Drug & supplement interaction

Wormwood + Mercaptopurine

Mercaptopurine brand name: Purixan.

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 Wormwood and Mercaptopurine 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

Wormwood and Mercaptopurine

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 Mercaptopurine and Wormwood 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.

Wormwood safety at a glance

Wormwood overall Use caution Short-term use of properly prepared products may be acceptable, but the thujone in wormwood can be toxic in higher amounts.
Pregnancy Avoid Wormwood may stimulate the uterus and is considered unsafe during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid There is not enough safety information, so it is best avoided while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Mercaptopurine and Wormwood? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Mercaptopurine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Mercaptopurine is filed under 3 classifications — immunosuppressants, hepatotoxic drugs, oral drugs. Wormwood has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being anticonvulsants (moderate) — and none of Mercaptopurine’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

Wormwood Does Interact With Other Medications

Wormwood has 50 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Mercaptopurine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 50 No known interaction 2,780 (incl. Mercaptopurine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Wormwood

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Wormwood and Mercaptopurine 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.

  • Diarrhea reported in 4.1% of FDA reports for Mercaptopurine Additional detail

    Wormwood

    “Orally, the oil from wormwood leaves can cause nausea and vomiting. Use of a home-prepared wormwood extract has been associated with vomiting and severe diarrhea in an infant.”

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

    2 sources cited
    1. 662. Weisbord SD, Soule JB, Kimmel PL. Poison on line-acute renal failure caused by oil of wormwood purchased through the internet. N Engl J Med 1997;337:825-7. PubMed
    2. 93467. Kocaoglu C, Ozel A. Persistent metabolic acidosis and severe diarrhoea due to Artemisia absinthium poisoning. J Pak Med Assoc. 2014 Sep;64(9):1081-3.

    Mercaptopurine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Mercaptopurine, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Vomiting / Nausea reported in 4.6% of FDA reports for Mercaptopurine Additional detail

    Wormwood

    “Wormwood contains thujone, a neurotoxin. When products containing thujone are used orally in medicinal amounts, wormwood may be unsafe.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Orally: The oil from wormwood leaves can cause diffuse muscle aches, nausea, and vomiting.

    Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):

    Orally: The oil from wormwood leaves can cause acute kidney toxicity, rhabdomyolysis, and seizures.”

    Wormwood · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in epilepsy.

    Mercaptopurine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Mercaptopurine, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Wormwood but not commonly for Mercaptopurine: hallucinations, kidney problems, severe muscle breakdown and muscle pain.

Effects for Mercaptopurine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Wormwood come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 17,242 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Mercaptopurine 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Wormwood or Mercaptopurine

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

This page covers Wormwood only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Mercaptopurine page lists 106 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Wine (major) and Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 92 moderate · 10 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Mercaptopurine page

“Mercaptopurine (Purixan) works by deliberately suppressing the immune system, whether for leukemia or inflammatory bowel disease, and the supplement interactions on this page deserve genuine care rather than a quick skim. Two problems dominate.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Mercaptopurine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 387 real supplement products containing Wormwood, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Wormwood. Even though Wormwood itself has no known interaction with Mercaptopurine, 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 Wormwood and Mercaptopurine 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 Wormwood
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Mercaptopurine
Steady interest

#2,118 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 Wormwood reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Wormwood and Mercaptopurine 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 Wormwood

What is Wormwood?

Wormwood
  • Digestive upset and poor appetite
  • Intestinal parasites
  • Crohn's disease symptoms
  • Bitter tonic for indigestion
  • Flavoring in absinthe and vermouth

Wormwood is a very bitter herb traditionally used to stimulate appetite and ease digestion, and it has early research interest in Crohn's disease. It contains thujone, which can be toxic in large amounts, so it should only be used short-term in controlled doses. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Artemisia absinthium · Asteraceae · Leaves, flowering tops, and essential oil · Tea, tincture, capsules, extracts, essential oil

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

Wormwood: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose of wormwood, and safe amounts depend on the form and how much thujone it contains. It is usually used only for short periods.If you choose to use a wormwood product, follow the directions on the label and choose a reputable brand. Do not exceed the recommended amount, avoid long-term use, and never take the concentrated essential oil by mouth.

