Herb & supplement monograph

Camphor Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Camphor interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Camphor is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Camphor is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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On this page

Camphor Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant Camphor drug interaction appears low for most people. Every listed interaction is rated moderate rather than major, and all of them trace back to a single, mostly theoretical concern about the liver.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The one interaction worth knowing about involves medications that can be hard on the liver. In theory, adding camphor could raise the chance of liver strain when combined with these drugs. The human evidence is thin: a few reports of temporary rises in liver enzymes in adults after oral or topical camphor, and one report of liver injury in an infant after topical use. If you take a medicine known to affect the liver, this combination deserves a conversation with your prescriber, though the risk has not been well established.

What the rest of the list means

The long list of moderately rated medications can look worrying, but it does not mean each combination has been shown to cause harm. Nearly all of these entries reflect the same theoretical liver concern applied across many drugs, not documented problems in people. For most everyday medications, no meaningful interaction with camphor has been demonstrated.

Check your medications against Camphor

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Camphor interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Camphor

372 medications have a known interaction with Camphor, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Camphor using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Camphor interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Camphor combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Camphor affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Camphor is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 1 drug category Camphor interacts with

Hepatotoxic Drugs

Theoretically, concomitant use of camphor with other hepatotoxic drugs might increase the risk of liver damage.
There have been a few case reports of transient elevations in liver enzymes in adults after oral or topical use of camphor. There has also been one case of hepatotoxicity in an infant after topical camphor use.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Camphor: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Camphor is a strong-smelling compound from the camphor tree (or made synthetically) that is used in many topical rub-on products for muscle aches, itching, and chest congestion. It can be helpful for these uses when applied to the skin in small, regulated amounts, but it is toxic and potentially deadly if swallowed, so it should never be taken by mouth. Keep camphor products away from children and check with a pharmacist before use.

Scientific name: Cinnamomum camphora
Family: Lauraceae
Part used: Wood, bark, and essential oil (camphor is also made synthetically)
Common forms: Topical creams, ointments, balms, salves, vapor rubs, oils, inhalants, and liniments

People commonly use it for

Muscle and joint aches
Cough and chest congestion
Itching and skin irritation
Cold sores or minor wounds
Counterirritant for pain

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Generally tolerated for short-term topical use in regulated amounts, but toxic and dangerous if swallowed or overused.

PregnancyUnsafe

When used orally. Ingestion of camphor can cause serious toxicity including death. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safe...

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingUnsafe

When used orally. Ingestion of camphor can cause serious toxicity including death. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safe...

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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Overview

Camphor is a waxy, white, strong-smelling substance. It naturally comes from the wood and bark of the camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora), an evergreen tree native to East Asia, including China, Japan, and Taiwan. Today much of the camphor used in products is made synthetically in a lab rather than taken from trees.

People have used camphor for hundreds of years. You will most often find it in rub-on products like vapor chest rubs, muscle and joint balms, and anti-itch creams. It is the source of that familiar 'medicinal' smell in many cough and cold products.

Camphor is meant for use on the skin, not for swallowing. It is added to many over-the-counter products at small, regulated amounts.

How it works

Camphor works mainly by activating nerve receptors in the skin that sense temperature and pain. When applied, it triggers a cooling-then-warming feeling. This sensation can take your attention away from aching muscles or joints underneath — this is why it is called a counterirritant.

Camphor also has a strong vapor that, when inhaled, gives a feeling of clearer breathing. This is thought to be more of a sensory effect than a true opening of the airways.

Laboratory research suggests camphor may have mild antimicrobial and anti-itch properties, but much of this work is from test-tube or animal studies and does not prove it works the same way in people.

Effectiveness

Does Camphor work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 8 uses evaluated

3 Likely effective 5 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

Likely Effective Cough