Drug & supplement interaction

Chinese Cucumber + Erlotinib

Erlotinib brand name: Tarceva.

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 Chinese Cucumber and Erlotinib 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 Erlotinib 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.

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Interaction report

Chinese Cucumber and Erlotinib

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 Erlotinib and Chinese Cucumber 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.

Chinese Cucumber safety at a glance

Chinese Cucumber overall Use caution Some forms, especially the injectable protein trichosanthin, can cause serious harm and should only be used under medical supervision.
Pregnancy Likely Unsafe When the fruit, seed, or root are used orally or by injection. Unprocessed Chinese cucumber root can be toxic. Chinese cucumber fruit and seeds are thought to h... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Avoid There is not enough safety information, so it is best avoided while breastfeeding.

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 Erlotinib and Chinese Cucumber? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Erlotinib

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Erlotinib is filed under 2 classifications — including oral drugs. Chinese Cucumber has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate) — and none of Erlotinib’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

Chinese Cucumber Does Interact With Other Medications

Chinese Cucumber has 86 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Erlotinib isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 86 No known interaction 2,744 (incl. Erlotinib)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Chinese Cucumber

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Chinese Cucumber and Erlotinib 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.

  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on Additional detail

    Chinese Cucumber

    “Orally, Chinese cucumber fruit can cause mild diarrhea and gastric discomfort. Unprocessed Chinese cucumber seed can cause gastric discomfort and pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (12).

    Unprocessed Chinese cucumber root is toxic, particularly when injected. Injections of trichosanthin, a constituent of Chinese cucumber, can be fatal.”

    Chinese Cucumber · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in abortion.

    2 sources cited
    1. 12. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
    2. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.

    “Unprocessed Chinese cucumber root extracts are toxic, particularly when injected. Injections of trichosanthin, a constituent of Chinese cucumber, can be fatal. They can also cause severe reactions including seizures, fever, lung and cerebral edema, cerebral hemorrhage, and heart damage (6).”

    Chinese Cucumber · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in epilepsy.

    1 source cited
    1. 6. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.

    Erlotinib

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

  • Diarrhea / Vomiting / Nausea reported in 10.8% of FDA reports for Erlotinib Additional detail

    Chinese Cucumber

    “Orally, Chinese cucumber fruit can cause mild diarrhea and gastric discomfort. Unprocessed Chinese cucumber seed can cause gastric discomfort and pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (12).”

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

    1 source cited
    1. 12. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.

    Erlotinib

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

  • Fever Additional detail

    Chinese Cucumber

    Recorded for Chinese Cucumber in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Bleeding or bruising above.

    Erlotinib

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

Reported for Chinese Cucumber but not commonly for Erlotinib: a severe allergic reaction, seizures and swelling.

Effects for Erlotinib come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Chinese Cucumber come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 12,442 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Erlotinib 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

Chinese Cucumber in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Likely Unsafe

When the fruit, seed, or root are used orally or by injection. Unprocessed Chinese cucumber root can be toxic. Chinese cucumber fruit and seeds are thought to have abortifacient effects and possible teratogenicity.

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

How to take them

Some Erlotinib Products Have a Food Rule — Chinese Cucumber Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Erlotinib says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Chinese Cucumber included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Erlotinib on its own and move Chinese Cucumber to a meal later in the day.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Erlotinib 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.

Recommended Dose – NSCLC The recommended daily dose of erlotinib tablets for NSCLC is 150 mg taken on an empty stomach, i.e., at least one hour before or two hours after the ingestion of food.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Erlotinib — 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.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Erlotinib

This page covers Chinese Cucumber only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Erlotinib page lists 18 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 1 major · 8 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Erlotinib page

“Activated charcoal is the entry I would flag first for anyone taking erlotinib (Tarceva), an oral targeted therapy for certain lung cancers. Charcoal can adsorb the drug in the gut and cut how much reaches the bloodstream, and with a cancer pill, less absorbed means less cancer fought.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Erlotinib interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 16 real supplement products containing Chinese Cucumber, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Chinese Cucumber. Even though Chinese Cucumber itself has no known interaction with Erlotinib, 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 Chinese Cucumber and Erlotinib 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 Chinese Cucumber
Steady interest

#1,076 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Erlotinib
Top half

#1,373 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 Chinese Cucumber reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Chinese Cucumber and Erlotinib 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.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Chinese Cucumber

What is Chinese Cucumber?

