Drug & supplement interaction

Aletris + Mesalamine

Mesalamine brand names: Pentasa, Asacol, Canasa, Rowasa, Lialda, and others.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Aletris and Mesalamine in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the label for Mesalamine states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Aletris and Mesalamine

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Mesalamine and Aletris in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Aletris safety at a glance

Aletris overall Use caution Limited modern safety data; large or fresh doses may cause stomach upset.
Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe When used orally due to the possibility that aletris contains components that cause estrogenic activity and oxytocin (Pitocin) antagonism; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Possibly Unsafe When used orally due to the possibility that aletris contains components that cause estrogenic activity and oxytocin (Pitocin) antagonism; avoid using. Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Mesalamine and Aletris? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Mesalamine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Mesalamine is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. Aletris has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — the most serious being estrogens (moderate), antacids (minor) and h2-blockers (minor) — and none of Mesalamine’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Aletris Does Interact With Other Medications

Aletris has 41 moderate, 36 minor known drug interactions in our database — Mesalamine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Aletris

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Aletris. Pick one to open its full report.

What to actually watch for

What Aletris Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Mesalamine. It is the side-effect record for Aletris on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Aletris, this list is the first place to look.

  • Dizziness Additional detail

    “There is currently a limited amount of information available about the adverse effects of aletris. Orally, aletris has been reported to cause colic, stupefaction, and vertigo (6).”

    Aletris · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in vertigo.

    1 source cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.

    “Orally, small doses of aletris have been reported to cause stupefaction and vertigo (6).”

    Aletris · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in vertigo.

    1 source cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Aletris — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Mesalamine’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Mesalamine column appears here.

Special populations

Aletris in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Possibly Unsafe

When used orally due to the possibility that aletris contains components that cause estrogenic activity and oxytocin (Pitocin) antagonism; avoid using.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

How to take them

Some Mesalamine Products Have a Food Rule — Aletris Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Mesalamine says to take it with food. If you take Aletris on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Mesalamine with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Mesalamine products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.

( 2 ) Administer mesalamine delayed-release tablets with food.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Mesalamine — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. See the Mesalamine drug page ›

A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.

From our Q&A

Questions About Aletris or Mesalamine

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Aletris or Mesalamine, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Mesalamine

This page covers Aletris only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Mesalamine page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Mesalamine page

“Activated charcoal is the one entry here I would treat as a genuine problem for anyone taking mesalamine (Asacol, Lialda, Pentasa, and others). It is the lone major-rated interaction among the 17 on file, because charcoal soaks up drugs in the gut and can pull mesalamine out of the picture before it does its job.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Mesalamine interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Aletris as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 2 real supplement products containing Aletris, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Aletris. Even though Aletris itself has no known interaction with Mesalamine, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Aletris and Mesalamine Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Aletris
Steady interest

#890 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Mesalamine
Top 25%

#687 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Aletris reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Aletris and Mesalamine records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Aletris

What is Aletris?

Aletris
  • Menstrual complaints
  • Digestive upset and colic
  • Loss of appetite
  • Female reproductive tonic
  • Rheumatic discomfort

Aletris (true unicorn root or colic root) is a North American herb traditionally used for menstrual problems and digestive complaints, but there is little to no modern human research to show it works. Because safety is poorly studied, it should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and anyone considering it should first talk with a pharmacist or doctor.

Aletris farinosa · Nartheciaceae · Root and rhizome · Dried root, tincture, liquid extract, capsules, tea

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Aletris is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Aletris record says about it on its own.

Aletris: dosing

There is no established, scientifically supported dose for Aletris. Traditional dosing has varied widely depending on the form (dried root, tea, or tincture) and is not based on modern research.If you choose to use a product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed them.

From our Aletris monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Aletris monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Mesalamine

What Is Mesalamine Used For?

Brand names: Pentasa, Asacol, Canasa, Rowasa, Lialda, Delzicol

Mesalamine is used to treat mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis — a condition where the lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed and ulcerated. Depending on the product and formulation, it can be used to bring the disease under control (induction of remission) and/or to keep it from coming back (maintenance of remission).

Different products target different parts of the lower digestive tract. Oral forms (tablets and capsules) treat the colon more broadly. Rectal forms — including enemas (ROWASA, sfROWASA, mesalamine rectal suspension) — are used for distal ulcerative colitis, proctosigmoiditis, or proctitis (inflammation limited to the lower end of the colon or rectum). Rectal suppositories (CANASA, mesalamine rectal suppositories) are specifically for ulcerative proctitis (inflammation of the rectum only).

See full Mesalamine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Aletris

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Aletris — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
41Moderate
36Minor
2,752No known interaction
Moderate

41 interactions

Minor

36 interactions

No interaction 2,752 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Aletris References

The 4 references that drive our Aletris monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  2. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
  3. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  4. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Aletris and Mesalamine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Aletris with Mesalamine?
We do not list a known interaction between Aletris and Mesalamine. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Should I take Aletris and Mesalamine at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Mesalamine says to take it with food. If you take Aletris on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Mesalamine with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Mesalamine products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Aletris and Mesalamine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Mesalamine is filed under 1 classification, and Aletris has documented interactions with 4 drug classes — none of Mesalamine's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Aletris interact with any other medications?
Yes. Aletris has 77 documented drug interactions in our database — Mesalamine is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Mesalamine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Mesalamine has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Aletris is not one of them. The Mesalamine interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Still Have a Question About Mesalamine and Aletris?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.