Drug & supplement interaction

Tung Seed + Imiquimod

Imiquimod brand names: Aldara, Zyclara, Vyloma.

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 Tung Seed and Imiquimod 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 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.

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Interaction report

Tung Seed and Imiquimod

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 Imiquimod and Tung Seed 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 Tung Seed at all — not against Imiquimod, 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.

Tung Seed safety at a glance

Tung Seed overall Avoid Tung seeds and oil are poisonous if eaten and are not safe as a supplement.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When used orally; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Unsafe When used orally; avoid using. Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Imiquimod and Tung Seed? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Tung Seed and Imiquimod 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.

  • Tiredness Additional detail

    Tung Seed

    “A 16-year-old patient presented with acute onset abdominal pain, chest pain, and profuse and persistent vomiting following ingestion of both a tea made from boiling a whole candlenut and the boiled candlenut itself. The patient was also found to have first-degree heart block that later progressed to Mobitz type I second degree heart block with occasional 2:1 block, requiring ICU admission and monitoring.”

    Tung Seed · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    3 sources cited
    1. 106671. O'Brien DR, Szymczuk V, Albaro CA. Weight loss supplement causing acute heart block in a child. Cardiol Young 2020;30(1):131-133. PubMed
    2. 111341. Lawani O, Winter M. Heart Block Initiated by Candlenut Ingestion. Case Rep Cardiol 2022;2022:3679968. PubMed
    3. 111343. Koons AL, Laubach LT, Katz KD, Beauchamp GA. Mobitz Type II Atrioventricular Heart Block After Candlenut Ingestion. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2020;120(12):839-843. PubMed

    Imiquimod

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

  • Diarrhea Additional detail

    Tung Seed

    “Orally, candlenut can cause severe abdominal pain, violent vomiting, and diarrhea (6,4502,106671,111341).”

    Tung Seed · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    4 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 4502. Duke JA. CRC handbook of medicinal herbs. 1st ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC, 1985.
    3. 106671. O'Brien DR, Szymczuk V, Albaro CA. Weight loss supplement causing acute heart block in a child. Cardiol Young 2020;30(1):131-133. PubMed
    4. 111341. Lawani O, Winter M. Heart Block Initiated by Candlenut Ingestion. Case Rep Cardiol 2022;2022:3679968. PubMed

    Imiquimod

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

Reported for Tung Seed but not commonly for Imiquimod: confusion, a slow heartbeat, shortness of breath and chest pain.

Effects for Imiquimod come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Tung Seed come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Tung Seed in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Unsafe

When used orally; avoid using.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Imiquimod

This page covers Tung Seed only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Imiquimod page lists 3 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Dimethylsulfoxide (dmso) (moderate), Turpentine Oil (moderate) and Alchemilla (minor).

By severity: 2 moderate · 1 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Imiquimod page

“Imiquimod (Aldara, Zyclara, Vyloma) is a cream for warts, precancerous spots, and certain skin cancers, and its supplement list is short and workable for most people. Only 3 ingredients are on file, none rated major, and all involve products applied to the skin rather than swallowed.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Imiquimod interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Tung Seed and Imiquimod 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 Tung Seed
Steady interest

#1,198 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Imiquimod
Top half

#1,393 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 Tung Seed reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Tung Seed and Imiquimod 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 Tung Seed

What is Tung Seed?

  • Wood finishing and varnish (industrial)
  • Traditional folk skin applications
  • Traditional laxative use (historical)
  • Traditional topical remedies

Tung seed comes from the tung tree (Vernicia fordii), and its main product is tung oil, which is used mostly as an industrial wood finish, not as a food or medicine. The raw seeds and oil are toxic if swallowed and there is no reliable evidence supporting any health benefit. We do not recommend taking tung seed as a supplement.

Vernicia fordii · Euphorbiaceae · Seeds and the oil pressed from them (tung oil) · Tung oil (industrial), rarely available as a dietary supplement

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

Tung Seed: dosing

There is no established or safe dose of tung seed for use in people. Because the seeds and oil are toxic, no medical dosing exists, and we do not recommend taking it in any amount.If you see a product that claims to contain tung seed for health purposes, do not use it without first checking with a pharmacist or doctor. In general, tung oil should be treated as an industrial product only.

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

Read the full Tung Seed monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Imiquimod Topical

What Is Imiquimod Topical Used For?

Brand names: Aldara, Zyclara, Vyloma

Imiquimod cream is used to treat three skin conditions in adults: actinic keratoses (rough, scaly patches on the skin caused by sun damage) on the face or scalp; superficial basal cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer) on the trunk, neck, or limbs when surgery is not the best option; and external genital and perianal warts (condyloma acuminata) in patients 12 years and older.

It is not effective for molluscum contagiosum in children ages 2–12, and it has not been proven safe or effective in people with weakened immune systems. It should not be used for warts inside the urethra, vagina, cervix, rectum, or anal canal.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Imiquimod

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (0 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Erythema 183 reports
Fatigue 179 reports
Nausea 114 reports
Influenza like illness 102 reports
Application site erythema 100 reports
See full Imiquimod Topical drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Tung Seed

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Tung Seed — 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 Tung Seed 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 Tung Seed list.

See the full Tung Seed interactions page
See every supplement checked against Imiquimod, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Tung Seed References

The 5 references that drive our Tung Seed 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. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  2. Duke JA. CRC handbook of medicinal herbs. 1st ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC, 1985.
  3. O'Brien DR, Szymczuk V, Albaro CA. Weight loss supplement causing acute heart block in a child. Cardiol Young 2020;30(1):131-133. PubMed
  4. Lawani O, Winter M. Heart Block Initiated by Candlenut Ingestion. Case Rep Cardiol 2022;2022:3679968. PubMed
  5. Koons AL, Laubach LT, Katz KD, Beauchamp GA. Mobitz Type II Atrioventricular Heart Block After Candlenut Ingestion. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2020;120(12):839-843. 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 Tung Seed and Imiquimod Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Tung Seed with Imiquimod?
We do not list a known interaction between Tung Seed and Imiquimod. 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 Tung Seed and Imiquimod have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 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.
Does Imiquimod interact with any supplements?
Yes. Imiquimod has documented interactions with 3 supplements in our database — Tung Seed is not one of them. The Imiquimod 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

Tung Seed monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Imiquimod Topical drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Imiquimod supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Imiquimod, 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 5 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Imiquimod and Tung Seed?

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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.