Drug & supplement interaction

Coffee Charcoal + Gemcitabine

Gemcitabine brand name: Gemzar.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated June 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Coffee Charcoal and Gemcitabine 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.

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Interaction report

Coffee Charcoal and Gemcitabine

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 Gemcitabine and Coffee Charcoal 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.

Coffee Charcoal safety at a glance

Coffee Charcoal overall Use caution It is generally used short-term, but high-quality safety data are limited.
Pregnancy Avoid Safety has not been established, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough information on safety while breastfeeding; avoid unless advised by a clinician.

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

Still wondering about combining Gemcitabine and Coffee Charcoal? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Gemcitabine

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

Coffee Charcoal Does Interact With Other Medications

Coffee Charcoal has 2,022 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Gemcitabine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 2,022 No known interaction 808 (incl. Gemcitabine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Coffee Charcoal

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

What to actually watch for

What Gemcitabine’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Coffee Charcoal. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Gemcitabine’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you take both. 10 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • A stroke or mini-stroke Worth acting on
  • A heart attack Worth acting on
  • A low platelet count Worth acting on mentioned in 7.0% of FDA reports for Gemcitabine
  • An irregular heartbeat Worth acting on
  • Anemia Worth acting on mentioned in 5.8% of FDA reports for Gemcitabine
  • A low white blood cell count Worth acting on mentioned in 6.2% of FDA reports for Gemcitabine
  • Kidney problems Worth acting on
  • Raised blood pressure Worth acting on
  • Shortness of breath Worth acting on
  • Liver problems Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 16 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Gemcitabine. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 53,020 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Gemcitabine that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Coffee Charcoal’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Coffee Charcoal side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Coffee Charcoal has no side effects.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Gemcitabine

This page covers Coffee Charcoal only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Gemcitabine page lists 39 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Beer (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Wine (major), Ashwagandha (moderate) and Black Cohosh (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 35 moderate · 1 minor.

Open the Gemcitabine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Coffee Charcoal and Gemcitabine 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 Coffee Charcoal
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Gemcitabine
Steady interest

#2,588 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 Coffee Charcoal reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Coffee Charcoal and Gemcitabine records this page draws on were last updated June 22, 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 Coffee Charcoal

What is Coffee Charcoal?

  • Diarrhea
  • Inflammatory bowel conditions
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Mild digestive upset
  • Wound and skin care (topical, traditional)

Coffee charcoal is made by roasting green coffee beans until they turn black, creating a charcoal-like material used traditionally for diarrhea and digestive complaints. Scientific evidence supporting its benefits is very limited, and it should not replace proven treatments. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have a chronic gut condition.

Coffea arabica · Rubiaceae · Roasted (carbonized) green coffee beans · Powder, tablets, capsules, and granules

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

Coffee Charcoal: dosing

There is no firmly established standard dose for coffee charcoal. It is sold as a powder, tablets, capsules, or granules, often in combination with other herbs, and the amount varies by product.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and to use it only for short periods. Because it may interfere with the absorption of nutrients and medicines, it is generally taken apart from other supplements and drugs.

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

Read the full Coffee Charcoal monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Gemcitabine Injection

What Is Gemcitabine Injection Used For?

Brand name: Gemzar

Gemcitabine Injection (available as Avgemsi, Gemcitabine, and Infugem) is used to treat several types of cancer. It is given in combination with carboplatin for advanced ovarian cancer that has returned at least 6 months after platinum-based treatment, and in combination with paclitaxel as a first-line treatment for metastatic breast cancer after prior chemotherapy with an anthracycline (a specific class of chemo drug).

It is also given in combination with cisplatin for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that cannot be removed surgically or has spread. For pancreatic cancer that is locally advanced or has spread, it is used as a single agent — including in patients who have already been treated with fluorouracil.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Gemcitabine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (53,020 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Disease progression 4,850 reports
Thrombocytopenia 3,706 reports
Neutropenia 3,295 reports
Anemia 3,084 reports
Malignant neoplasm progression 2,912 reports
See full Gemcitabine Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Coffee Charcoal

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

0Major
2,022Moderate
0Minor
807No known interaction
2,022 Moderate 807 No interaction
Moderate

2,022 interactions

Showing 60 of 2,022 moderate interactions — see all 2,022 on the Coffee Charcoal page.

No interaction 807 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 807 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Coffee Charcoal list.

See the full Coffee Charcoal interactions page
See every supplement checked against Gemcitabine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Coffee Charcoal References

The 3 references that drive our Coffee Charcoal 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. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
  2. Langhorst J, Varnhagen I, Schneider SB, et al. Randomised clinical trial: a herbal preparation of myrrh, chamomile and coffee charcoal compared with mesalazine in maintaining remission in ulcerative colitis-a double-blind, double-dummy study. Aliment Phar PubMed
  3. Albrecht U, Müller V, Schneider B, Stange R. Efficacy and safety of a herbal medicinal product containing myrrh, chamomile and coffee charcoal for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders: a non-interventional study. BMJ Open Gastroenterol. 2015;1(1):e 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 Coffee Charcoal and Gemcitabine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Coffee Charcoal with Gemcitabine?
We do not list a known interaction between Coffee Charcoal and Gemcitabine. 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.
How was the Coffee Charcoal and Gemcitabine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Gemcitabine is filed under 2 classifications, and Coffee Charcoal has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Gemcitabine'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 Coffee Charcoal interact with any other medications?
Yes. Coffee Charcoal has 2,022 documented drug interactions in our database — Gemcitabine 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 Gemcitabine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Gemcitabine has documented interactions with 39 supplements in our database — Coffee Charcoal is not one of them. The Gemcitabine 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

Coffee Charcoal monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Gemcitabine Injection drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Gemcitabine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Gemcitabine, 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 3 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Gemcitabine and Coffee Charcoal?

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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.