Drug & supplement interaction

Arrowroot + 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 Arrowroot 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

Arrowroot 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 Arrowroot 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Arrowroot at all — not against Mesalamine, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Arrowroot safety at a glance

Arrowroot overall Generally safe Arrowroot starch is widely eaten as food and is generally well tolerated in normal amounts.
Pregnancy Possibly Safe When used in amounts found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of larger amounts used during pregnancy and lactation... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Possibly Safe When used in amounts found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of larger amounts used during pregnancy and lactation... 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 Arrowroot? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Arrowroot Itself Has Been Linked To

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

  • Stomach upset / Constipation Additional detail

    “Orally, arrowroot starch from the root or rhizome is well tolerated when used in the amounts found in foods (12). There is a limited amount of information available about the adverse effects of arrowroot when used in medicinal amounts. In one clinical trial, it was reported to cause dyspepsia, constipation, and dark stools (12,32448).”

    Arrowroot · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    2 sources cited
    1. 12. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
    2. 32448. Cooke, C., Carr, I., Abrams, K., and Mayberry, J. Arrowroot as a treatment for diarrhoea in irritable bowel syndrome patients: a pilot study. Arq Gastroenterol. 2000;37(1):20-24. PubMed

    “Orally, arrowroot has been reported to cause dyspepsia, constipation, and dark stools in one clinical trial.”

    Arrowroot · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in constipation.

    1 source cited
    1. 32448. Cooke, C., Carr, I., Abrams, K., and Mayberry, J. Arrowroot as a treatment for diarrhoea in irritable bowel syndrome patients: a pilot study. Arq Gastroenterol. 2000;37(1):20-24. PubMed

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Arrowroot — 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

Arrowroot in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Possibly Safe

When used in amounts found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of larger amounts used during pregnancy and lactation; 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 — Arrowroot Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Mesalamine says to take it with food. If you take Arrowroot 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 Arrowroot 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 Arrowroot 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 Arrowroot 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 Arrowroot as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 28 real supplement products containing Arrowroot, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Arrowroot. Even though Arrowroot 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 Arrowroot 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 Arrowroot
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Mesalamine
Top 25%

#314 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 Arrowroot reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Arrowroot 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 Arrowroot

What is Arrowroot?

Arrowroot
  • Diarrhea
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms
  • Digestive upset
  • Gluten-free thickener/food ingredient
  • Soothing skin and cosmetics

Arrowroot is a starch made from the roots of Maranta arundinacea and is mainly used as a gentle, easy-to-digest thickening agent in food. Some people use it for diarrhea and digestive discomfort, but solid human evidence for these health benefits is limited. As a food it is generally well tolerated, but talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it to treat a medical condition.

Maranta arundinacea · Marantaceae · Rhizomes (roots), processed into starch · Powder (starch), flour, capsules, food thickener, cosmetic ingredient

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

Arrowroot: dosing

There is no official or standardized medicinal dose for arrowroot. In cooking, it is used in small amounts as a thickener, and there is no established "therapeutic" dose proven to treat any condition.If you are using a packaged arrowroot product or supplement, follow the directions on the label.

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

Read the full Arrowroot 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 & Arrowroot

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Arrowroot References

The 2 references that drive our Arrowroot 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. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  2. Cooke, C., Carr, I., Abrams, K., and Mayberry, J. Arrowroot as a treatment for diarrhoea in irritable bowel syndrome patients: a pilot study. Arq Gastroenterol. 2000;37(1):20-24. PubMed

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 Arrowroot and Mesalamine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Arrowroot with Mesalamine?
We do not list a known interaction between Arrowroot 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 Arrowroot 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 Arrowroot 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.
Does Mesalamine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Mesalamine has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Arrowroot 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 Arrowroot?

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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.