Interactions on record — worth a quick check against your medications. Based on 1 of 2 ingredients. Check your meds →
Dietary supplement

Royal Jelly Ingredients & Drug Interactions

by NOW

Liquid Category: Non-nutrient/non-botanical
Most serious interaction: Moderate
The interaction bottom line Most serious interaction: Moderate

Royal Jelly is a dietary supplement by NOW with 2 active ingredients. Its ingredients are commonly taken for replacing fluids and electrolytes, preventing dehydration during exercise or illness, treating low blood sodium (under medical care).Based on those ingredients, 205 medications have a known interaction with it, the most serious rated moderate. The ingredients most likely to interact are Sodium. Use the checker below to test your specific medication, or read the full HelloPharmacist Interaction Report.

HelloPharmacist Scorecard of Royal Jelly by NOW

Our pharmacy team’s full take, with four database checks built into the cards below — a summary of what is known, not a grade of the product itself.

From our pharmacy team — supplement deep dive

What’s inside

Low disclosure
Ingredient Transparency · database check
Low

Most active ingredients don't disclose an individual amount — you can't tell how much of each you're getting.

Why this rating?
  • The label discloses an exact amount for 0 of its 1 active ingredient.

NOW Royal Jelly Liquid is a single-ingredient product containing sodium as its active component. The product also contains raw unprocessed honey as an inactive ingredient.

Does it work?

Strong evidence
Evidence for Intended Use · database check
By FDA rules, dietary supplements can’t claim to treat, cure, or prevent disease — so labels speak in careful marketing language. We discern each product’s intended use from its name, label claims, and label statements, then grade the clinical evidence for that use. How these ratings are computed

This product doesn't appear to be marketed for a specific use, so we graded Sodium's overall clinical evidence instead.

Strong

Strong clinical evidence supports Sodium for:

Why this rating?
  • We looked at the product name, claims, and label statements and couldn't find a stated purpose to grade.
  • Since the label doesn't commit to one use, we graded the ingredient's overall clinical evidence instead.
  • On file: Cystic fibrosis — rated "Likely Effective" (Natural Medicines).
  • On file: Amphotericin B nephrotoxicity — rated "Possibly Effective" (Natural Medicines).

The evidence we hold shows sodium is likely effective for cystic fibrosis and possibly effective for amphotericin B nephrotoxicity (kidney damage caused by a certain antifungal medication). For bipolar disorder and congestive heart failure, the evidence in our data is insufficient to rate whether sodium helps.

This product is a supplement, not a treatment for these conditions—talk with your doctor about whether it fits into your care plan.

The evidence, ingredient by ingredient Sodium

How safe is it?

Well-documented data
Safety Information · database check
Well characterized

Adverse-effect, pregnancy, and general safety data are on file for most of these ingredients.

Why this rating?
  • We hold adverse-effect (side-effect) data for 1 of the 1 matched ingredient.
  • Pregnancy & breastfeeding safety ratings cover 1 of 1.
  • General safety write-ups exist for 1 of 1.
  • Remember: this measures how much safety information exists. Thin data is not the same as being safe.

Sodium is generally well tolerated when you consume normal dietary amounts up to the recommended daily limit of 2.3 grams. The safety data advises that you avoid sodium supplements or very high intake without medical guidance, since too much sodium is linked to high blood pressure and heart strain.

Serious adverse effects are rare but can include worsened cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and kidney disease. Pregnancy safety is rated likely safe, but lactation safety is rated possibly unsafe—talk with your doctor or pharmacist before using this product if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Side effects, ingredient by ingredient Sodium

Meds to double-check

Moderate interaction found
Known Interaction Concern · database check
Moderate identified

The most serious documented interaction for these ingredients is Moderate. Check your medications for a personalized result.

Why this rating?
  • 1 of the 1 matched ingredient can interact with medications — Sodium.
  • The most serious interaction on file is rated Moderate.
  • Some involve high-stakes drug classes: lithium.
  • For scale: 205 individual medications appear in the full list. A big number alone doesn't make a product dangerous — what matters is whether YOUR medication is on it, so run yours through the interaction checker on this page.

Before you start, check with your own doctor or pharmacist if you take lithium (used for bipolar disorder), blood pressure medications, corticosteroids, didanosine (HIV medication), sodium phosphate laxatives, tolvaptan, or any other sodium-containing drugs. High sodium intake can lower lithium effectiveness or cause toxic levels, reduce blood pressure control, raise your blood sodium dangerously, or worsen certain conditions.

These are moderate-severity interactions that require your healthcare provider's input.

