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Magnolia Bark Side Effects & Safety

This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any supplement. Full disclaimer

Safety Profile

Overall safety rating: Generally Safe

Potential Side Effects

  • Generally well tolerated
  • Drowsiness (dose-dependent — beneficial for sleep use)
  • Headache (uncommon)
  • GI discomfort (uncommon)
  • Dizziness (rare)
  • May lower thyroid hormone levels at very high doses (preclinical data)

Drug & Supplement Interactions

  • Sedative medications — additive CNS depressant effects due to GABA-A modulation
  • Anticoagulants — magnolol may have mild antiplatelet activity
  • CYP enzyme substrates — honokiol may inhibit certain CYP enzymes
  • Alcohol — additive sedation via GABA-A pathway
  • Thyroid medications — theoretical interaction at high doses

Maximum Dose

Do not exceed: 750mg/day Relora or 500mg/day concentrated magnolia extract (limited data above these levels)

Full Magnolia Bark Guide

References

  1. (). Effect of Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense (Relora) on cortisol and psychological mood state in moderately stressed subjects. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. DOI
  2. (). The natural products magnolol and honokiol are positive allosteric modulators of both synaptic and extra-synaptic GABA(A) receptors. Neuropharmacology. DOI
  3. (). Honokiol, a putative anxiolytic agent extracted from magnolia bark, has no diazepam-like side-effects in mice. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. DOI
  4. (). Honokiol promotes non-rapid eye movement sleep via the benzodiazepine site of the GABA(A) receptor in mice. British Journal of Pharmacology. DOI