Drug & supplement interaction

Sweet Gale + Verteporfin

Verteporfin brand name: Visudyne.

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

We found no known interaction between Sweet Gale and Verteporfin 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.

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Interaction report

Sweet Gale and Verteporfin

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 Verteporfin and Sweet Gale 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Sweet Gale at all — not against Verteporfin, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Sweet Gale safety at a glance

Sweet Gale overall Use caution Limited safety data and a volatile oil that may be toxic in higher amounts.
Pregnancy Avoid Traditionally avoided in pregnancy and not enough safety data exists.
Breastfeeding Avoid No reliable safety information during breastfeeding, so avoid use.

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

Still wondering about combining Verteporfin and Sweet Gale? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Verteporfin’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Sweet Gale. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Verteporfin’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you take both. 10 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Fainting Worth acting on
  • An irregular heartbeat Worth acting on
  • Chest pain Worth acting on
  • Anemia Worth acting on
  • Raised blood pressure Worth acting on
  • Shortness of breath Worth acting on
  • Hives Worth acting on
  • A low white blood cell count Worth acting on
  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on
  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 30 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Verteporfin. Read the label on DailyMed › Sweet Gale’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Sweet Gale side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Sweet Gale has no side effects.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Verteporfin

This page covers Sweet Gale only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Verteporfin page lists 18 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), Dimethylsulfoxide (dmso) (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate) and Glucomannan (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 8 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Verteporfin page

“Verteporfin (Visudyne) is infused into a vein, then activated with a laser to seal leaky blood vessels in the eye, and one entry here warrants real caution. Activated charcoal, the only major-rated interaction of the 18 on file, can strip many drugs from the body even when they were never swallowed, so I would not use it around a treat…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Verteporfin interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Sweet Gale and Verteporfin 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 Sweet Gale
Steady interest

#1,288 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Verteporfin
Steady interest

#2,206 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.
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Sweet Gale and Verteporfin records this page draws on were last updated June 22, 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 Sweet Gale

What is Sweet Gale?

  • Insect repellent
  • Digestive complaints
  • Flavoring for food and beverages
  • Skin and itch relief (traditional)
  • Aromatic and fragrance use

Sweet gale is an aromatic shrub long used as an insect repellent and a flavoring herb, but there is very little solid human research supporting any health benefit. Its essential oil is considered potentially toxic, so internal use should be approached with great caution and avoided in pregnancy. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Myrica gale · Myricaceae · Leaves, branches, fruit (catkins), and wax/essential oil · Tea, dried leaves, essential oil, flavoring agent

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

Sweet Gale: dosing

There is no established or standardized dose for sweet gale. Because reliable human research is lacking, no safe and effective amount has been defined for any health condition.If you choose to use a sweet gale product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them. Avoid swallowing the essential oil.

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

Read the full Sweet Gale monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Verteporfin Injection

What Is Verteporfin Injection Used For?

Brand name: Visudyne

Visudyne (verteporfin for injection) is used to treat a specific type of abnormal blood vessel growth under the retina called predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) — new, leaky vessels that form beneath the central part of the retina. It is approved for three underlying causes of this condition.

Visudyne is indicated when CNV is caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), pathologic myopia (severe nearsightedness that damages the eye), or presumed ocular histoplasmosis (an eye condition linked to a fungal infection). It is not indicated for the predominantly occult (hidden) form of CNV, where there is not enough evidence to support its use.

See full Verteporfin Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Sweet Gale

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Sweet Gale list.

See the full Sweet Gale interactions page
See every supplement checked against Verteporfin, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

We checked Sweet Gale against Verteporfin in the Natural Medicines interaction database and found no documented interaction on file. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus, and supplement label details from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database.

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
Sweet Gale monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Verteporfin supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Verteporfin, ranked by severity Verteporfin 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 Sweet Gale and Verteporfin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Sweet Gale with Verteporfin?
We do not list a known interaction between Sweet Gale and Verteporfin. 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.
Does Verteporfin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Verteporfin has documented interactions with 18 supplements in our database — Sweet Gale is not one of them. The Verteporfin interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Still Have a Question About Verteporfin and Sweet Gale?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.