Check your own medication Run your meds through the checker above

The bottom line

Scorecard at a glanceFormula with limited ingredient disclosure with strong clinical evidence behind its ingredients' uses. Moderate medication interactions have been identified, and safety information is well characterized.

This product is a sodium supplement, so it's not for general use—it's for people whose doctor has specifically recommended sodium intake. If you take lithium, blood pressure medications, corticosteroids, or any other medication that interacts with sodium, you need to check with your own doctor or pharmacist first.

Normal dietary sodium is fine; supplemental sodium is a different story and needs professional oversight.

Educational only — not medical advice; always confirm with your pharmacist. Our editorial policy · How we use AI

Assessment coverage: 1 of 1 active ingredient matched to our full ingredient reviews (monographs). Based on the product label dated Mar 25, 2021.

This Scorecard evaluates available label information, ingredient evidence, and known medication-safety considerations. It does not independently verify product identity, purity, potency, contamination, or manufacturing quality. How these ratings are computed

At a glance

General information

Key facts about Royal Jelly, straight from the product label.

Brand NOW
Barcode (UPC) 733739025708
Net contents 10 Ounce(s); 284 Gram(s)
Market status On market
Date entered into DSLD Mar 25, 2021
DSLD ID 245535
Product type Non-nutrient/non-botanical
Supplement form Liquid
Dietary claims / uses All Other, Structure/Function
Intended target group(s) Adult (18 - 50 Years), Kosher, Women (not pregnant or lactating), Gluten Free, Dairy Free
From the label
Everything in this section is reproduced from the manufacturer’s own product label — it’s the label speaking, not HelloPharmacist. We show it so you can see exactly what the maker states; we don’t verify or endorse those statements.

Supplement Facts

The label details for Royal Jelly by NOW, sourced from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database.

Supplement Facts

Daily Value (DV) Target Group(s):
Adults and children 4 or more years of age
Minimum serving Sizes:
6.8 Gram(s)
Maximum serving Sizes:
6.8 Gram(s)
Servings per container
42
UPC/BARCODE
733739025708
IngredientAmount% DV
Calories20 Calorie(s)--
Total Carbohydrates5 Gram(s)2%
Sodium0 mg--
Total Fat0 Gram(s)--
Protein0 Gram(s)--
Added Sugars5 Gram(s)10%
Total Sugars5 Gram(s)--

Other ingredients: raw unprocessed Honey

Tap any ingredient to jump to its full detail below.

Label statements
These statements are the manufacturer’s wording, reproduced from the product label — the label is saying it, not HelloPharmacist. We don’t verify or endorse them.
Suggested/Recommended/Usage/Directions

Suggested Usage: Take 1 teaspoon 1 to 2 times daily.

Formula

NOW Royal Jelly delivers the natural nutrient profile found in genuine whole foods. Royal jelly is a natural honeybee product that is used in the nutrition of immature and adult queen bees. Royal jelly has a complex nutritional profile that includes nucleotides, polyphenols, and unique organic acids. It has been used traditionally since ancient times as a health tonic. Contains approximately 720 mg of royal jelly per teaspoon and 30,000 mg per container.

Triangle K (Kosher)

Royal Jelly In A Base Of Honey

Precautions

Caution: Individuals who are allergic to bees, been products, or bee pollen should not take this product.

Not recommended for pregnant or nursing women.

This product contains honey; do not feed to infants under one year of age.

Not manufactured with yeast, wheat, gluten, soy, corn, milk, egg, fish, shellfish or tree nut ingredients. Produced in a GMP facility that processes other ingredients containing these allergens.

Formulation

Not manufactured with yeast, wheat, gluten, soy, corn, milk, egg, fish, shellfish or tree nut ingredients.

Natural color variation may occur in this product.

Superfood Natural bee product

Non-GMO

Packaged in the USA.

Seals/Symbols

GMP Quality Assured.

Triangle K (Kosher)

General Statements

General Health Family owned since 1968.

See for yourself

Royal Jelly by NOW label

The label scan from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Tap to enlarge.

What’s inside

The Ingredients in Royal Jelly by NOW

These are the 2 active ingredients this product is made of. Select any to open its full monograph.

Serving size6.8 Gram(s) Dosage formLiquid Servings per container42 Amounts shown are per serving.

Most supplement products combine several ingredients, and a medication can interact with the product through any one of them. Each ingredient below shows whether it has known drug interactions.

Sodium

Interacts with
205 drugs
0 mg per serving

Sodium is an essential mineral and electrolyte your body needs to balance fluids, support nerves, and help muscles work. Most people in modern diets g...