Chinese Cucumber
  • Cough and chest congestion
  • Constipation
  • Diabetes (traditional use)
  • Fever and inflammation
  • Investigational HIV use (trichosanthin)

Chinese cucumber (Trichosanthes kirilowii) is a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine, and a protein from its root called trichosanthin (Compound Q) has been studied as an injectable drug—not a casual supplement. Reliable human evidence for its supplement uses is very limited, and the purified protein has caused serious, even life-threatening, reactions. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Trichosanthes kirilowii · Cucurbitaceae · Root, fruit, and seed · Dried root, fruit, and seed; powders, capsules, and traditional decoctions; a purified protein (trichosanthin, 'Compound Q') has been studied as an injection

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

Chinese Cucumber: dosing

There is no well-established, standardized dose for Chinese cucumber as a dietary supplement. Traditional preparations vary widely, and the right and safe amount has not been clearly defined in modern research.The trichosanthin (Compound Q) injection used in past research was a medical product given by trained professionals and is not appropriate for self-use. Do not assume that "natural" means safe.

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

Read the full Chinese Cucumber monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Erlotinib

What Is Erlotinib Used For?

Brand name: Tarceva

Erlotinib tablets are used to treat metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients whose tumors carry specific gene changes — EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) mutations — confirmed by an FDA-approved test. It can be used as a first-line treatment, as maintenance therapy, or after at least one prior chemotherapy has stopped working.

Erlotinib tablets are also used for the first-line treatment of locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic pancreatic cancer — but only in combination with another chemotherapy drug called gemcitabine. Erlotinib is not recommended alongside platinum-based chemotherapy regimens.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Erlotinib

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (12,442 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Diarrhea 1,341 reports
Rash 1,316 reports
Malignant neoplasm progression 891 reports
Fatigue 719 reports
Nausea 696 reports
See full Erlotinib drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Chinese Cucumber

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

0Major
86Moderate
0Minor
2,743No known interaction
86 Moderate 2,743 No interaction
Moderate

86 interactions

Showing 60 of 86 moderate interactions — see all 86 on the Chinese Cucumber page.

No interaction 2,743 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,743 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Chinese Cucumber list.

See the full Chinese Cucumber interactions page
See every supplement checked against Erlotinib, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Chinese Cucumber References

The 4 references that drive our Chinese Cucumber 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. The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
  2. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  3. Hikino H, Yoshizawa M, Suzuki Y, et al. Isolation and hypoglycemic activity of trichosans A, B, C, D, and E: glycans of Trichosanthes kirilowii roots. Planta Med 1989;55:349-50.
  4. Jung YB, Roh KJ, Jung JA, et al. Effect of SKI 306X, a new herbal anti-arthritic agent, in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a double-blind placebo controlled study. Am J Chin Med. 2001;29(3-4):485-91. 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 Chinese Cucumber and Erlotinib Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Chinese Cucumber with Erlotinib?
We do not list a known interaction between Chinese Cucumber and Erlotinib. 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 Chinese Cucumber and Erlotinib have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 5 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.
Should I take Chinese Cucumber and Erlotinib at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Erlotinib says to take it on an empty stomach, and supplements are usually taken with a meal — so taking them together at breakfast is the easy mistake. Where that applies, keep Erlotinib on its own and move Chinese Cucumber to a meal later in the day. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient, so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Chinese Cucumber and Erlotinib combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Erlotinib is filed under 2 classifications, and Chinese Cucumber has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Erlotinib'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 Chinese Cucumber interact with any other medications?
Yes. Chinese Cucumber has 86 documented drug interactions in our database — Erlotinib 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 Erlotinib interact with any supplements?
Yes. Erlotinib has documented interactions with 18 supplements in our database — Chinese Cucumber is not one of them. The Erlotinib 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

Chinese Cucumber monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Erlotinib drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Erlotinib supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Erlotinib, 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 Erlotinib and Chinese Cucumber?

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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.