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

Read the full Wormwood monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Mercaptopurine

What Is Mercaptopurine Used For?

Brand name: Purixan

Mercaptopurine — available as a tablet and as an oral suspension — is used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer. It is given as part of a combination chemotherapy maintenance regimen, meaning it works alongside other cancer medicines to keep leukemia in remission.

Both the tablet form and the oral suspension form carry this indication for adult and pediatric patients. The oral suspension is particularly useful for patients who cannot swallow tablets.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Mercaptopurine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (17,242 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Febrile neutropenia 1,904 reports
Fever 1,187 reports
Nausea 791 reports
Vomiting 749 reports
Abdominal pain 699 reports
See full Mercaptopurine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Wormwood

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

0Major
50Moderate
0Minor
2,779No known interaction
50 Moderate 2,779 No interaction
Moderate

50 interactions

No interaction 2,779 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,779 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Wormwood list.

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

Wormwood References

The 10 references that drive our Wormwood 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. Weisbord SD, Soule JB, Kimmel PL. Poison on line-acute renal failure caused by oil of wormwood purchased through the internet. N Engl J Med 1997;337:825-7. PubMed
  2. Gambelunghe C, Melai P. Absinthe: enjoying a new popularity among young people? Forensic Sci Int 2002;130:183-6.
  3. Hold KM, Sirisoma NS, Casida JE. Detoxification of alpha- and beta-Thujones (the active ingredients of absinthe): site specificity and species differences in cytochrome P450 oxidation in vitro and in vivo. Chem Res Toxicol 2001;14:589-95.
  4. Lachenmeier DW, Walch SG, Padosch SA, Kroner LU. Absinthe--a review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2006;46:365-77.
  5. Padosch SA, Lachenmeier DW, Kroner LU. Absinthism: a fictitious 19th century syndrome with present impact. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 2006;1:14. PubMed
  6. Lachenmeier DW, Emmert J, Kuballa T, Sartor G. Thujone--cause of absinthism? Forensic Sci Int 2006;158:1-8. PubMed
  7. Dettling, A., Grass, H., Schuff, A., Skopp, G., Strohbeck-Kuehner, P., and Haffner, H. T. Absinthe: attention performance and mood under the influence of thujone. J Stud.Alcohol 2004;65(5):573-581. PubMed
  8. Benezet-Mazuecos, J. and de la Fuente, A. Electrocardiographic findings after acute absinthe intoxication. Int J Cardiol. 11-10-2006;113(2):e48-e50. PubMed
  9. El Makrini NI, Hassam B. Artemisia absinthium: burning plant! Pan Afr Med J. 2016 Jan 22;23:10. PubMed
  10. Kocaoglu C, Ozel A. Persistent metabolic acidosis and severe diarrhoea due to Artemisia absinthium poisoning. J Pak Med Assoc. 2014 Sep;64(9):1081-3.

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 Wormwood and Mercaptopurine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Wormwood with Mercaptopurine?
We do not list a known interaction between Wormwood and Mercaptopurine. 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 Wormwood and Mercaptopurine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 3 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 Wormwood and Mercaptopurine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Mercaptopurine is filed under 3 classifications, and Wormwood has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Mercaptopurine'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 Wormwood interact with any other medications?
Yes. Wormwood has 50 documented drug interactions in our database — Mercaptopurine 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 Mercaptopurine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Mercaptopurine has documented interactions with 106 supplements in our database — Wormwood is not one of them. The Mercaptopurine 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

Wormwood monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Mercaptopurine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Mercaptopurine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Mercaptopurine, 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 10 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Mercaptopurine and Wormwood?

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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.