Sodium monograph & interactions

Protein

0 Gram(s) per serving

Other (inactive) ingredients: Raw unprocessed Honey. These complete the product’s ingredient list but are not active constituents.

Interaction report

Royal Jelly by NOW Drug Interactions

Want to check YOUR meds against Royal Jelly?

Ask about interactions with your drugs in plain English — “Can I take it with lisinopril?” — and we find you the answer in seconds, ingredient by ingredient.

Go to the checker
205Drugs
205 Moderate

Ingredients driving the most interactions

Sodium 205

Each ingredient & the kinds of drugs it affects

For each ingredient in Royal Jelly with known interactions, here are the types of medications it can affect. Open any type for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

Sodium7 drug types · 205 drugs

Antihypertensive Drugs

Theoretically, a high intake of dietary sodium might reduce the effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs.
High intake of dietary sodium can increase systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Also, high intake of sodium may necessitate increased use of antihypertensive medications to achieve blood pressure control in some patients, such as those with chronic kidney disease.

Likelihood Probable Evidence A
Corticosteroids

Concomitant use of mineralocorticoids and some glucocorticoids with sodium supplements might increase the risk of hypernatremia.
Mineralocorticoids and some glucocorticoids (corticosteroids) cause sodium retention. This effect is dose-related and depends on mineralocorticoid potency. It is most common with hydrocortisone, cortisone, and fludrocortisone, followed by prednisone and prednisolone.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
Didanosine (Videx)

Concomitant use of didanosine with additional sodium from dietary or supplemental sources may increase the risk of hypernatremia.
Didanosine formulations contain a significant amount of sodium.

Likelihood Probable Evidence C
Lithium

Altering dietary intake of sodium might alter the levels and clinical effects of lithium.
High sodium intake can reduce plasma concentrations of lithium by increasing lithium excretion. Reducing sodium intake can significantly increase plasma concentrations of lithium and cause lithium toxicity in patients being treated with lithium carbonate. Stabilizing sodium intake is shown to reduce the percentage of patients with lithium level fluctuations above 0.8 mEq/L. Patients taking lithium should avoid significant alterations in their dietary intake of sodium.

Likelihood Probable Evidence B
Sodium Phosphates

Theoretically, concomitant use of sodium phosphate with sodium supplements might increase the risk of hypernatremia.
Use of high doses (> 45 mL in 24 hours) of sodium phosphate, such as those used for bowel cleansing before surgery, can lead to serious electrolyte disturbances, including hypernatremia. The risk of hypernatremia is highest in the elderly and people with other risk factors for electrolyte disturbances.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
Sodium-Containing Drugs

Concomitant use of sodium-containing drugs with additional sodium from dietary or supplemental sources may increase the risk of hypernatremia and long-term sodium-related complications.
The Chronic Disease Risk Reduction (CDRR) intake level of 2.3 grams of sodium daily indicates the intake at which it is believed that chronic disease risk increases for the apparently healthy population. Some medications contain high quantities of sodium. When used in conjunction with sodium supplements or high-sodium diets, the CDRR may be exceeded. Additionally, concomitant use may increase the risk for hypernatremia; this risk is highest in the elderly and people with other risk factors for electrolyte disturbances.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
Tolvaptan (Samsca)

Theoretically, concomitant use of tolvaptan with sodium might increase the risk of hypernatremia.
Tolvaptan is a vasopressin receptor 2 antagonist that is used to increase sodium levels in patients with hyponatremia. Patients taking tolvaptan should use caution with the use of sodium salts such as sodium chloride.

Likelihood Probable Evidence C
The maker

Brand information

Manufacturer and brand details for Royal Jelly, from the product label.

NOW

See all NOW products
Name
NOW Foods
Street Address
395 S. Glen Ellyn Rd.
City
Bloomingdale
State
IL
ZipCode
60108
Web Address
nowfoods.com
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Royal Jelly by NOW: Common Questions

