Barley + Mesalamine
Mesalamine brand names: Pentasa, Asacol, Canasa, Rowasa, Lialda, and others.
We found no known interaction between Barley 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, and 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.
Barley 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 Barley 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.
Barley safety at a glance
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.
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. Barley has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being triclabendazole (egaten) (moderate) — 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.
Barley Does Interact With Other Medications
Barley has 1 moderate known drug interaction in our database — Mesalamine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.
Check Another of Your Medications Against Barley
We haven’t checked that one against Barley yet — ask our pharmacists directly.
Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Barley. Pick one to open its full report.
Barley in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods.
When barley sprouts are consumed in relatively high doses. Excessive amounts of barley sprouts should not be consumed during pregnancy.
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
Some Mesalamine Products Have a Food Rule — Barley Should Not Break It
At least one FDA label for a product containing Mesalamine says to take it with food. If you take Barley 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. Read the label on DailyMed ›
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.
What Mesalamine Is Prescribed For, and What Barley Has Been Studied For
These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Mesalamine is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Barley is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.
Mesalamine is prescribed for: 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.
Read the rest of what Mesalamine is prescribed for
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).
Barley has been studied for:
-
Ulcerative colitis studied, not established Barley has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows
Barley for ulcerative colitis
Small clinical studies suggest that oral barley might improve symptoms associated with ulcerative colitis.
Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Mesalamine on your own; if you are taking Barley for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.
Questions About Barley 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 Barley 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.
See Every Supplement That Interacts With Mesalamine
This page covers Barley 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
Taking Barley as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions
We hold 2,448 real supplement products containing Barley, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Barley. Even though Barley 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:
Where Barley 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.
#163 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days
#314 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days
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 Barley reference on this page ↓
- Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Barley and Mesalamine records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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.
About Barley
What is Barley?
- High cholesterol
- Heart health support
- Blood sugar support
- Digestive regularity and fiber
- General nutrition
Barley is a nutritious whole grain that is a good source of soluble fiber called beta-glucan, which has solid evidence for modestly lowering LDL ('bad') cholesterol when eaten regularly. It is safe as a food for most people, but those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity should avoid it since it contains gluten. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using concentrated barley supplements, especially if you have a health condition.
Hordeum vulgare · Poaceae · Grain (seed), and sometimes young leaves/grass and bran · Whole grain, flour, flakes, barley bran, beta-glucan supplements, barley grass powder, tea, and capsules
An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Barley is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Barley record says about it on its own.
Barley: dosing
There is no single official supplement dose for barley. For cholesterol benefits, research has generally used a few grams of barley beta-glucan per day, taken as part of the diet, but the exact amount can vary by product.Because products differ widely in strength and form, the best approach is to follow the directions on the product label.
From our Barley monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.
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).
Other Drugs & Barley
Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Barley — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.
No drugs match “”.
1 interaction
No interaction 2,828 drugs checked — show the list
We also checked Barley against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.
- Apixaban ›
- Levothyroxine ›
- Amlodipine ›
- Methylphenidate ›
- Warfarin ›
- Sertraline ›
- Losartan Potassium ›
- Testosterone ›
- Ivermectin ›
- Abemaciclib ›
- Aspirin ›
- Metoprolol ›
- Acetaminophen ›
- Rosuvastatin ›
- Rivaroxaban ›
- Escitalopram ›
- Clopidogrel ›
- Atorvastatin ›
- Tadalafil ›
- Docusate ›
- Tirzepatide ›
- Ibuprofen ›
- Methamphetamine ›
- Hydroxyurea ›
- Warfarin Sodium ›
- Valacyclovir ›
- Sumatriptan ›
- Semaglutide ›
- Prednisone ›
- Lisdexamfetamine ›
- Propranolol ›
- Metformin ›
- Amitriptyline ›
- Amoxicillin ›
- Lisinopril ›
- Isotretinoin ›
- Methotrexate ›
- Amlodipine Besylate ›
- Bendamustine ›
- Bupropion ›
- Amphetamine ›
- Fluoxetine ›
- Doxycycline ›
- Acyclovir ›
- Azithromycin ›
- Lamotrigine ›
- Pregabalin ›
- Dextroamphetamine ›
- Gabapentin ›
- Acetaminophen, Codeine ›
- Quetiapine ›
- Clonazepam ›
- Levothyroxine, Liothyronine ›
- Naproxen ›
- Omeprazole ›
- Letrozole ›
- Methylene Blue ›
- Duloxetine ›
- Citalopram ›
- Buspirone ›
Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,828 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Barley list.
