Drug & supplement interaction

Turpentine Oil + Methotrexate

Methotrexate brand names: Rheumatrex, Otrexup, Rasuvo, Reditrex.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Turpentine Oil and Methotrexate 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

Turpentine Oil and Methotrexate

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 Methotrexate and Turpentine Oil 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.

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.

Turpentine Oil safety at a glance

Turpentine Oil overall Use caution Possibly safe in small amounts in diluted topical products, but toxic if swallowed or inhaled in quantity.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When used orally. In addition to its toxic effects, turpentine oil might be an abortifacient. There is insufficient reliable information available about the saf... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Unsafe When used orally. In addition to its toxic effects, turpentine oil might be an abortifacient. There is insufficient reliable information available about the saf... 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 Methotrexate and Turpentine Oil? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Methotrexate

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Methotrexate is filed under 6 classifications — including organic anion-transporting polypeptide substrates (oatp), organic anion transporter 3 (oat3) substrates, hepatotoxic drugs. Turpentine Oil has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being topical drugs (moderate) and cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) substrates (minor) — and none of Methotrexate’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Turpentine Oil Does Interact With Other Medications

Turpentine Oil has 198 moderate, 178 minor known drug interactions in our database — Methotrexate isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 198 Minor 178 No known interaction 2,454 (incl. Methotrexate)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Turpentine Oil

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Turpentine Oil and Methotrexate 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. 2 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Kidney problems Worth acting on Additional detail

    Turpentine Oil

    “Orally, turpentine oil can cause hematuria, albuminuria, and/or urinary tract inflammation (6,17). Topically, applying large quantities of turpentine oil to the skin can cause symptoms of turpentine oil poisoning, including kidney damage (2).”

    Turpentine Oil · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in albuminuria.

    3 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 17. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
    3. 2. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.

    Methotrexate

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

  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on Additional detail

    Turpentine Oil

    “Orally, turpentine oil can cause coughing. It has also been reported to cause pulmonary aspiration leading to hemorrhagic pulmonary edema (6,17). As inhalation therapy, turpentine oil can cause discomfort of the throat and airways, mild respiratory tract inflammation, and increased airway resistance (17,98857).”

    Turpentine Oil · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in allergic rhinitis (hay fever).

    6 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 17. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
    3. 98857. Filipsson AF. Short term inhalation exposure to turpentine: toxicokinetics and acute effects in men. Occup Environ Med. 1996 Feb;53(2):100-105. PubMed
    4. 7. Schulz V, Hansel R, Tyler VE. Rational Phytotherapy: A Physician's Guide to Herbal Medicine. Terry C. Telger, transl. 3rd ed. Berlin, GER: Springer, 1998.
    5. 98858. Khan AJ, Akhtar RP, Faruqui ZS. Turpentine oil inhalation leading to lung necrosis and empyema in a toddler. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2006 May;22(5):355-7. PubMed
    6. 104204. Umekage Y, Okumura S, Tenma T, et al. Acute eosinophilic pneumonia following inhalation of turpentine oil: A case report. Respir Med Case Rep. 2020;31:101143. PubMed

    Methotrexate

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

  • Cough Additional detail

    Turpentine Oil

    “Orally, turpentine oil is generally regarded as unsafe. Turpentine oil can cause headache, insomnia, coughing, pulmonary aspiration, vomiting, hematuria, albuminuria, urinary tract inflammation, coma, and death (6,17).

    By inhalation, turpentine oil can cause respiratory tract inflammation, increased airway resistance, and discomfort of the throat and airways (17).

    Topically, turpentine oil seems to be well tolerated…”

    Turpentine Oil · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in albuminuria.

    5 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 17. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
    3. 98859. Treudler R, Richter G, Geier J, et al. Increase in sensitization to oil of turpentine: recent data from a multicenter study on 45,005 patients from the German-Austrian information network of departments of dermatology (IVDK). Contact Dermatitis. 2000 Feb; PubMed
    4. 98851. Cal K, Kupiec K, Sznitowska M. Effect of physicochemical properties of cyclic terpenes on their ex vivo skin absorption and elimination kinetics. J Dermatol Sci. 2006 Feb;41(2):137-42. PubMed
    5. 2. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.

    Methotrexate

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

  • Vomiting Additional detail

    Turpentine Oil

    “Orally, turpentine oil can cause vomiting (6,17).”

    Turpentine Oil · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    2 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 17. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.

    Methotrexate

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

  • Headache Additional detail

    Turpentine Oil

    “Orally, turpentine oil can cause headache, insomnia, and in more severe cases, coma and/or death. (6,17). Topically, applying large quantities of turpentine oil to the skin can cause symptoms of turpentine oil poisoning, including central nervous system damage (2).”

    Turpentine Oil · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    3 sources cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
    2. 17. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
    3. 2. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.

    Methotrexate

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

Reported for Turpentine Oil but not commonly for Methotrexate: an allergic reaction, trouble sleeping, wheezing and swelling.

Effects for Methotrexate come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Turpentine Oil come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 489,806 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Methotrexate that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Turpentine Oil in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Unsafe

When used orally. In addition to its toxic effects, turpentine oil might be an abortifacient. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of turpentine oil applied topically or inhaled as vapors during pregnancy and lactation; 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

From our Q&A

Questions About Turpentine Oil or Methotrexate

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Turpentine Oil or Methotrexate, 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 Methotrexate

This page covers Turpentine Oil only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Methotrexate page lists 82 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Beer (major), Grapefruit (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 7 major · 60 moderate · 15 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Methotrexate page

“The liver is where methotrexate and supplements clash most. Methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Otrexup, Rasuvo), used for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and certain cancers, can strain the liver on its own, and 38 of the 82 interacting ingredients on this list add liver risk of their own, alcohol included, which makes this a list to approach…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Methotrexate interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Turpentine Oil and Methotrexate 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 Turpentine Oil
Steady interest

#1,166 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Methotrexate
Top 5%

#49 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 Turpentine Oil reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Turpentine Oil and Methotrexate 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 Turpentine Oil

What is Turpentine Oil?

