Herb & supplement monograph

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

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Myrrh 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

Myrrh 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 Myrrh drug interaction appears low for most people. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and nearly all rest on lab or animal research rather than solid human studies.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The interaction that deserves the most attention involves warfarin. In one reported case, a patient who was stable on warfarin had a notable drop in their INR, a blood test that tracks how well the medication is working, after taking a myrrh extract. Because warfarin has a narrow margin between too little and too much effect, even one report like this warrants caution. Myrrh may also lower blood sugar based on early research, so people taking diabetes medications should be aware that added blood sugar lowering is at least a theoretical concern.

What the rest of the list means

Although myrrh is listed alongside a large number of medications, that does not mean every combination is harmful. Most of these entries come from the same two concerns, blood sugar and warfarin, applied across many individual drugs. The evidence behind them is largely theoretical, and predicted effects have not been confirmed in well-controlled human studies.

Check your medications against Myrrh

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Myrrh

88 medications have a known interaction with Myrrh, 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 Myrrh using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Myrrh 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 Myrrh 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 Myrrh affects

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

All 2 drug categories Myrrh interacts with

Antidiabetes DrugsWarfarin (coumadin)

Antidiabetes Drugs

Theoretically, myrrh might increase the risk of hypoglycemia when taken with antidiabetes drugs.
In vitro and animal research suggests that myrrh has hypoglycemic effects.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Warfarin (Coumadin)

Theoretically, myrrh might decrease the effectiveness of warfarin.
In one case, a patient who was previously stable on warfarin had a significant decline in international normalized ratio (INR) following consumption of an aqueous extract of myrrh.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Myrrh: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

Myrrh is a fragrant gum resin from Commiphora trees that has long been used in mouthwashes, throat remedies, and skin care. Modern evidence for most of its uses is limited and comes mostly from laboratory or small studies, so it should be viewed as a traditional remedy rather than a proven treatment. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it during pregnancy.

Scientific name: Commiphora myrrha
Family: Burseraceae
Part used: Gum resin (and essential oil distilled from the resin)
Common forms: Tincture, mouthwash/gargle, capsules, powder, essential oil, topical preparations, incense

People commonly use it for

Mouth and gum irritation
Sore throat
Minor wound and skin care
Digestive upset
Antimicrobial/antiseptic uses

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

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Likely fine for short-term topical or mouth-rinse use, but oral safety is not well studied.

PregnancyLikely Unsafe

When used orally. Myrrh stimulates uterine tone and blood flow and may have an abortifacient effect. There is insufficient reliable information availa...

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

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

Myrrh is a sticky gum resin that oozes from the bark of small thorny trees in the genus Commiphora, especially Commiphora myrrha. These trees grow in dry regions of northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, including parts of Somalia, Ethiopia, and Yemen. When the bark is cut, the tree releases a fluid that hardens into reddish-brown lumps that are collected and used.

Myrrh has a warm, slightly bitter, and woody aroma. People have used it for thousands of years in incense, perfume, and traditional medicine. Today it appears in mouthwashes, throat sprays, tinctures, capsules, essential oils, and skin products.

How it works

Myrrh resin contains a mix of compounds, including terpenoids (such as furanoeudesma-diene and other sesquiterpenes), volatile oils, and gum and resin fractions. These substances are thought to give myrrh its aroma and its possible biological effects.

In laboratory and animal studies, myrrh compounds have shown antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and mild pain-relieving actions. Its astringent quality may also explain why it has traditionally been used to tighten and soothe irritated tissues in the mouth. It is important to remember that these mechanisms come mostly from test-tube and animal research, and they do not guarantee the same effects in people.

Effectiveness

Does Myrrh work?

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

Evidence overview · 24 uses evaluated

1 Leans ineffective 23 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 Ineffective Schistosomiasis