Barley References
The 15 references that drive our Barley 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.
- Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
- Fernandez-Anaya S, Crespo JF, Rodriguez JR, et al. Beer anaphylaxis. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;103:959-60.
- Lembo A, Camilleri M. Chronic constipation. N Engl J Med 2003;349:1360-8. . PubMed
- Ferre, I., Giraldez, F. J., Alvarez-Bujidos, M. L., and Mantecon, A. R. Influence of barley supplement on plasma concentration of triclabendazole metabolites in sheep. Vet.Rec. 11-22-1997;141(21):549-551. PubMed
- Curioni, A., Santucci, B., Cristaudo, A., Canistraci, C., Pietravalle, M., Simonato, B., and Giannattasio, M. Urticaria from beer: an immediate hypersensitivity reaction due to a 10- kDa protein derived from barley. Clin Exp Allergy 1999;29(3):407-413. PubMed
- Fernandez-Anaya, S., Crespo, J. F., Rodriguez, J. R., Daroca, P., Carmona, E., Herraez, L., and Lopez-Rubio, A. Beer anaphylaxis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999;103(5 Pt 1):959-960.
- Cronin, E. Contact dermatitis from barley dust. Contact Dermatitis 1979;5(3):196. PubMed
- Block, G., Tse, K. S., Kijek, K., Chan, H., and Chan-Yeung, M. Baker's asthma. Studies of the cross-antigenicity between different cereal grains. Clin Allergy 1984;14(2):177-185.
- van Ketel, W. G. Immediate type allergy to malt in beer. Contact Dermatitis 1980;6(4):297-298. PubMed
- Ellis, H. J., Doyle, A. P., Day, P., Wieser, H., and Ciclitira, P. J. Demonstration of the presence of coeliac-activating gliadin-like epitopes in malted barley. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 1994;104(3):308-310. PubMed
- Vidal, C. and Gonzalez-Quintela, A. Food-induced and occupational asthma due to barley flour. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 1995;75(2):121-124.
- Gutgesell, C. and Fuchs, T. Contact urticaria from beer. Contact Dermatitis 1995;33(6):436-437. PubMed
- Baker, P. G. and Read, A. E. Oats and barley toxicity in coeliac patients. Postgrad.Med J 1976;52(607):264-268. PubMed
- Nakase, M., Usui, Y., Alvarez-Nakase, A. M., Adachi, T., Urisu, A., Nakamura, R., Aoki, N., Kitajima, K., and Matsuda, T. Cereal allergens: rice-seed allergens with structural similarity to wheat and barley allergens. Allergy 1998;53(46 Suppl):55-57. PubMed
- Pereira, F., Rafael, M., and Lacerda, M. H. Contact dermatitis from barley. Contact Dermatitis 1998;39(5):261-262. 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.
Taking Barley and Mesalamine Together: Common Questions
Is it safe to take Barley with Mesalamine?
Do Barley and Mesalamine have any of the same side effects?
Should I take Barley and Mesalamine at the same time of day?
Are Barley and Mesalamine used for the same thing?
How was the Barley and Mesalamine combination checked?
Does Barley interact with any other medications?
Does Mesalamine interact with any supplements?
Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy
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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.