Turpentine Oil
  • Muscle and joint aches (topical)
  • Cough and congestion (chest rubs)
  • Minor skin conditions
  • Antiseptic
  • Toothache (traditional)

Turpentine oil is a strong-smelling pine resin product used mostly in tiny amounts in topical rubs for muscle aches and congestion. It can be dangerous and even deadly if swallowed, and reliable evidence for health benefits is very limited. Never drink turpentine oil, and only use diluted, purified products on the skin with care.

Pinus palustris · Pinaceae · Oleoresin (sap) distilled from pine trees · Topical oil, rectified/purified oil, ingredient in chest rubs and liniments

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

Turpentine Oil: dosing

There is no established safe oral dose for turpentine oil, and it should never be taken by mouth. For topical or inhaled products, a standardized dose is not well defined.The safest approach is to use only commercial products that contain small, regulated amounts of purified turpentine oil (such as some chest rubs) and to follow the label exactly.

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

Read the full Turpentine Oil monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Methotrexate

What Is Methotrexate Used For?

Brand names: Rheumatrex, Otrexup, Rasuvo, Reditrex

Methotrexate treats a wide range of serious conditions. In cancer care, it is used for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, osteosarcoma, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (a rare tumor related to pregnancy). It is also used to prevent and treat meningeal leukemia (cancer affecting the lining of the brain and spinal cord).

Outside of cancer, methotrexate is prescribed for adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), children with polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (a form of childhood arthritis), and adults with severe psoriasis that hasn't responded well to other treatments.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Methotrexate

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (489,806 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Rheumatoid arthritis 42,798 reports
Arthralgia 40,830 reports
Fatigue 33,049 reports
Nausea 28,999 reports
Joint swelling 25,026 reports
See full Methotrexate drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Turpentine Oil

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

0Major
198Moderate
178Minor
2,453No known interaction
198 Moderate 178 Minor 2,453 No interaction
Moderate

198 interactions

Showing 60 of 198 moderate interactions — see all 198 on the Turpentine Oil page.

Minor

178 interactions

Showing 60 of 178 minor interactions — see all 178 on the Turpentine Oil page.

No interaction 2,453 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,453 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Turpentine Oil list.

See the full Turpentine Oil interactions page
See every supplement checked against Methotrexate, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Turpentine Oil References

The 14 references that drive our Turpentine Oil 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. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
  2. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  3. Schulz V, Hansel R, Tyler VE. Rational Phytotherapy: A Physician's Guide to Herbal Medicine. Terry C. Telger, transl. 3rd ed. Berlin, GER: Springer, 1998.
  4. Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
  5. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
  6. Prasad VG, Vivek Ch, Anand Kumar P, Ravi Kumar P, Rao GS. Turpentine oil induced inflammation decreases absorption and increases distribution of phenacetin without altering its elimination process in rats. Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet 2015;40(1):23-8. PubMed
  7. Cal K, Kupiec K, Sznitowska M. Effect of physicochemical properties of cyclic terpenes on their ex vivo skin absorption and elimination kinetics. J Dermatol Sci. 2006 Feb;41(2):137-42. PubMed
  8. Jiang Q, Wu Y, Zhang H, et al. Development of essential oils as skin permeation enhancers: penetration enhancement effect and mechanism of action. Pharmaceutical Biol. 2017;55(1):1592-1600. PubMed
  9. Almirall M, Montana J, Excribano E, Obach R, Berrozpe JD. Effect of d-limonene, alpha-pinene, and cineole on in vitro transdermal human skin penetration of chlorpromazine and haloperidol. Arzneimittelforschung. 1996 Jul;46(7):676-80.
  10. Filipsson AF. Short term inhalation exposure to turpentine: toxicokinetics and acute effects in men. Occup Environ Med. 1996 Feb;53(2):100-105. PubMed
  11. Khan AJ, Akhtar RP, Faruqui ZS. Turpentine oil inhalation leading to lung necrosis and empyema in a toddler. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2006 May;22(5):355-7. PubMed
  12. Treudler R, Richter G, Geier J, et al. Increase in sensitization to oil of turpentine: recent data from a multicenter study on 45,005 patients from the German-Austrian information network of departments of dermatology (IVDK). Contact Dermatitis. 2000 Feb; PubMed
  13. Umekage Y, Okumura S, Tenma T, et al. Acute eosinophilic pneumonia following inhalation of turpentine oil: A case report. Respir Med Case Rep. 2020;31:101143. PubMed
  14. Fuchs-Algrim J, Lorenz H, Zimmermann C, et al. Turpentine ointment in bacterial skin infections - a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. Complement Med Res. 2022 Nov 23. 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 Turpentine Oil and Methotrexate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Turpentine Oil with Methotrexate?
We do not list a known interaction between Turpentine Oil and Methotrexate. 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 Turpentine Oil and Methotrexate have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 5 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.
How was the Turpentine Oil and Methotrexate combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Methotrexate is filed under 6 classifications, and Turpentine Oil has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Methotrexate's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Turpentine Oil interact with any other medications?
Yes. Turpentine Oil has 376 documented drug interactions in our database — Methotrexate is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Methotrexate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Methotrexate has documented interactions with 82 supplements in our database — Turpentine Oil is not one of them. The Methotrexate 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

Turpentine Oil monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Methotrexate drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Methotrexate supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Methotrexate, 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 14 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Methotrexate and Turpentine Oil?

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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.