Drug & supplement interaction

Gamboge + Peginterferon alfa-2b

Peginterferon alfa-2b brand names: Peg-Intron, ViraferonPeg.

No Known Interaction

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026

The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Gamboge and Peginterferon alfa-2b 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

Gamboge and Peginterferon alfa-2b

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 Peginterferon alfa-2b and Gamboge 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.

Gamboge safety at a glance

Gamboge overall Avoid Gamboge resin is a harsh purgative and can be toxic when swallowed.

Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe When used orally; avoid using. Read the full pregnancy detail

Breastfeeding Possibly Unsafe When used orally; avoid using. Read the full breastfeeding detail

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 Peginterferon alfa-2b and Gamboge? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›

How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Peginterferon alfa-2b

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Peginterferon alfa-2b is filed under a single classification — hepatotoxic drugs. Gamboge has documented interactions with 5 drug classes — the most serious being corticosteroids (moderate), digoxin (lanoxin) (moderate) and diuretic drugs (moderate) — and none of Peginterferon alfa-2b’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

Gamboge Does Interact With Other Medications

Gamboge has 122 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Peginterferon alfa-2b 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. Peginterferon alfa-2b)

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Gamboge

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

What to actually watch for

What Gamboge Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Peginterferon alfa-2b. It is the side-effect record for Gamboge on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Gamboge, this list is the first place to look.

Stomach pain / Vomiting Additional detail
“Orally, abdominal pain and vomiting have been reported with gamboge at doses as low as 200 mg. Deaths have been reported after ingestion of 4 grams of gamboge (18).”

Gamboge · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in myasthenia gravis.
1 source cited

18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
“Orally, abdominal pain and vomiting have been reported with gamboge at doses as low as 200 mg (18).”

Gamboge · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in myasthenia gravis.
1 source cited

18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Gamboge — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We haven’t matched Peginterferon alfa-2b to its FDA label in our system yet, so we can’t compare its own side-effect list here — the leaflet that comes with your prescription is the authoritative list for Peginterferon alfa-2b.

Special populations

Gamboge in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Possibly Unsafe

When used orally; avoid using.

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Peginterferon alfa-2b

This page covers Gamboge only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Peginterferon alfa-2b page lists 38 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.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Peginterferon alfa-2b page

“Someone taking peginterferon alfa-2b (Peg-Intron) is usually treating hepatitis C, so the liver is already the organ under strain, and all 38 supplement interactions on file for this drug pile additional liver stress on top of it. That earns genuine caution.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Peginterferon alfa-2b interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Gamboge and Peginterferon alfa-2b 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 Gamboge

Top half

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

29 days ago today

Medication Peginterferon alfa-2b

Steady interest

#2,136 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 Gamboge reference on this page ↓
Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Gamboge and Peginterferon alfa-2b 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 Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS.

Supplement

About Gamboge

What is Gamboge?

Laxative (purgative)
Expelling intestinal worms
Traditional wound care
Use as a yellow dye/pigment

Gamboge is a bright yellow tree resin used historically as a strong laxative and as an artists' pigment, but it is toxic in even modest amounts and is not a safe dietary supplement. Modern interest centers on its compound gambogic acid in laboratory cancer research, which does not make the raw resin safe to take. We recommend avoiding oral use of gamboge.

Garcinia hanburyi · Clusiaceae · Dried resin (gum-resin) from the bark/latex · Resin powder, traditional pills, paint pigment (not a typical modern supplement)

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

Gamboge: dosing

There is no established safe dose of gamboge for any health use, and we do not provide one. Because the resin is considered toxic and is not a recognized supplement, there are no reliable, standardized products with proven dosing.If you ever encounter a product that contains gamboge, do not take it without first talking to a pharmacist or doctor. In general, our recommendation is to avoid oral use entirely and choose safer, well-studied options for problems like constipation.

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

Read the full Gamboge monograph & all interactions

Medication

About Peginterferon Alfa-2b (PEG-Intron)

What Is Peginterferon Alfa-2b (PEG-Intron) Used For?

Brand names: Peg-Intron, ViraferonPeg

Peginterferon alfa-2b is used alone or in combination with ribavirin (a medication) to treat chronic (long-term) hepatitis C infection (swelling of the liver caused by a virus) in people who show signs of liver damage and who have not been treated with interferon alpha (medication similar to peginterferon alfa-2b) in the past. Peginterferon alfa-2b is in a class of medications called interferons. Peginterferon alfa-2b is a combination of interferon and polyethylene glycol, which helps the interferon stay active in your body for a longer period of time. Peginterferon alpha-2b works by decreasing the amount of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the body. Peginterferon alfa-2b may not cure hepatitis C or prevent you from developing complications of hepatitis C such as cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver failure, or liver cancer. Peginterferon alfa-2b may not prevent the spread of hepatitis C to other people.

See full Peginterferon Alfa-2b (PEG-Intron) drug information

Keep checking

Other Drugs & Gamboge

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Gamboge — 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 Gamboge page.

No interaction 2,707 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Gamboge 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 Gamboge list.

See the full Gamboge interactions page

See every supplement checked against Peginterferon alfa-2b, ranked by severity

Evidence & sources

Gamboge References

The 2 references that drive our Gamboge 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.

Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 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 Gamboge and Peginterferon alfa-2b Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Gamboge with Peginterferon alfa-2b?

We do not list a known interaction between Gamboge and Peginterferon alfa-2b. 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 Gamboge and Peginterferon alfa-2b combination checked?

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Peginterferon alfa-2b is filed under 1 classification, and Gamboge has documented interactions with 5 drug classes — none of Peginterferon alfa-2b'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 Gamboge interact with any other medications?

Yes. Gamboge has 122 documented drug interactions in our database — Peginterferon alfa-2b 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 Peginterferon alfa-2b interact with any supplements?

Yes. Peginterferon alfa-2b has documented interactions with 38 supplements in our database — Gamboge is not one of them. The Peginterferon alfa-2b 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

Gamboge monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Peginterferon Alfa-2b (PEG-Intron) drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Peginterferon alfa-2b supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Peginterferon alfa-2b, 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 2 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Peginterferon alfa-2b and Gamboge?

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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.