Drug & supplement interaction

Burdock + Lapatinib

Lapatinib brand name: Tykerb.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Burdock and Lapatinib 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

Burdock and Lapatinib

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 Lapatinib and Burdock 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.

Burdock safety at a glance

Burdock overall Use caution Likely safe as a food and for short-term use in healthy adults, but human safety data are limited.
Pregnancy Avoid Avoid medicinal amounts during pregnancy due to lack of safety data and possible effects on the uterus.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information, so avoid medicinal use while breastfeeding.

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

Pharmacist analysis

While burdock root has been traditionally used in herbal medicine for a variety of health conditions, its potential interactions with medications have not been well studied. Currently, there is only limited information available.

Burdock contains a variety of different compounds, includin arctigenin, arctiin, beta-eudesmol, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, diarctigenin, inulin, lappaol, tannin, trachelogenin, and sitosterol-beta-D-glucopyranoside, all of which can have a wide range of effects.

One of the only theoretical interactions that have been suggested is with anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications, as burdock root may have mild blood-thinning effects. This has only been seen in animal studies, however.

Further research is needed to fully understand the potential interactions between burdock root and medications.

—

Still wondering about combining Lapatinib and Burdock? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Lapatinib

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Lapatinib is filed under 3 classifications — cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) inhibitors, cytochrome p450 3a4 (cyp3a4) substrates, oral drugs. Burdock has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) — and none of Lapatinib’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

Burdock Does Interact With Other Medications

Burdock has 122 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Lapatinib isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 122 No known interaction 2,708 (incl. Lapatinib)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Burdock

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Burdock and Lapatinib 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.

  • Tiredness reported in 8.5% of FDA reports for Lapatinib Additional detail

    Burdock

    “In one case report, a 38-year-old female developed immune-mediated thrombocytopenia after consuming a "cleansing" tea containing unknown amounts of burdock and yellow dock. The patient presented with bruising, mild weakness, and fatigue, which started 2-3 days after consuming the tea, and was found to have a platelet count of 5,000 per mcL.”

    Burdock · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in fatigue.

    1 source cited
    1. 108971. Latif A, Fichadiya H, Abid F, Capo G. Herbal Teas and Thrombocytopenia: A Curious Case of Yellow Dock and Burdock-Induced Thrombocytopenia. Eur J Case Rep Intern Med 2022;9(3):003247. PubMed

    Lapatinib

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Lapatinib, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • A skin rash reported in 6.9% of FDA reports for Lapatinib Additional detail

    Burdock

    “Orally, burdock is well tolerated when consumed as a food. Although a thorough evaluation of safety outcomes is lacking, there has been long-standing historical use of burdock with few noted adverse effects.

    Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):

    All ROAs: Allergic reactions, including contact dermatitis and anaphylaxis.”

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

    “Contact dermatitis has been reported secondary to burdock, especially after prolonged use of the root oil. There are cases of allergic dermatitis secondary to using burdock plasters. Two males and a 14 year-old female developed erythematous and vesicular, pruritic, and exudative reactions in areas corresponding to the application of burdock root plasters. Reactions occurred up to 7 days after initial use.”

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

    2 sources cited
    1. 37422. Chan, Y. S., Cheng, L. N., Wu, J. H., Chan, E., Kwan, Y. W., Lee, S. M., Leung, G. P., Yu, P. H., and Chan, S. W. A review of the pharmacological effects of Arctium lappa (burdock). Inflammopharmacology. 2011;19(5):245-254. PubMed
    2. 12667. Rodriguez P, Blanco J, Juste S, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis due to burdock (Arctium lappa). Contact Dermatitis 1995;33:134-5.

    Lapatinib

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Lapatinib, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Burdock but not commonly for Lapatinib: liver problems, trouble passing urine, low blood pressure and an allergic reaction.

Effects for Lapatinib come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Burdock come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 15,427 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Lapatinib 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.

Overlapping uses

What Lapatinib Is Prescribed For, and What Burdock Has Been Studied For

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

Lapatinib is prescribed for: Lapatinib tablets are used in combination with other medicines to treat certain types of advanced or metastatic breast cancer in patients whose tumors overexpress HER2 (a protein that drives tumor growth). It is not used alone. Specifically, lapatinib tablets are used with capecitabine for HER2-positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer in patients who have already received prior therapy (including certain chemotherapy drugs and trastuzumab). Lapatinib tablets are also used with letrozole for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer when hormonal therapy is appropriate.

Read the rest of what Lapatinib is prescribed for

Tykerb is the brand name product with these same indicated uses.

Burdock has been studied for:

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

    Burdock for breast cancer

    Oral burdock root has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Burdock or Lapatinib

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Burdock or Lapatinib, 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 Lapatinib

This page covers Burdock only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Lapatinib page lists 143 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 Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 100 moderate · 40 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Lapatinib page

“Of the 143 supplements on file for lapatinib (Tykerb), nearly all press on the same point, the CYP3A4 enzyme that clears this HER2-targeted breast cancer drug. That deserves real caution, since lapatinib only works when its blood level stays in range.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Lapatinib interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,982 real supplement products containing Burdock, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Burdock. Even though Burdock itself has no known interaction with Lapatinib, 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 Burdock and Lapatinib 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 Burdock
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Lapatinib
Steady interest

#2,694 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 Burdock reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Burdock and Lapatinib 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 Burdock

What is Burdock?

