 2003;10:334-42.. PubMed
Moderate

ANTICONVULSANTS

3 of 3

Mephobarbital also falls under ANTICONVULSANTS.

Theoretically, sage might interfere with the clinical effects of anticonvulsant drugs.
Some species of sage can cause convulsions when consumed in large quantities.
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

Mephobarbital (Mebaral) is an older barbiturate used to control seizures and sometimes anxiety. The concern here is mostly theoretical and comes from lab and animal observations, not solid human studies. The worry is that large amounts of certain sage species contain thujone, a compound that in high doses can actually lower the seizure threshold and trigger convulsions. That could work against the very thing your medication is doing, making seizure control less reliable.

The good news: sprinkling sage on dinner is not the issue. The risk is tied to concentrated extracts and especially sage essential oil taken in big doses. If you're using more than culinary amounts, please check with your pharmacist or doctor before adding it, and never adjust your mephobarbital on your own.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Perry NB, Anderson RE, Brennan NJ, et al. Essential oils from dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis l.): variations among individuals, plant parts, seasons, and sites. J Agric Food Chem 1999;47:2048-54..

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

Sage Also Interacts With Other Medications

Sage has 1,295 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Mephobarbital one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 1,295 No known interaction 1,535 (incl. Mephobarbital)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Sage

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Mephobarbital

This page covers Sage only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Mephobarbital page lists 132 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (ghb) (major) and Kava (major).

By severity: 7 major · 106 moderate · 19 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Mephobarbital page

“Mephobarbital (Mebaral) is a barbiturate, a powerful sedative used mainly for seizures, and I would treat its supplement list with genuine care. Of the 132 ingredients with an interaction on file, 78 pile extra sedation on top of the drug, and the seven major-rated entries sit almost entirely in that group.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Mephobarbital interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 718 real supplement products containing Sage, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Sage. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Mephobarbital too, on top of Sage — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Sage and Mephobarbital 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 Sage
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Mephobarbital
Steady interest

#1,477 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 Sage

What is Sage?

Sage
  • Sore throat and mouth irritation
  • Digestive upset
  • Excessive sweating
  • Memory and thinking
  • Menopause symptoms (hot flashes)
  • General antioxidant support

Sage is a common kitchen herb that is generally safe in food amounts and is traditionally used for sore throats, digestion, sweating, and memory. Some early research is encouraging for sore throat and menopausal hot flashes, but most uses are not well proven. Concentrated extracts and the essential oil should be used carefully because high doses contain a compound called thujone, which can be harmful.

Read the full Sage monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Sage

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

0Major
1,295Moderate
0Minor
1,534No known interaction
1,295 Moderate 1,534 No interaction
Moderate

1,295 interactions

Showing 60 of 1,295 moderate interactions — see all 1,295 on the Sage page.

No interaction 1,534 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,534 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Sage list.

See the full Sage interactions page
See every supplement checked against Mephobarbital, 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
Sage monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Mephobarbital supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Mephobarbital, 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 Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Sage and Mephobarbital Together: Common Questions

Can you take Sage with Mephobarbital?
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.
Why are there 3 interactions listed for Sage and Mephobarbital?
Mephobarbital belongs to more than one drug category, and Sage interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Sage and Mephobarbital 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.