Drug & supplement interaction

Bacopa + Pomalidomide

Pomalidomide brand name: Pomalyst.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Pomalidomide falls into 2 drug categories that Bacopa can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, bacopa might increase the levels and adverse effects of CYP1A2 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Bacopa and Pomalidomide

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Bacopa interacts with whole categories of medication. Pomalidomide falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Bacopa in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Pomalidomide

Pomalidomide falls under CYTOCHROME P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) SUBSTRATES — the group Bacopa interacts with.

Theoretically, bacopa might increase the levels and adverse effects of CYP1A2 substrates.
Research on the effects of bacopa extracts on CYP1A2 enzymes is conflicting. Some in vitro evidence shows that bacopa extract can moderately and non-competitively inhibit CYP1A2, while other in vitro evidence suggests that any effect is unlikely to be clinically significant.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the gist with Pomalidomide (Pomalyst) and bacopa. Your body partly clears pomalidomide using a liver enzyme called CYP1A2. In lab studies, bacopa might slow that enzyme down a little. If that happened in real life, pomalidomide could build up slightly, which in theory might mean more of its known side effects, things like low blood counts, fatigue, infections, or a higher clot risk.

I want to be honest about the strength here: this is based only on test-tube and animal data, and even those results disagree with each other. So it's more of a 'worth flagging' than a 'big alarm.' Still, pomalidomide is a serious cancer medicine with close monitoring, so please don't add bacopa without first checking with your oncology team or pharmacist.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Kar A, Pandit S, Mukherjee K, Bahadur S, Mukherjee PK. Safety assessment of selected medicinal food plants used in Ayurveda through CYP450 enzyme inhibition study. J Sci Food Agric 2017;97(1):333-40. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.7739. PubMed
  2. Ramasamy S, Kiew LV, Chung LY. Inhibition of human cytochrome P450 enzymes by Bacopa monnieri standardized extract and constituents. Molecules 2014;19(2):2588-601. PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Pomalidomide also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, bacopa might increase the levels and adverse effects of CYP3A4 substrates.
Research on the effects of bacopa extracts on CYP3A4 enzymes is conflicting. Some in vitro evidence suggests that bacopa extract can moderately and competitively inhibit CYP3A4, while other in vitro evidence suggests that any effect is unlikely to be clinically significant.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the basic idea: pomalidomide is partly cleared from your body by a liver enzyme called CYP3A4. In lab dishes, bacopa has shown a possible ability to slow that same enzyme down. If that were to happen in a real person, pomalidomide could build up a bit higher than expected, which might mean more of its known side effects, things like low blood counts, fatigue, infections, or a higher risk of blood clots.

The honest part is that this is mostly theoretical, based on test-tube studies, and the research even disagrees with itself. So it may not matter at all in real life. Still, because pomalidomide is a serious cancer medicine with a narrow safety margin, please run any bacopa supplement past your oncologist or pharmacist before starting it.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Kar A, Pandit S, Mukherjee K, Bahadur S, Mukherjee PK. Safety assessment of selected medicinal food plants used in Ayurveda through CYP450 enzyme inhibition study. J Sci Food Agric 2017;97(1):333-40. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.7739. PubMed
  2. Ramasamy S, Kiew LV, Chung LY. Inhibition of human cytochrome P450 enzymes by Bacopa monnieri standardized extract and constituents. Molecules 2014;19(2):2588-601. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Bacopa Also Interacts With Other Medications

Bacopa has 916 moderate, 13 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Pomalidomide one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 916 Minor 13 No known interaction 1,901 (incl. Pomalidomide)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Bacopa

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Pomalidomide

This page covers Bacopa only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Pomalidomide page lists 207 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 162 moderate · 42 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Pomalidomide page

“Pomalidomide (Pomalyst) treats multiple myeloma, and with a cancer medicine carrying stakes this high, my honest read is that this list calls for real vigilance. Start with the three entries rated major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Pomalidomide interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,420 real supplement products containing Bacopa, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Bacopa. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Pomalidomide too, on top of Bacopa — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Bacopa and Pomalidomide 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 Bacopa
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Pomalidomide
Steady interest

#1,724 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.

Supplement

About Bacopa

What is Bacopa?

Bacopa
  • Memory and cognitive support
  • Anxiety and stress
  • ADHD symptoms
  • Age-related memory decline
  • General brain health

Bacopa is an Ayurvedic herb most often used for memory and thinking. Some small studies suggest it may modestly help memory when taken regularly for several weeks, but the evidence is limited and quality varies. It is generally well tolerated but can cause stomach upset, and it should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding due to a lack of safety data.

Read the full Bacopa monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Pomalidomide

What Is Pomalidomide Used For?

Brand name: Pomalyst

Pomalidomide capsules are used in adults with multiple myeloma (a blood cancer affecting plasma cells) who have already tried at least two prior treatments — including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor — and whose disease has continued to progress. It is given in combination with dexamethasone for this use.

Pomalidomide capsules are also used to treat Kaposi sarcoma (KS) — a cancer that can cause lesions on the skin and in internal organs — both in adults with AIDS-related KS after antiretroviral therapy has stopped working, and in adults with KS who are HIV-negative. The KS indication was approved based on response rate; ongoing studies are confirming long-term benefit.

See full Pomalidomide drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Bacopa

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

0Major
916Moderate
13Minor
1,900No known interaction
916 Moderate 13 Minor 1,900 No interaction
Moderate

916 interactions

Showing 60 of 916 moderate interactions — see all 916 on the Bacopa page.

Minor

13 interactions

No interaction 1,900 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,900 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Bacopa list.

See the full Bacopa interactions page
See every supplement checked against Pomalidomide, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

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

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
Bacopa monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Pomalidomide supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Pomalidomide, ranked by severity Pomalidomide drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Bacopa and Pomalidomide Together: Common Questions

Can you take Bacopa with Pomalidomide?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Bacopa and Pomalidomide?
Pomalidomide belongs to more than one drug category, and Bacopa interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Bacopa and Pomalidomide interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

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

Still Have a Question About Pomalidomide and Bacopa?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.