Drug & supplement interaction

White Sandalwood + Phenytoin

Phenytoin brand names: Dilantin Kapseals, Dilantin, Di-Phen, Dilantin Infatabs, Phenytek, and others.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between White Sandalwood and Phenytoin 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

White Sandalwood and Phenytoin

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 Phenytoin and White Sandalwood 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.

White Sandalwood safety at a glance

White Sandalwood overall Use caution Generally used in fragrance and skincare, but oral use is not well studied and may not be safe.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When used orally in medicinal amounts; sandalwood is reported to have abortifacient effects; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety is unknown, so avoid medicinal use while breastfeeding.

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 Phenytoin and White Sandalwood? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Phenytoin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Phenytoin is filed under 14 classifications — including cytochrome p450 2c8 (cyp2c8) substrates, cytochrome p450 2c9 (cyp2c9) inducers, anticonvulsants. White Sandalwood has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being lithium (moderate) — and none of Phenytoin’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

White Sandalwood Does Interact With Other Medications

White Sandalwood has 1 moderate known drug interaction in our database — Phenytoin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against White Sandalwood

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests White Sandalwood and Phenytoin 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.

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    White Sandalwood

    “Orally, white sandalwood appears to be well tolerated when taken in food amounts. There is currently a limited amount of information on the adverse effects of white sandalwood when taken in medicinal amounts. Topically and by inhalation, adverse effects to white sandalwood seem to be rare;”

    White Sandalwood · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    “Topically or when inhaled, there are case reports of white sandalwood paste or oil causing contact and photoallergic contact dermatitis.”

    White Sandalwood · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    3 sources cited
    1. 73081. Sharma, R., Bajaj, A. K., and Singh, K. G. Sandalwood dermatitis. Int J Dermatol 1987;26(9):597. PubMed
    2. 73082. Hayakawa, R., Matsunaga, K., and Arima, Y. Depigmented contact dermatitis due to incense. Contact Dermatitis 1987;16(5):272-274. PubMed
    3. 99292. Warshaw EM, Zug KA, Belsito DV, et al. Positive patch-test reactions to essential oils in consecutive patients from North America and Central Europe. Dermatitis. 2017;28(4):246-252. PubMed

    Phenytoin

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

  • Nausea Additional detail

    White Sandalwood

    “Orally, white sandalwood may cause nausea and gastrointestinal complaints (18).”

    White Sandalwood · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    1 source cited
    1. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.

    Phenytoin

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

Reported for White Sandalwood but not commonly for Phenytoin: kidney problems and itching.

Effects for Phenytoin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for White Sandalwood 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

White Sandalwood in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Likely Unsafe

When used orally in medicinal amounts; sandalwood is reported to have abortifacient effects; 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 White Sandalwood or Phenytoin

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

This page covers White Sandalwood only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Phenytoin page lists 224 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 Kava (major).

By severity: 9 major · 187 moderate · 28 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Phenytoin page

“Phenytoin (Dilantin) is a seizure medicine with a narrow therapeutic index, meaning small changes in its blood level can bring seizures back or tip over into toxicity, so I treat its supplement list with real seriousness. The biggest group, 78 ingredients, piles on sedation, and alcohol, kava, and GHB all rate major for exactly that re…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Phenytoin interaction page

One more smart check

Taking White Sandalwood as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 22 real supplement products containing White Sandalwood, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides White Sandalwood. Even though White Sandalwood itself has no known interaction with Phenytoin, 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 White Sandalwood and Phenytoin 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 White Sandalwood
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Phenytoin
Top 25%

#691 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 White Sandalwood reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 27, 2026. The White Sandalwood and Phenytoin records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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 White Sandalwood

What is White Sandalwood?

White Sandalwood
  • Relaxation and stress relief
  • Skin soothing and cosmetics
  • Aromatherapy and meditation
  • Traditional remedy for urinary discomfort
  • Fragrance and perfumes

White sandalwood is a fragrant wood from the Santalum album tree, used for centuries in perfumes, incense, skincare, and traditional medicine. Most of its popular uses—like relaxation and skin care—are based on tradition and lab studies rather than strong human research. Use it cautiously, especially on the skin or by mouth, and talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it as a remedy.

Santalum album · Santalaceae · Heartwood and essential oil · Essential oil, powder, paste, incense, skincare products, and occasionally capsules or tablets

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

White Sandalwood: dosing

There is no established standardized dose for white sandalwood, and reliable human dosing information for oral use is lacking. Never swallow undiluted essential oil, and dilute oils properly before applying them to your skin. When in doubt, choose products from reputable manufacturers and use the smallest amount needed.

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

Read the full White Sandalwood monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Phenytoin

What Is Phenytoin Used For?

Brand names: Dilantin Kapseals, Dilantin, Di-Phen, Dilantin Infatabs, Phenytek, Dilantin injection

Phenytoin is used to treat and prevent seizures. The specific types covered depend on the formulation. Oral extended-release capsules (including Phenytek), chewable tablets (including Dilantin Infatabs and Phenytoin Infatabs), and oral suspension (including Dilantin-125) are used for tonic-clonic (grand mal) and psychomotor (temporal lobe) seizures; most oral forms also cover prevention and treatment of seizures occurring during or after neurosurgery. Chewable tablets and some capsule formulations also cover complex partial seizures.

Parenteral (injectable) phenytoin sodium is used for generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus (a prolonged, life-threatening seizure emergency) and for prevention and treatment of seizures during neurosurgery. The IV form can also substitute short-term for oral phenytoin when a patient cannot take it by mouth.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Phenytoin

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (40,278 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Convulsion 3,522 reports
Seizure 3,095 reports
Toxicity to various agents 1,888 reports
Fall 1,604 reports
Dizziness 1,539 reports
See full Phenytoin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & White Sandalwood

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

0Major
1Moderate
0Minor
2,828No known interaction
Moderate

1 interaction

No interaction 2,828 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

White Sandalwood References

The 5 references that drive our White Sandalwood 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. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
  2. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
  3. Sharma, R., Bajaj, A. K., and Singh, K. G. Sandalwood dermatitis. Int J Dermatol 1987;26(9):597. PubMed
  4. Hayakawa, R., Matsunaga, K., and Arima, Y. Depigmented contact dermatitis due to incense. Contact Dermatitis 1987;16(5):272-274. PubMed
  5. Warshaw EM, Zug KA, Belsito DV, et al. Positive patch-test reactions to essential oils in consecutive patients from North America and Central Europe. Dermatitis. 2017;28(4):246-252. 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 White Sandalwood and Phenytoin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take White Sandalwood with Phenytoin?
We do not list a known interaction between White Sandalwood and Phenytoin. 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 White Sandalwood and Phenytoin 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.
How was the White Sandalwood and Phenytoin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Phenytoin is filed under 14 classifications, and White Sandalwood has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Phenytoin'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 White Sandalwood interact with any other medications?
Yes. White Sandalwood has 1 documented drug interaction in our database — Phenytoin 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 Phenytoin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Phenytoin has documented interactions with 224 supplements in our database — White Sandalwood is not one of them. The Phenytoin 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 Phenytoin and White Sandalwood?

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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.