Drug & supplement interaction

Greater Celandine + Lenalidomide

Lenalidomide brand name: Revlimid.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Greater Celandine has a moderate interaction with Lenalidomide. Preliminary clinical research suggests that taking a specific semi-synthetic derivative of the greater celandine constituent chelidonine (Ukrain; not available in North America) might stimulate immune responses in cancer patients.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Greater Celandine and Lenalidomide

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Moderate

IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS

Why this applies to Lenalidomide

Lenalidomide falls under IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS — the group Greater Celandine interacts with.

Preliminary clinical research suggests that taking a specific semi-synthetic derivative of the greater celandine constituent chelidonine (Ukrain; not available in North America) might stimulate immune responses in cancer patients. Theoretically, taking greater celandine might decrease the effects of immunosuppressive therapy. Immunosuppressant drugs include azathioprine (Imuran), basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), daclizumab (Zenapax), muromonab-CD3 (OKT3, Orthoclone OKT3), mycophenolate (CellCept), tacrolimus (FK506, Prograf), sirolimus (Rapamune), prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone), and other corticosteroids (glucocorticoids).
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the idea behind this pairing. Greater celandine contains plant compounds that, in early research, seemed to give the immune system a nudge upward. Lenalidomide (Revlimid) actually works in part by adjusting immune activity, so the theory is that an immune-stimulating herb could pull in a slightly different direction and possibly blunt how well your treatment works. I want to be honest though: this is a theoretical concern based on how things behave in the lab, not a proven problem in people taking lenalidomide.

What worries me more is greater celandine itself, since it has been tied to serious liver injury. With a cancer therapy this important, I would not add it on your own. Please run it by your oncologist or pharmacist first so nothing undercuts your treatment.

References
  1. Staniszewski, A., Slesak, B., Kolodziej, J., Harlozinska-Szmyrka, A., and Nowicky, J. W. Lymphocyte subsets in patients with lung cancer treated with thiophosphoric acid alkaloid derivatives from Chelidonium majus L. (Ukrain). Drugs Exp.Clin Res 1992;18
  2. Nowicky, J. W., Staniszewski, A., Zbroja-Sontag, W., Slesak, B., Nowicky, W., and Hiesmayr, W. Evaluation of thiophosphoric acid alkaloid derivatives from Chelidonium majus L. ("Ukrain") as an immunostimulant in patients with various carcinomas. Drugs Ex

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Greater Celandine Also Interacts With Other Medications

Greater Celandine has 624 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Lenalidomide one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Greater Celandine

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Lenalidomide

This page covers Greater Celandine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Lenalidomide page lists 70 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate), Alfalfa (moderate), American Ginseng (moderate) and Andrographis (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 59 moderate · 10 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Lenalidomide page

“People taking lenalidomide (Revlimid) for multiple myeloma are often drawn to immune-boosting supplements, which is exactly why this list deserves genuine care. Fifty-three of its 70 entries are herbs and mushrooms thought to stimulate the immune system, astragalus, ginseng, and beta-glucans among them, and each could theoretically pus…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Lenalidomide interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 11 real supplement products containing Greater Celandine, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Greater Celandine. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Lenalidomide too, on top of Greater Celandine — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Greater Celandine and Lenalidomide 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 Greater Celandine
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Lenalidomide
Steady interest

#1,531 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.

Supplement

About Greater Celandine

What is Greater Celandine?

Greater Celandine
  • Digestive and gallbladder complaints
  • Stomach cramps and bloating
  • Topical use for warts and skin growths
  • Liver and gallbladder 'cleansing'
  • Mild pain relief

Greater celandine is a traditional herb most often promoted for digestive and gallbladder complaints, but solid human evidence for any use is lacking. More importantly, it has been linked to serious and sometimes severe liver injury, so most experts advise against taking it by mouth. If you are considering it, talk with your pharmacist or doctor first.

Read the full Greater Celandine monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Lenalidomide

What Is Lenalidomide Used For?

Brand name: Revlimid

Lenalidomide capsules (brand name Revlimid) are used to treat several blood cancers and related conditions in adults. These include multiple myeloma (MM) — taken in combination with dexamethasone, or as maintenance therapy after a stem cell transplant — and transfusion-dependent anemia caused by low- or intermediate-1-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with a specific chromosome change called deletion 5q.

Lenalidomide capsules are also used for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) that has come back or stopped responding after at least two prior treatments (one of which must have included bortezomib), and for previously treated follicular lymphoma (FL) or marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) — both in combination with a rituximab product. It is not approved for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) outside of clinical trials.

See full Lenalidomide drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Greater Celandine

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

0Major
624Moderate
0Minor
2,205No known interaction
Moderate

624 interactions

Showing 60 of 624 moderate interactions — see all 624 on the Greater Celandine page.

No interaction 2,205 drugs checked — show the list
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Greater Celandine and Lenalidomide Together: Common Questions

Can you take Greater Celandine with Lenalidomide?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Greater Celandine and Lenalidomide interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

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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.