Drug & supplement interaction

Tolu Balsam + Voxelotor

Voxelotor brand name: Oxbryta.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Tolu Balsam and Voxelotor 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

Tolu Balsam and Voxelotor

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 Voxelotor and Tolu Balsam 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 Tolu Balsam at all — not against Voxelotor, 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.

Tolu Balsam safety at a glance

Tolu Balsam overall Use caution Generally used in small amounts in foods and cough products, but it can cause allergic reactions and lacks strong safety data.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety during breastfeeding is unknown, so avoid medicinal use.

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

Still wondering about combining Voxelotor and Tolu Balsam? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Voxelotor’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Tolu Balsam. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Voxelotor’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. 2 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Hives Worth acting on
  • An allergic reaction Worth acting on
  • Diarrhea mentioned in 14.3% of FDA reports for Voxelotor
  • Stomach pain mentioned in 5.3% of FDA reports for Voxelotor
  • Fever
  • Headache mentioned in 7.6% of FDA reports for Voxelotor
  • Nausea mentioned in 9.0% of FDA reports for Voxelotor
  • A skin rash

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Voxelotor. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 22,291 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Voxelotor that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Tolu Balsam’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Tolu Balsam side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Tolu Balsam has no side effects.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Voxelotor

This page covers Tolu Balsam only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Voxelotor page lists 143 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 100 moderate · 40 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Voxelotor page

“Anyone taking voxelotor (Oxbryta) for sickle cell disease should treat this list with real care, because the pattern behind it is unusually consistent. Almost every entry works through CYP3A4, the same liver enzyme that clears voxelotor, so these ingredients can push the drug's blood level higher or pull it lower, either adding side ef…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Voxelotor interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 3 real supplement products containing Tolu Balsam, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Tolu Balsam. Even though Tolu Balsam itself has no known interaction with Voxelotor, 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 Tolu Balsam and Voxelotor 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 Tolu Balsam
Steady interest

#1,184 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Voxelotor
Steady interest

#2,673 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 13, 2026. The Tolu Balsam and Voxelotor 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 Tolu Balsam

What is Tolu Balsam?

  • Cough and sore throat
  • Chest congestion
  • Wound and skin care (topical)
  • Flavoring and fragrance
  • Mild expectorant

Tolu balsam is a fragrant resin from a South American tree that has long been used as a flavoring and as an ingredient in cough syrups and throat lozenges. Good-quality human studies are lacking, so its real effectiveness is uncertain, and it can cause allergic skin reactions in some people. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have allergies.

Myroxylon balsamum · Fabaceae · Resinous balsam (oleoresin) collected from the tree trunk · Syrups, cough lozenges, throat preparations, tinctures, and as a flavoring or fragrance ingredient

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

Tolu Balsam: dosing

There is no well-established standardized dose for tolu balsam. It is most often found as a minor ingredient in cough syrups, lozenges, and tinctures rather than taken on its own.If you use a product that contains tolu balsam, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Tolu Balsam monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Voxelotor

What Is Voxelotor Used For?

Brand name: Oxbryta

Oxbryta (voxelotor) is approved to treat sickle cell disease (SCD) in adults and in children as young as 4 years old. It works by targeting the underlying problem in sickle cell disease — the abnormal hemoglobin that causes red blood cells to take on a rigid, sickle shape.

This approval was granted under the FDA's accelerated approval pathway, based on the drug's ability to raise hemoglobin levels. Continued approval may depend on results from confirmatory clinical trials showing broader clinical benefit.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Voxelotor

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (22,300 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Sickle cell anaemia with crisis 11,218 reports
Diarrhea 3,187 reports
Nausea 2,016 reports
Headache 1,691 reports
Abdominal pain upper 1,171 reports
See full Voxelotor drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Tolu Balsam

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Tolu Balsam — 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
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

We checked Tolu Balsam against Voxelotor 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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Tolu Balsam and Voxelotor Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Tolu Balsam with Voxelotor?
We do not list a known interaction between Tolu Balsam and Voxelotor. 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 Voxelotor interact with any supplements?
Yes. Voxelotor has documented interactions with 143 supplements in our database — Tolu Balsam is not one of them. The Voxelotor 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 Voxelotor and Tolu Balsam?

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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.