Drug & supplement interaction

Water Germander + Benzonatate

Benzonatate brand names: Tessalon, Tessalon Perles.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Water Germander and Benzonatate 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

Water Germander and Benzonatate

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 Benzonatate and Water Germander 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 Water Germander at all — not against Benzonatate, 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.

Water Germander safety at a glance

Water Germander overall Avoid Oral use has been linked to serious, sometimes fatal liver damage.
Pregnancy Avoid Not safe; avoid because of liver toxicity risk and lack of safety data.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not safe; avoid due to toxicity concerns and lack of data.

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

Still wondering about combining Benzonatate and Water Germander? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Benzonatate’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Water Germander. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Benzonatate’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. 4 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Hallucinations Worth acting on
  • Wheezing Worth acting on
  • Confusion Worth acting on
  • An allergic reaction Worth acting on
  • A stuffy or runny nose
  • Numbness or tingling
  • Drowsiness
  • Stomach upset
  • Constipation
  • Itching

Showing the 10 most notable of 13 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 Benzonatate. Read the label on DailyMed › Water Germander’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Water Germander side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Water Germander has no side effects.

From our Q&A

Questions About Water Germander or Benzonatate

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

This page covers Water Germander only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Benzonatate page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Benzonatate page

“If you take benzonatate (Tessalon) for cough, give this page real attention, starting with activated charcoal. It is the only major-rated entry of the 17 on file, and charcoal can soak up the drug in your gut before it ever reaches your bloodstream.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Benzonatate interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Water Germander and Benzonatate 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 Water Germander
Steady interest

#1,330 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Benzonatate
Top half

#850 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. Water Germander is not yet covered by that licensed database, so its write-up cites publicly available medical sources directly (see the references below).
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Water Germander reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Water Germander and Benzonatate records this page draws on were last updated June 20, 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 Water Germander

What is Water Germander?

  • Digestive upset
  • Weight loss aids
  • Fever
  • Oral hygiene and mouthwash
  • Gout

Water germander (often sold as the related plant wall germander, Teucrium chamaedrys) is a Mediterranean herb traditionally used for digestion and other ailments. Its oral use has been clearly linked to serious liver damage, including hepatitis and even death, so it is considered likely unsafe to take by mouth. We recommend avoiding it and talking to your pharmacist or doctor about safer options.

Teucrium chamaedrys · Lamiaceae · Aerial parts (leaves, flowering tops) · Tea, capsules, tinctures, liquid extracts

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

Water Germander: dosing

Always read product labels carefully, since germander is sometimes hidden in herbal blends or weight-loss products.

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

Read the full Water Germander monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Benzonatate

What Is Benzonatate Used For?

Brand names: Tessalon, Tessalon Perles

Benzonatate capsules are used for the symptomatic relief of cough. This applies to all benzonatate capsule products — including Benzonatate 100 mg and Benzonatate 200 mg formulations taken by mouth.

It is intended to reduce the urge to cough when coughing is disruptive or uncomfortable. It does not treat the underlying cause of the cough.

See full Benzonatate drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Water Germander

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Water Germander — 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
Evidence & sources

Water Germander References

The 2 sources that drive our Water Germander monograph — publicly available pages from reputable medical and government organizations. Every link was verified to work before publishing. Water Germander is not covered by the licensed Natural Medicines interaction database, so its page cites these public sources directly.

  1. LiverTox: Germander — NIH / NCBI Bookshelf Source
  2. Herbs at a Glance — NIH NCCIH Source

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 Water Germander and Benzonatate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Water Germander with Benzonatate?
We do not list a known interaction between Water Germander and Benzonatate. 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 Benzonatate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Benzonatate has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Water Germander is not one of them. The Benzonatate 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 Benzonatate and Water Germander?

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.