Does Royal Jelly by NOW interact with any medications?
Yes. Based on its ingredients, Royal Jelly has a known interaction with 205 medications. Use the checker to see how it interacts with a specific drug.
How can one product interact with so many drugs?
Royal Jelly contains 2 active ingredients, and an interaction can come from any of them. We check every ingredient, combine the results into one list per medication, and show which ingredient and mechanism is responsible.
Where does this information come from?
The product label data comes from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD); the interaction data is built on the Natural Medicines database and reviewed by HelloPharmacist pharmacists.
Is this safe to take if I'm pregnant or breastfeeding?
For pregnancy, the data rates sodium as likely safe. For breastfeeding, the data rates it as possibly unsafe. Since the safety picture differs between pregnancy and lactation, talk with your doctor or pharmacist before using this product during either period—they can give you personalized advice based on your situation.
Does this product actually work for anything?
The evidence we hold shows sodium is likely effective for cystic fibrosis and possibly effective for amphotericin B nephrotoxicity. For other uses like bipolar disorder or heart failure, the evidence in our data is insufficient to say whether it works. This is a supplement, not a treatment—your doctor can advise whether it fits into your care.
What's the ingredient I'm actually taking?
The active ingredient is sodium. The product also contains raw unprocessed honey as an inactive ingredient. This is a single-ingredient supplement, so you're getting sodium and nothing else in terms of active content.
What are the side effects?
Sodium is well tolerated at normal dietary amounts. Serious side effects are rare but can include worsened heart disease, high blood pressure, and kidney damage. High sodium intake is also linked in population research to increased gastric cancer risk, and very low sodium can increase bone loss—so balance matters.
How much sodium is safe to take?
The recommended daily limit is 2.3 grams of sodium from all sources—food and supplements combined. Since normal diet already contains sodium, a supplement adds to that total. Talk with your doctor about whether additional sodium makes sense for you before starting.

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

Not sure if Royal Jelly is safe with your meds?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

Label information is sourced from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database and reflects the product version on file; always read your actual product label. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Confirm with your pharmacist or doctor before combining supplements and medications.

Royal Jelly label
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Royal Jelly's label data comes from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database; the ingredient interaction data is from the Natural Medicines database, reviewed by our pharmacists.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

The 38 references behind this product’s interaction data

Every citation that drives the interaction findings for this product’s ingredients, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Open an ingredient to browse its citations — links open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