Burdock
  • Skin conditions like acne and eczema
  • Digestive support
  • Diuretic ('detox') and blood purifier
  • Sore throat and cold symptoms
  • Antioxidant support

Burdock is a traditional herb most often used for skin problems and as a so-called 'blood purifier,' but high-quality human studies are lacking and most claims are not well proven. It is widely eaten as a vegetable and is generally considered low-risk for short-term use in healthy adults, but it should be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding and by people allergic to ragweed or daisy-family plants.

Arctium lappa · Asteraceae · Root, leaves, and seeds (fruit) · Tea, dried root, capsules, tinctures, liquid extracts, and fresh root used as food

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

Burdock: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose of burdock for any medical condition. Amounts vary widely depending on whether you use the fresh root, dried root tea, a tincture, or a capsule.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and start with the lowest suggested amount.

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

Read the full Burdock monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Lapatinib

What Is Lapatinib Used For?

Brand name: Tykerb

Lapatinib tablets are used in combination with other medicines to treat certain types of advanced or metastatic breast cancer in patients whose tumors overexpress HER2 (a protein that drives tumor growth). It is not used alone.

Specifically, lapatinib tablets are used with capecitabine for HER2-positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer in patients who have already received prior therapy (including certain chemotherapy drugs and trastuzumab). Lapatinib tablets are also used with letrozole for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer when hormonal therapy is appropriate. Tykerb is the brand name product with these same indicated uses.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Lapatinib

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (15,427 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Diarrhea 4,174 reports
Nausea 1,615 reports
Fatigue 1,305 reports
Vomiting 1,209 reports
Rash 1,061 reports
See full Lapatinib drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Burdock

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

0Major
122Moderate
0Minor
2,707No known interaction
122 Moderate 2,707 No interaction
Moderate

122 interactions

Showing 60 of 122 moderate interactions — see all 122 on the Burdock page.

No interaction 2,707 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,707 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Burdock list.

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

Burdock References

The 11 references that drive our Burdock 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. Iwakami S, Wu JB, Ebizuka Y, Sankawa U. Platelet activating factor (PAF) antagonists contained in medicinal plants: lignans and sesquiterpenes. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 1992;40:1196-8. PubMed
  2. Sasaki Y, Kimura Y, Tsunoda T, Tagami H. Anaphylaxis due to burdock. Int J Dermatol 2003;42:472-3. PubMed
  3. Rhoads PM, Tong TG, Banner W Jr, Anderson R. Anticholinergic poisonings associated with commercial burdock root tea. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 1984-85;22:581-4. PubMed
  4. Rodriguez P, Blanco J, Juste S, et al. Allergic contact dermatitis due to burdock (Arctium lappa). Contact Dermatitis 1995;33:134-5.
  5. Kassler, W. J., Blanc, P., and Greenblatt, R. The use of medicinal herbs by human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. Arch Intern Med 1991;151(11):2281-2288. DOI
  6. Chan, Y. S., Cheng, L. N., Wu, J. H., Chan, E., Kwan, Y. W., Lee, S. M., Leung, G. P., Yu, P. H., and Chan, S. W. A review of the pharmacological effects of Arctium lappa (burdock). Inflammopharmacology. 2011;19(5):245-254. PubMed
  7. Breed, F. B. and Kuwabara, T. Burdock ophthalmia. Arch Ophthalmol 1966;75(1):16-20.
  8. Bryson, P. D., Watanabe, A. S., Rumack, B. H., and Murphy, R. C. Burdock root tea poisoning. Case report involving a commercial preparation. JAMA 5-19-1978;239(20):2157. DOI
  9. <p>Fletcher GF<span>, </span>Cantwell JD. Burdock root tea poisoning. JAMA <span>1978 Oct 6;240(15):1586.</span></p> DOI
  10. Latif A, Fichadiya H, Abid F, Capo G. Herbal Teas and Thrombocytopenia: A Curious Case of Yellow Dock and Burdock-Induced Thrombocytopenia. Eur J Case Rep Intern Med 2022;9(3):003247. PubMed
  11. Niazi B, Ahmed K, Ahmed M, Ali S, Song K, Elias S. Drug-Induced Liver Injury from Herbal Liver Detoxification Tea. Case Rep Gastroenterol 2022;16(3):612-617. 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 Burdock and Lapatinib Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Burdock with Lapatinib?
We do not list a known interaction between Burdock and Lapatinib. 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 Burdock and Lapatinib 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 Burdock and Lapatinib 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 Burdock in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Lapatinib is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Burdock and Lapatinib combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Lapatinib is filed under 3 classifications, and Burdock has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Lapatinib'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 Burdock interact with any other medications?
Yes. Burdock has 122 documented drug interactions in our database — Lapatinib 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 Lapatinib interact with any supplements?
Yes. Lapatinib has documented interactions with 143 supplements in our database — Burdock is not one of them. The Lapatinib 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

Burdock monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Lapatinib drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Lapatinib supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Lapatinib, 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 11 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Lapatinib and Burdock?

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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.