Drug & supplement interaction

Teazle + Phenobarbital

Phenobarbital brand names: Phenobarbital, Solfoton, Luminal.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Teazle has a moderate interaction with Phenobarbital. In vitro research suggests that teazle extract can inhibit acetylcholinesterase activity.

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

Teazle and Phenobarbital

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

Moderate

ANTICHOLINERGIC DRUGS

Why this applies to Phenobarbital

Phenobarbital falls under ANTICHOLINERGIC DRUGS — the group Teazle interacts with.

In vitro research suggests that teazle extract can inhibit acetylcholinesterase activity. Theoretically, concurrent use of anticholinergic drugs and teazle might decrease the effectiveness of teazle or the anticholinergic agent.
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 honest picture: this particular interaction is more of a theory than a proven problem. In lab dishes, teazle seems to block an enzyme called acetylcholinesterase, which has the opposite effect of an anticholinergic medicine. The idea is that the two could partly cancel each other out, possibly weakening teazle's intended effect.

For phenobarbital specifically, I wouldn't lose sleep over this. Phenobarbital works mainly by calming brain activity to control seizures, not through strong anticholinergic action, so this overlap is minor and unproven in real people. The bigger concern with phenobarbital is always keeping your seizure control steady. Since teazle itself is largely unstudied, please run any new supplement past your pharmacist or doctor before adding it.

References
  1. Oszmianski J, Wojdylo A, Juszczyk P, Nowicka P. Roots and leaf extracts of Dipsacus fullonum L. and their biological activities. Plants (Basel) 2020;9(1):78. 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

Teazle Also Interacts With Other Medications

Teazle has 218 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Phenobarbital one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Teazle

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Teazle or Phenobarbital

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Teazle or Phenobarbital, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Phenobarbital

This page covers Teazle only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Phenobarbital page lists 174 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 Henbane (major).

By severity: 10 major · 143 moderate · 21 minor.

Open the Phenobarbital interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Teazle and Phenobarbital 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 Teazle
Steady interest

#1,058 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Phenobarbital
Top half

#1,135 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 Teazle

What is Teazle?

Teazle
  • Lyme disease (folk use)
  • Joint and muscle pain
  • Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
  • Skin conditions such as psoriasis
  • Wound healing

Teazle (Dipsacus fullonum) is a spiky plant used in traditional and folk medicine, most notably as a tincture marketed for Lyme disease and for joint pain and skin problems. There is very little high-quality human research to support any of these uses, so its benefits remain unproven. Talk with a pharmacist or doctor before trying it, and never use it to replace standard treatment for serious infections like Lyme disease.

Read the full Teazle monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Phenobarbital

What Is Phenobarbital Used For?

Brand names: Phenobarbital, Solfoton, Luminal

Phenobarbital tablets and oral solutions are used to treat generalized and partial seizures and as a sedative. Phenobarbital Sodium injection is used as a long-term anticonvulsant for generalized tonic-clonic and focal seizures, for emergency control of acute convulsive episodes (including status epilepticus), for sedation, short-term treatment of insomnia, and as a preanesthetic. It is also used in pediatric patients as an anticonvulsant and sedative, including before and after surgery.

Sezaby (phenobarbital injection, intravenous) is specifically indicated for the treatment of neonatal seizures in term and preterm infants. It is not approved for use in adolescents or adults.

See full Phenobarbital drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Teazle

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

0Major
218Moderate
0Minor
2,611No known interaction
Moderate

218 interactions

Showing 60 of 218 moderate interactions — see all 218 on the Teazle page.

No interaction 2,611 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Teazle and Phenobarbital Together: Common Questions

Can you take Teazle with Phenobarbital?
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 Teazle and Phenobarbital 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.