Drug & supplement interaction

Birch + Certolizumab

Certolizumab brand name: Cimzia.

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 Birch and Certolizumab 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

Birch and Certolizumab

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 Certolizumab and Birch 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.

Birch safety at a glance

Birch overall Use caution Generally well tolerated in food-like amounts, but allergy and quality concerns warrant caution.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety data, so birch supplements are best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety has not been established, so it is best avoided while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Certolizumab and Birch? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
Keep it in perspective

Birch Does Interact With Other Medications

Birch has 75 minor known drug interactions in our database — Certolizumab isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Minor 75 No known interaction 2,755 (incl. Certolizumab)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Birch

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Birch and Certolizumab 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • An allergic reaction Worth acting on Additional detail

    Birch

    “Birch and birch pollen can cause allergic reactions. Treatment of birch pollen allergy can involve immunotherapy with birch pollen extract given sublingually and by the oral vestibular route.”

    Birch · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in allergic rhinitis (hay fever).

    1 source cited
    1. 97762. Allam JP, Wuestenberg E, Wolf H, et al. Immunologic response and safety in birch pollen sublingual versus oral vestibule immunotherapy: a pilot study. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014;133(6):1757-9.e3. PubMed

    Certolizumab

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

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Birch

    “Topically, a case of allergic contact dermatitis has been reported for a 51-year-old male who had been applying a cream containing 5% birch bark extract for 4 months prior to the reaction. The constituent betulin was considered to be the most likely cause. Crushed birch leaves and fresh birch sap may also cause allergic contact dermatitis.”

    Birch · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    2 sources cited
    1. 97763. Meyer-Hoffert U, Brasch J. Allergic contact dermatitis caused by betulin-containing triterpene extract from the outer bark of birch (Betula alba). Contact Dermatitis. 2013;68(6):382-3.
    2. 35666. Lahti, A. and Hannuksela, M. Immediate contact allergy to birch leaves and sap. Contact Dermatitis 1980;6(7):464-465. PubMed

    Certolizumab

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

Effects for Certolizumab come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Birch come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Overlapping uses

What Certolizumab Is Prescribed For, and What Birch Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Certolizumab is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Birch is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Certolizumab is prescribed for: Cimzia is used to treat several inflammatory conditions in adults: moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (in adults who haven't responded well to standard therapy), moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, active psoriatic arthritis, active ankylosing spondylitis, active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis with signs of inflammation, and moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults who need systemic treatment or phototherapy. Cimzia is also approved to treat active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) in patients 2 years of age and older — one of its few pediatric uses. Effectiveness for Crohn's disease in children and adolescents was not demonstrated in clinical study.

Birch has been studied for:

  • Joint pain studied, not established Birch has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Birch for joint pain

    Although there has been interest in using oral birch for joint pain, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of birch for this purpose.

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 Certolizumab on your own; if you are taking Birch for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

One more smart check

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

We hold 116 real supplement products containing Birch, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Birch. Even though Birch itself has no known interaction with Certolizumab, 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 Birch and Certolizumab 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 Birch
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Certolizumab
Steady interest

#2,273 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 Birch reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Birch and Certolizumab 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 Birch

What is Birch?

  • Urinary tract and 'flushing' support
  • Joint pain and arthritis
  • Mild fluid retention (diuretic)
  • Skin conditions (topical)
  • General detox or 'cleansing' tonics

Birch is a tree whose leaves, bark, and sap are used in traditional remedies, most often as a mild diuretic or for joint and urinary complaints. Solid human evidence is limited, and birch is a well-known source of pollen and contact allergies, so caution is important. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using birch products, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have allergies.

Betula pendula · Betulaceae · Leaves, bark, sap, and essential oil (often distilled from bark or twigs) · Tea, capsules, tinctures, birch sap (water), topical essential oil, and birch tar preparations

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

Birch: dosing

There is no well-established standardized dose for birch. Traditional preparations vary widely, and the strength of teas, tinctures, capsules, and birch water differs by product.If you choose to use a birch product, the safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Birch monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Certolizumab Injection

What Is Certolizumab Injection Used For?

Brand name: Cimzia

Cimzia is used to treat several inflammatory conditions in adults: moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (in adults who haven't responded well to standard therapy), moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, active psoriatic arthritis, active ankylosing spondylitis, active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis with signs of inflammation, and moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults who need systemic treatment or phototherapy.

Cimzia is also approved to treat active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) in patients 2 years of age and older — one of its few pediatric uses. Effectiveness for Crohn's disease in children and adolescents was not demonstrated in clinical study.

See full Certolizumab Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Birch

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

0Major
0Moderate
75Minor
2,754No known interaction
75 Minor 2,754 No interaction
Minor

75 interactions

Showing 60 of 75 minor interactions — see all 75 on the Birch page.

No interaction 2,754 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,754 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Birch list.

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

Birch References

The 4 references that drive our Birch 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. Robbers JE, Tyler VE. Tyler's Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals. New York, NY: The Haworth Herbal Press, 1999.
  2. Lahti, A. and Hannuksela, M. Immediate contact allergy to birch leaves and sap. Contact Dermatitis 1980;6(7):464-465. PubMed
  3. Allam JP, Wuestenberg E, Wolf H, et al. Immunologic response and safety in birch pollen sublingual versus oral vestibule immunotherapy: a pilot study. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014;133(6):1757-9.e3. PubMed
  4. Meyer-Hoffert U, Brasch J. Allergic contact dermatitis caused by betulin-containing triterpene extract from the outer bark of birch (Betula alba). Contact Dermatitis. 2013;68(6):382-3.

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 Birch and Certolizumab Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Birch with Certolizumab?
We do not list a known interaction between Birch and Certolizumab. 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 Birch and Certolizumab have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 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.
Are Birch and Certolizumab used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Birch in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Certolizumab is being adjusted to a target.
Does Birch interact with any other medications?
Yes. Birch has 75 documented drug interactions in our database — Certolizumab is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Birch monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Certolizumab Injection drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Certolizumab supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Certolizumab, 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 4 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Certolizumab and Birch?

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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.