Herb & supplement monograph

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

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

Olive Oil 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 Olive Oil drug interaction appears low for most people, though anyone taking blood pressure medicine should be aware of one well-documented effect. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and every one of them involves the same single concern: medications that lower blood pressure.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The interaction that deserves real attention is with blood pressure medications. Human research shows that adding olive oil to the diet, especially in place of saturated fat, is linked with lower blood pressure, so combining it with these medicines could add to their effect. For someone whose blood pressure is carefully controlled, that extra lowering is worth knowing about, and it is the one interaction here backed by actual studies in people rather than theory.

What the rest of the list means

Although the number of interacting medications looks large, it does not mean many different risks. Every medication on the list belongs to one group, blood pressure drugs, so the long list reflects a single shared effect rather than many separate problems. The effect itself comes from olive oil's dietary influence on blood pressure, which is modest and often considered a benefit.

Check your medications against Olive Oil

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

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Olive Oil

172 medications have a known interaction with Olive Oil, 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 Olive Oil using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Olive Oil 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 Olive Oil 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 Olive Oil affects

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

All 1 drug category Olive Oil interacts with

Antihypertensive Drugs

Theoretically, taking olive oil with antihypertensive drugs might have additive effects on blood pressure.
Some clinical and observational research suggests that adding olive oil into the diet, especially in place of saturated fat, is associated with reduced blood pressure.

Likelihood Probable Evidence B

Monograph

Olive Oil: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

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

The bottom line

Olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil, is a healthy fat that forms a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet and is linked with better heart health. Used as part of a balanced diet it is generally safe for most people, but it is calorie-dense, so portion size matters. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated supplements.

Scientific name: Olea europaea
Family: Oleaceae
Part used: Oil pressed from the fruit (olives)
Common forms: Culinary oil (extra virgin, virgin, refined), softgels, capsules, topical oil

People commonly use it for

Heart health
Cholesterol support
General nutrition (Mediterranean diet)
Skin and hair care
Mild constipation
Anti-inflammatory support

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

Safety at a glance

OverallLikely safe

Olive oil is widely consumed as food and is generally safe in normal dietary amounts.

PregnancyLikely Safe

When olive oil is consumed in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of olive oil when...

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingLikely Safe

When olive oil is consumed in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of olive oil when...

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

Olive oil is a fat pressed from the fruit of the olive tree (Olea europaea), which grows widely around the Mediterranean and in other warm, dry regions. It has been a staple food, lamp fuel, and skin treatment for thousands of years.

Olive oil is graded by how it is made and how much free acid it contains. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed and richest in natural plant compounds, while refined or "light" olive oils are processed more and contain fewer of these compounds. People use olive oil mostly in cooking and salad dressings, but it is also sold as softgel supplements and used on the skin and hair.

How it works

Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat, mainly oleic acid. Diets that swap unhealthy fats for monounsaturated fats are thought to support better cholesterol balance.

Extra virgin olive oil also contains plant compounds called polyphenols, such as hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, and oleuropein. In laboratory and animal studies these act as antioxidants and may calm inflammation. It is important to know that much of this research is in test tubes or animals, and the amounts used may be higher than what you get from food. So we can't be sure how much these effects matter in everyday human diets.

Effectiveness

Does Olive Oil work?

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

Evidence overview · 49 uses evaluated

4 Possibly effective 2 Leans ineffective 43 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.

Possibly Effective Breast cancer