Drug & supplement interaction

Wintergreen + Phenytoin

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

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 Wintergreen 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

Wintergreen 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 Wintergreen 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.

Wintergreen safety at a glance

Wintergreen overall Use caution Topical use may be acceptable for adults, but the essential oil is extremely toxic if swallowed.
Pregnancy Avoid Avoid because of the aspirin-like (salicylate) content and lack of safety data.
Breastfeeding Likely Unsafe When used orally or topically. Wintergreen products are likely toxic to nursing infants. 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 Phenytoin and Wintergreen? 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. Wintergreen has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being warfarin (coumadin) (major) and aspirin (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

Wintergreen Does Interact With Other Medications

Wintergreen has 2 major, 35 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Phenytoin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 2 Moderate 35 No known interaction 2,793 (incl. Phenytoin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Wintergreen

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Wintergreen 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Confusion Worth acting on Additional detail

    Wintergreen

    “Orally, wintergreen oil can result in symptoms of salicylate poisoning, including headache, tinnitus, and confusion.”

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

    1 source cited
    1. 272. Covington TR, et al. Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs. 11th ed. Washington, DC: American Pharmaceutical Association, 1996.

    Phenytoin

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

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Wintergreen

    “Wintergreen oil can cause contact dermatitis, which can be irritant or allergic in nature (18,3811,112157). When the oil is applied topically it should not be covered with an occlusive dressing because this could result in absorption of toxic amounts of methyl salicylate.”

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

    4 sources cited
    1. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
    2. 3811. Chan TY. Potential dangers from topical preparations containing methyl salicylate. Hum Exp Toxicol 1996;15:747-50.
    3. 112157. Franceschi J, Darrigade AS, Jegou MH, Milpied B. First report of allergic contact dermatitis caused by Gaultheria procumbens (wintergreen) essential oil. Contact Dermatitis 2022;87(2):193-195.
    4. 272. Covington TR, et al. Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs. 11th ed. Washington, DC: American Pharmaceutical Association, 1996.

    Phenytoin

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

  • Vomiting / Nausea Additional detail

    Wintergreen

    “Orally, wintergreen oil can result in symptoms of salicylate poisoning, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Wintergreen causes gastrointestinal irritation (19).”

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

    2 sources cited
    1. 272. Covington TR, et al. Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs. 11th ed. Washington, DC: American Pharmaceutical Association, 1996.
    2. 19. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.

    Phenytoin

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

  • Headache Additional detail

    Wintergreen

    Recorded for Wintergreen in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Confusion above.

    Phenytoin

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

Reported for Wintergreen but not commonly for Phenytoin: stomach pain, diarrhea and ringing in the ears.

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

Wintergreen in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Lactation Likely Unsafe

When used orally or topically. Wintergreen products are likely toxic to nursing infants.

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 Wintergreen 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 Wintergreen 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 Wintergreen 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 Wintergreen as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 42 real supplement products containing Wintergreen, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Wintergreen. Even though Wintergreen 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 Wintergreen 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 Wintergreen
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Phenytoin
Top half

#922 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 Wintergreen reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Wintergreen 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 Wintergreen

What is Wintergreen?

  • Muscle and joint pain (topical)
  • Arthritis discomfort
  • Headaches
  • Sore throat and oral care
  • Flavoring agent

Wintergreen is a low-growing North American plant whose oil is rich in methyl salicylate, an aspirin-like compound used in topical pain rubs. While it may help ease minor muscle and joint pain when applied to the skin, the concentrated oil is highly toxic if swallowed and should never be taken by mouth. Talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using wintergreen products, especially around children.

Gaultheria procumbens · Ericaceae · Leaves and essential oil · Essential oil, topical creams and ointments, liniments, tea, lozenges, flavoring

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

Wintergreen: dosing

There is no well-established standardized dose for wintergreen. For topical products, follow the directions on the package and apply only a thin layer to the affected area as directed, no more than the label allows.Avoid taking wintergreen oil or large amounts of the herb by mouth.

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

Read the full Wintergreen 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 & Wintergreen

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

2Major
35Moderate
0Minor
2,792No known interaction
2 Major 35 Moderate 2,792 No interaction
Major

2 interactions

Moderate

35 interactions

No interaction 2,792 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,792 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Wintergreen list.

See the full Wintergreen interactions page
See every supplement checked against Phenytoin, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Wintergreen References

The 7 references that drive our Wintergreen 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. Gossel TA, Bricker JD. Principles of Clinical Toxicology. New York, NY:Raven Press, 1994.
  4. Covington TR, et al. Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs. 11th ed. Washington, DC: American Pharmaceutical Association, 1996.
  5. Chan TY. Potential dangers from topical preparations containing methyl salicylate. Hum Exp Toxicol 1996;15:747-50.
  6. Joss JD, LeBlond RF. Potentiation of warfarin anticoagulation associated with topical methyl salicylate. Ann Pharmacother 2000;34:729-33. PubMed
  7. Franceschi J, Darrigade AS, Jegou MH, Milpied B. First report of allergic contact dermatitis caused by Gaultheria procumbens (wintergreen) essential oil. Contact Dermatitis 2022;87(2):193-195.

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 Wintergreen and Phenytoin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Wintergreen with Phenytoin?
We do not list a known interaction between Wintergreen 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 Wintergreen and Phenytoin 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 Wintergreen and Phenytoin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Phenytoin is filed under 14 classifications, and Wintergreen has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — 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 Wintergreen interact with any other medications?
Yes. Wintergreen has 37 documented drug interactions 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 — Wintergreen 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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Wintergreen monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Phenytoin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Phenytoin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Phenytoin, 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 7 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Phenytoin and Wintergreen?

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.