Sodium 38 references
  1. Garabedian-Ruffalo SM, Ruffalo RL. Drug and nutrient interactions. Am Fam Physician 1986;33:165-74.
  2. Food and Drug Administration Science Background: Safety of Sodium Phosphates Oral Solution. September 17, 2001. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/safety/sodiumphospate.htm
  3. Coton T, Mallaret C, Coilliot C, Carre D, Guisset M. Severe acute ulcerated gastritis induced by salt. Presse Med 2009;38(3):499-500. PubMed
  4. Frings-Meuthen P, Buehlmeier J, Baecker N, et al. High sodium chloride intake exacerbates immobilization-induced bone resorption and protein losses. J Appl Physiol 2011;111(2):537-542. PubMed
  5. Frings-Meuthen P, Baecker N, Heer M. Low-grade metabolic acidosis may be the cause of sodium chloride-induced exaggerated bone resorption. J Bone Miner Res 2008;23(4):517-524. PubMed
  6. Alam S, Johnson AG. A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCT) among healthy normotensive and essential hypertensive elderly patients to determine the effect of high salt (NaCl) diet of blood pressure. J Hum Hypertens 1999;13(6):367-74.
  7. Boudville N, Ward S, Benaroia M, House AA. Increased sodium intake correlates with greater use of antihypertensive agents by subjects with chronic kidney disease. Am J Hypertens 2005;18(10):1300-5. PubMed
  8. Bennett WM. Drug interactions and consequences of sodium restriction. Am J Clin Nutr 1997;65(2 Suppl):678S-681S. PubMed
  9. Okusa MD, Crystal LJ. Clinical manifestations and management of acute lithium intoxication. Am J Med 1994;97(4):383-9. PubMed
  10. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for water, potassium, sodium, chloride, and sulfate. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2005. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10925. DOI
  11. D'Elia L, Rossi G, Ippolito R, Cappuccio FP, Strazzullo P. Habitual salt intake and risk of gastric cancer: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. Clin Nutr 2012;31(4):489-98. PubMed
  12. Goldsmith SR. Hyponatremia in heart failure: time for a trial. J Card Fail 2013;19(6):398-400. PubMed
  13. Willocks L, Brettle R, Keen J, Valentine C, Pinching AJ. Formulations of didanosine (ddI) and salt overload. Lancet 1992;339(8786):190.
  14. Chen L, Zhang Z, Chen W, Whelton PK, Appel LJ. Lower Sodium Intake and Risk of Headaches: Results From the Trial of Nonpharmacologic Interventions in the Elderly. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(7):1270-5. PubMed
  15. Cook NR, Appel LJ, Whelton PK. Lower levels of sodium intake and reduced cardiovascular risk. Circulation. 2014;129(9):981-9. PubMed
  16. Cook NR, Appel LJ, Whelton PK. Sodium Intake and All-Cause Mortality Over 20 Years in the Trials of Hypertension Prevention. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;68(15):1609-1617. PubMed
  17. Mente A, O'Donnell M, Rangarajan S, et al. Associations of urinary sodium excretion with cardiovascular events in individuals with and without hypertension: a pooled analysis of data from four studies. Lancet. 2016;388(10043):465-75. PubMed
  18. Moosavian SP, Haghighatdoost F, Surkan PJ, Azadbakht L. Salt and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2017;68(3):265-277. PubMed
  19. O'Donnell M, Mente A, Rangarajan S, et al. Urinary sodium and potassium excretion, mortality, and cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med. 2014;371(7):612-23. DOI
  20. Poggio R, Gutierrez L, Matta MG, Elorriaga N, Irazola V, Rubinstein A. Daily sodium consumption and CVD mortality in the general population: systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Public Health Nutr. 2015;18(4):695-704. PubMed
  21. Stallings VA, Harrison M, Oria M; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium, Food and Nutrition Board, Health and Medicine Division, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Washington (DC): National Acad
  22. Mahtani KR, Heneghan C, Onakpoya I, et al. Reduced Salt Intake for Heart Failure: A Systematic Review. JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Dec 1;178(12):1693-1700. PubMed
  23. Yancy CW. Sodium Restriction in Heart Failure: Too Much Uncertainty-Do the Trials. JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Dec 1;178(12):1700-1701. PubMed
  24. He FJ, Campbell NRC, Ma Y, MacGregor GA, Cogswell ME, Cook NR. Errors in estimating usual sodium intake by the Kawasaki formula alter its relationship with mortality: implications for public health. Int J Epidemiol. 2018;47(6):1784-1795. PubMed
  25. Murthy K, Ondrey GJ, Malkani N, et al. THE EFFECTS OF HYPONATREMIA ON BONE DENSITY AND FRACTURES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS. Endocr Pract. 2019;25(4):366-378. PubMed
  26. Messerli FH, Hofstetter L, Syrogiannouli L, et al. Sodium intake, life expectancy, and all-cause mortality. Eur Heart J 2021;42(21):2103-2112. PubMed
  27. Graudal NA, Hubeck-Graudal T, Jurgens G. Effects of low sodium diet versus high sodium diet on blood pressure, renin, aldosterone, catecholamines, cholesterol, and triglyceride. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020;12(12):CD004022. PubMed
  28. Giatti S, Santos RB, Aielo AN, et al. Association of sodium with obstructive sleep apnea. The ELSA-Brasil study. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021;18(3):502-510. PubMed
  29. Nan X, Lu H, Wu J, et al. The interactive association between sodium intake, alcohol consumption and hypertension among elderly in northern China: a cross-sectional study. BMC Geriatr 2021;21(1):135. PubMed
  30. Kyozuka H, Fukusda T, Murata T, et al. Impact of preconception sodium intake on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: The Japan Environment and Children's study. Pregnancy Hypertens 2021;23:66-72. PubMed
  31. Zhao L, Ogden CL, Yang Q, et al. Association of usual sodium intake with obesity among US children and adolescents, NHANES 2009-2016. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2021;29(3):587-594. PubMed
  32. Ma Y, He FJ, Sun Q, et al. 24-Hour urinary sodium and potassium excretion and cardiovascular risk. N Engl J Med 2022;386(3):252-263. PubMed
  33. Liu J, Yang X, Zhang P, et al. Association of urinary sodium excretion and left ventricular hypertrophy in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectional study. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021;12:728493. PubMed
  34. Filippini T, Malavolti M, Whelton PK, Vinceti M. Sodium intake and risk of hypertension: A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of observational cohort studies. Curr Hypertens Rep 2022;24(5):133-144. PubMed
  35. Wang DD, Li Y, Nguyen XT, et al. Dietary sodium and potassium intake and risk of non-fatal cardiovascular diseases: The million veteran program. Nutrients 2022;14(5):1121. PubMed
  36. Kwak JH, Park CH, Eun CS, et al. The associations of dietary intake of high sodium and low zinc with gastric cancer mortality: A prospective cohort study in Korea. Nutr Cancer 2022;74(10):3501-3508. PubMed
  37. George S, Maiti R, Mishra BR, Jena M, Mohapatra D. Effect of regulated add-on sodium chloride intake on stabilization of serum lithium concentration in bipolar disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Bipolar Disord 2023;25(1):66-75. PubMed
  38. Zhou TL, Schütten MTJ, Kroon AA, et al. Urinary Sodium Excretion and Salt Intake Are Not Associated With Blood Pressure Variability in a White General Population. J Am Heart Assoc 2023;12(1):e026578. PubMed

See these in context on the Sodium monograph →

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring