Medication interaction hub

What Supplements Interact with Pirfenidone?

Pirfenidone brand name: Esbriet. Every interaction below applies to the brands too.

115 Interactions 1 Major 80 Moderate 34 Minor

Drug–supplement interaction data sourced from Natural Medicines Pro, the licensed clinical database from TRC Healthcare / Therapeutic Research, with additional analysis by the HelloPharmacist Pharmacist Team. Our sources · Editorial policy

HelloPharmacist Bottom Line
Our Pharmacist Explains
What is this? The interaction data in the HelloPharmacist supplement database is licensed from Natural Medicines Pro by TRC Healthcare (Therapeutic Research). HelloPharmacist pharmacists often add our own analysis and context on top of that licensed data — such as this Bottom Line summary and the notes on individual interaction pages — and any such commentary is noted as ours.

Pirfenidone (Esbriet) slows the lung scarring of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and when a drug is doing that kind of work, this is not a list to skim. Most of the 115 ingredients on file touch CYP1A2, the liver enzyme that clears pirfenidone, so they can push its blood level up (more nausea and liver strain) or drag it down and quietly weaken it. The one major-rated entry is activated charcoal, which binds the drug in the gut and can sharply cut how much gets absorbed.

Another twenty entries add to sun sensitivity, which matters because pirfenidone already makes many people burn easily; chlorophyll sits in that group. A separate cluster of bulking or binding products can reduce absorption of any pill and belongs well apart from a dose. Eighty of the 115 rate moderate and 34 minor, and everyday melatonin is among the CYP1A2 entries I would check first.

This box checks one ingredient at a time (like turmeric or magnesium). Taking a supplement product with a whole label of ingredients? Search the product instead — we check every ingredient on it ↓

Top Ingredient Interactions

Pirfenidone: Top Interactions at a Glance

The most significant Pirfenidone supplement & herbal interactions, colored by severity. Tap any ingredient to open the full report for that pair.

Showing the 12 highest-ranked of 115 interacting ingredients — plus 1,337 more checked with no known interaction. See the complete ranked list.

Start here

The Major Interactions to Know About

The most clinically significant Pirfenidone + supplement combinations in our database, best-documented first. Open any card for the full report.

The complete list

Every Supplement Checked Against Pirfenidone

All 1,452 ingredients in our database, ranked by severity — 115 with a Pirfenidone interaction on file and 1,337 with none found. Filter by severity or search any ingredient; hover the for what each ingredient is.

Straight answers

Can You Take It With Pirfenidone?

One-line answers, one card per combination — scroll through today’s 20 and tap any card for the full report. A different set rotates in daily until every combination has had its turn.

Can you take Chlorophyllin with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, concomitant use of chlorophyllin with photosensitizing drugs may have additive effects.

Full Chlorophyllin + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Baikal Skullcap with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, Baikal skullcap may increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2 enzymes.

Full Baikal Skullcap + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Bishop's Weed with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Bishop's weed constituents seem to cause photosensitivity.

Full Bishop's Weed + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Black Hoof Mushroom with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, black hoof mushroom might increase the levels and clinical effects of CYP1A2 substrates.

Full Black Hoof Mushroom + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Boswellia Serrata with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, Boswellia serrata might increase the levels of CYP1A2 substrates.

Full Boswellia Serrata + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Broccoli with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, broccoli might reduce the levels and effects of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.

Full Broccoli + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Brussels Sprout with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Animal research suggests that Brussels sprout can induce cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) activity.

Full Brussels Sprout + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Bulbine Natalensis with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, Bulbine natalensis stem might reduce the levels and clinical effects of CYP1A2 substrates.

Full Bulbine Natalensis + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Cabbage with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, cabbage might decrease levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.

Full Cabbage + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Catechu with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, black catechu may increase the levels and clinical effects of CYP1A2 substrates.

Full Catechu + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Cauliflower with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Preliminary clinical evidence suggests that eating cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, daikon radish sprouts, and cabba...

Full Cauliflower + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Celery with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, celery might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.

Full Celery + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Ceylon Leadwort with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Plumbagin, a constituent of Ceylon leadwort, has been shown to inhibit cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) in vitro.

Full Ceylon Leadwort + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Chanca Piedra with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, chanca piedra might reduce the levels and clinical effects of CYP1A2 substrates.

Full Chanca Piedra + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Chlorella with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, chlorella might have additive effects with photosensitizing drugs.

Full Chlorella + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Cilantro with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Evidence from in vitro research suggests that coriandrin, a constituent of cilantro, has photosensitizing effects.

Full Cilantro + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Clove with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, concomitant use of clove may increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.

Full Clove + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Coriander with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, coriander might increase the risk of photosensitivity when taken with photosensitizing drugs.

Full Coriander + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Dandelion with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, dandelion might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.

Full Dandelion + Pirfenidone answer

Can you take Danshen with Pirfenidone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, danshen may increase the levels and clinical effects of drugs metabolized by CYP1A2.

Full Danshen + Pirfenidone answer
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 entry links to a full report with the clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations for that exact combination.
  • Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

How Does Our Interaction Checker Work?

Behind every verdict on this page is a category system. Our source database doesn’t document supplement interactions drug-by-drug — it documents them against groups of medications that behave the same way (for example, “drugs processed by the CYP3A4 liver enzyme” or “blood-thinning medications”).

So the check works in three steps: (1) Pirfenidone is classified into the pharmacology categories it belongs to, (2) every supplement interaction documented against any of those categories is inherited by Pirfenidone, and (3) each ingredient keeps its own severity, likelihood, and evidence grades from the underlying record. That’s why one supplement can carry several records for one drug — it may interact through more than one category.

Pirfenidone sits in 4 interaction categories. Open any one to see what the group means:

Cytochrome P450 1A2 (Cyp1A2) Substrates 79 ingredients

A drug-metabolism group: these medications are processed by the named liver enzyme (a cytochrome P450). Supplements that speed this enzyme up or slow it down can lower or raise the medication's levels in your body.

79 of the supplement ingredients on this page reach Pirfenidone through this category.

Photosensitizing Drugs 20 ingredients

Medications that make skin more sun-sensitive. Supplements with the same property can compound it.

20 of the supplement ingredients on this page reach Pirfenidone through this category.

Oral Drugs 17 ingredients

A pharmacology grouping from our source database: medications in this group share a property that certain supplements are known to interact with, so an interaction documented for the group applies to every drug in it.

17 of the supplement ingredients on this page reach Pirfenidone through this category.

Cytochrome P450 1A2 (Cyp1A2) Substrates 1 ingredient

A drug-metabolism group: these medications are processed by the named liver enzyme (a cytochrome P450). Supplements that speed this enzyme up or slow it down can lower or raise the medication's levels in your body.

1 of the supplement ingredient on this page reaches Pirfenidone through this category.

About Pirfenidone

Pirfenidone is an oral medication used to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a serious lung-scarring disease.

Generic name: Pirfenidone  ·  Brand name: Esbriet.

See the full Pirfenidone drug information
Check a real product

Take a Supplement Product? Check the Whole Bottle Against Pirfenidone

Most supplements are combination products — and the interaction may come from an ingredient you didn’t buy it for. Search any product below (or scan its label) and we’ll check every ingredient on it against Pirfenidone.

Search a supplement product

Type a product name, brand, or UPC — smart search across our full catalog.

Grounded search over our product catalog — every verdict comes from our interaction database, never AI guesswork. How we use AI

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Photograph any Supplement Facts panel — we read the ingredients and check each one against your medications. Free, in seconds.

Open the label scanner

Prefer typing? The interaction checker looks up products by name too.

Products that contain Pirfenidone-interacting ingredients

Real supplements from the NIH label database that contain the top interacting ingredients on this page — each one is worth a full label check before combining with Pirfenidone.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Pirfenidone & Supplements: Common Questions

What supplements interact with Pirfenidone?
Our database currently documents 115 ingredients with a known Pirfenidone interaction (1 major, 80 moderate, 34 minor). The practical move: scan the major group first, then look up the exact supplements you take rather than reading all 115. The highest-ranked right now: Activated Charcoal, Bergamot, Cannabidiol (cbd).
Which Pirfenidone supplement interactions are the most serious?
Focus on the major group: Activated Charcoal. A major rating means the combination can be clinically significant, not that harm is guaranteed — but it's exactly the kind of thing to run past your pharmacist before your next dose, not after. Jump to the ranked list.
Can I take vitamins or supplements while on Pirfenidone?
Plenty of supplements coexist fine with Pirfenidone; a shorter list does not. Rather than memorizing it, check the specific ingredients on your labels — the ranked list above covers every one we've checked, and multi-ingredient products can be checked label-by-label with our scanner. Try the label scanner or the interaction checker.
Do brands like Esbriet have the same supplement interactions as Pirfenidone?
Yes — Esbriet all contain Pirfenidone, so everything on this page applies to them equally. Interactions belong to the active drug, never to the brand on the box; the same is true of generics.
Where do these interaction ratings come from?
Every rating comes from the Natural Medicines database — the same evidence-graded reference pharmacists and hospitals use — and each interaction carries three separate grades: severity (how bad it can be), likelihood (how well it's documented in studies and case reports), and an evidence level. Our pharmacists review the content; we never let an AI decide an interaction. See how to read the ratings and our editorial policy.
What about Pirfenidone and my other medications?
This page covers Pirfenidone against supplements and herbal ingredients. Checking Pirfenidone against your other prescription or OTC medications is a different tool — our drug interaction checker covers that side. Head to the drug–drug interaction checker, or read the full Pirfenidone drug information.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Sourcing

Where This Data Comes From — and Why You Can Trust It

🧪 Licensed clinical database

Every interaction verdict on this page comes from Natural Medicines Pro (TRC Healthcare / Therapeutic Research) — the same evidence-graded reference used by pharmacists and hospitals. We license this data directly; we do not scrape it, and no AI invents an interaction.

🧑‍⚕️ Pharmacist review

This page is curated and coded by , Clinical Pharmacist, with additional analysis by the HelloPharmacist Pharmacist Team. Editorial commentary is ours; the licensed interaction records are shown as sourced.

🔄 Kept current

Our interaction database refreshes on a weekly cycle, and this page re-checks the live database every time it’s rebuilt — what you see reflects the database as of September 23, 2026.

🔍 Full transparency

How every dataset on this site is sourced, licensed, and updated is documented publicly: our data sources · editorial policy · how we use AI.

Educational information, not medical advice. An interaction being on file does not mean it will happen to you — and absence of one is not proof of safety. Never start or stop a medication or supplement without talking to your pharmacist or doctor.