Drug & supplement interaction

Arum + Cytarabine

Cytarabine brand names: Cytosar-U, DepoCyt.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Arum and Cytarabine 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 two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Arum and Cytarabine

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 Cytarabine and Arum 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.

Arum safety at a glance

Arum overall Avoid The raw plant is toxic and irritating, and safe doses have not been established.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When used orally because of its toxicity; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Unsafe When used orally because of its toxicity; 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 Cytarabine and Arum? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Cytarabine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Cytarabine is filed under 2 classifications — seizure threshold lowering drugs, oral drugs. Arum has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being iron (minor) — and none of Cytarabine’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

Arum Does Interact With Other Medications

Arum has 1 minor known drug interaction in our database — Cytarabine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Minor 1 No known interaction 2,829 (incl. Cytarabine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Arum

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Arum and Cytarabine May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Swelling / Diarrhea / Vomiting Additional detail

    Arum

    “Orally, arum has been reported to cause burning of the oral mucous membranes, likely due to its oxalate crystal content. The immediate burning sensation caused by arum is thought to limit its oral intake, possibly reducing the likelihood for arum toxicity. Arum has also been reported to cause bloody vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and swelling of the tongue, lips, and palate in some people (18,32466).”

    Arum · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    3 sources cited
    1. 101417. Prakash Raju KNJ, Goel K, Anandhi D, Pandit VR, Surendar R, Sasikumar M. Wild tuber poisoning: Arum maculatum - A rare case report. Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci. 2018;8(2):111-114. PubMed
    2. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
    3. 32466. Mrvos, R., Dean, B. S., and Krenzelok, E. P. Philodendron/dieffenbachia ingestions: are they a problem? J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 1991;29(4):485-491. PubMed

    Cytarabine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Cytarabine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Effects for Cytarabine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Arum come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 61,947 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Cytarabine that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Arum in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Unsafe

When used orally because of its toxicity; 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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Cytarabine

This page covers Arum only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Cytarabine page lists 23 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Biofeedback (moderate), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), Dendrobium (moderate) and European Mandrake (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 13 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Cytarabine page

“Cytarabine is chemotherapy, a backbone of leukemia treatment, and cancer drugs leave little room for anything that weakens them, so this is a list to respect rather than skim. Of the 23 supplement and herbal ingredients on file, the lone major-rated one is activated charcoal, which can pull medications out of the body and blunt their e…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Cytarabine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Arum and Cytarabine 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 Arum
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Cytarabine
Steady interest

#1,981 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 Arum reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Arum and Cytarabine 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 Arum

What is Arum?

Arum
  • Coughs and chest congestion
  • Sore throat
  • Promoting sweating (diaphoretic)
  • Skin and wart remedies (topical folk use)
  • Digestive complaints

Arum is a traditional European plant whose root has been used in folk medicine, but there is essentially no reliable human research to support any health benefit. The raw plant is toxic and irritating because of calcium oxalate crystals, so it should not be eaten or used casually. We do not recommend using Arum as a supplement, especially during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Arum maculatum · Araceae · Root (tuber), and sometimes leaves · Dried root preparations, tinctures, and traditional folk remedies

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

Arum: dosing

There is no established or standardized safe dose for Arum. Because the plant is toxic and human research is lacking, no trustworthy dosing guidelines exist.We do not recommend taking Arum. If you encounter a product that contains it, do not use it without first checking with a pharmacist or doctor, and never prepare or eat the raw plant yourself.

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

Read the full Arum monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Cytarabine

What Is Cytarabine Used For?

Brand names: Cytosar-U, DepoCyt

Cytarabine is used in combination with other anti-cancer drugs to help bring about remission (a reduction or disappearance of cancer) in acute non-lymphocytic leukemia in both adults and children. It has also been found useful in treating acute lymphocytic leukemia and the blast phase (an aggressive stage) of chronic myelocytic leukemia.

When given intrathecally (injected directly into the fluid around the spinal cord and brain), preservative-free preparations of Cytarabine are used to prevent and treat meningeal leukemia — leukemia that has spread to the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Cytarabine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (61,947 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Febrile neutropenia 8,132 reports
Fever 4,379 reports
Neutropenia 3,748 reports
Sepsis 3,080 reports
Thrombocytopenia 3,017 reports
See full Cytarabine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Arum

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

0Major
0Moderate
1Minor
2,828No known interaction
1 Minor 2,828 No interaction
Minor

1 interaction

No interaction 2,828 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Arum against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,828 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Arum list.

See the full Arum interactions page
See every supplement checked against Cytarabine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Arum References

The 3 references that drive our Arum 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. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
  2. Mrvos, R., Dean, B. S., and Krenzelok, E. P. Philodendron/dieffenbachia ingestions: are they a problem? J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 1991;29(4):485-491. PubMed
  3. Prakash Raju KNJ, Goel K, Anandhi D, Pandit VR, Surendar R, Sasikumar M. Wild tuber poisoning: Arum maculatum - A rare case report. Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci. 2018;8(2):111-114. 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 Arum and Cytarabine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Arum with Cytarabine?
We do not list a known interaction between Arum and Cytarabine. 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.
Do Arum and Cytarabine have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 3 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
How was the Arum and Cytarabine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Cytarabine is filed under 2 classifications, and Arum has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Cytarabine'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 Arum interact with any other medications?
Yes. Arum has 1 documented drug interaction in our database — Cytarabine 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 Cytarabine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Cytarabine has documented interactions with 23 supplements in our database — Arum is not one of them. The Cytarabine interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Arum monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Cytarabine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Cytarabine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Cytarabine, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 3 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Cytarabine and Arum?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.