Drug & supplement interaction

Figwort + Erlotinib

Erlotinib brand name: Tarceva.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated June 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 27, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Figwort 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.

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Interaction report

Figwort 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 Figwort 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.

Figwort safety at a glance

Figwort overall Use caution Limited safety data exist, so use with care and short-term only.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information; best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid No reliable safety data, so it is best to avoid while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Erlotinib and Figwort? 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. Figwort has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being diuretic drugs (moderate) and lithium (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

Figwort Does Interact With Other Medications

Figwort has 76 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 76 No known interaction 2,754 (incl. Erlotinib)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Figwort

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

What to actually watch for

What Erlotinib’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Figwort. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Erlotinib’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 bowel blockage Worth acting on
  • Severe muscle breakdown Worth acting on
  • Muscle weakness Worth acting on
  • Bleeding in the gut Worth acting on
  • A heart attack Worth acting on
  • Blood clots Worth acting on
  • Pancreatitis Worth acting on
  • Fainting Worth acting on
  • A severe skin reaction Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 39 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 Erlotinib. Read the label on DailyMed › 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. Figwort’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Figwort side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Figwort has no side effects.

How to take them

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

At least one FDA label for a product containing Erlotinib says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Figwort 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 Figwort 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 Figwort 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 Figwort as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 147 real supplement products containing Figwort, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Figwort. Even though Figwort 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 Figwort 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 Figwort
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Erlotinib
Steady interest

#2,520 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 Figwort reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 27, 2026. The Figwort and Erlotinib 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 Figwort

What is Figwort?

  • Skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis
  • Minor wounds and rashes
  • Swelling and inflammation
  • Mild constipation
  • Traditional 'detox' or lymphatic support

Figwort is a traditional herb used mainly for skin problems and minor swelling, but solid human studies are lacking, so its benefits remain unproven. It is generally used short-term and topically, and people with heart conditions, pregnant women, and nursing mothers should avoid it until more is known.

Scrophularia nodosa · Scrophulariaceae · Aerial parts (leaves, stems, flowers) and sometimes the root · Tea, tincture, capsules, dried herb, topical creams or ointments

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

Figwort: dosing

There is no established standardized dose for figwort. Traditional use varies by the form (tea, tincture, capsule, or ointment) and by the product maker. Avoid using more than the label suggests, and do not use it for long periods without professional advice.

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

Read the full Figwort 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 (12,441 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Diarrhea 1,339 reports
Rash 1,317 reports
Malignant neoplasm progression 890 reports
Fatigue 718 reports
Nausea 696 reports
See full Erlotinib drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Figwort

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

0Major
76Moderate
0Minor
2,753No known interaction
76 Moderate 2,753 No interaction
Moderate

76 interactions

Showing 60 of 76 moderate interactions — see all 76 on the Figwort page.

No interaction 2,753 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,753 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Figwort list.

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

Figwort References

The 1 references that drive our Figwort 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. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.

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 Figwort and Erlotinib Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Figwort with Erlotinib?
We do not list a known interaction between Figwort 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.
Should I take Figwort 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 Figwort 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 Figwort and Erlotinib combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Erlotinib is filed under 2 classifications, and Figwort has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — 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 Figwort interact with any other medications?
Yes. Figwort has 76 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 — Figwort 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

Figwort 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 1 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Erlotinib and Figwort?

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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.