Drug & supplement interaction

Hollyhock + Ganciclovir

Ganciclovir brand names: Cytovene, Cytovene Injection.

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 Hollyhock and Ganciclovir 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

Hollyhock and Ganciclovir

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 Ganciclovir and Hollyhock 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.

Hollyhock safety at a glance

Hollyhock overall Use caution Generally considered gentle, but human safety data are limited.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information, so it is best avoided.
Breastfeeding Avoid No reliable safety data during breastfeeding, so avoid use.

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

Still wondering about combining Ganciclovir and Hollyhock? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Ganciclovir

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

Hollyhock Does Interact With Other Medications

Hollyhock has 86 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Ganciclovir 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. Ganciclovir)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Hollyhock

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

What to actually watch for

What Ganciclovir’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Hollyhock. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Ganciclovir’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. 6 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • A low white blood cell count Worth acting on mentioned in 5.5% of FDA reports for Ganciclovir
  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on mentioned in 11.6% of FDA reports for Ganciclovir
  • A low platelet count Worth acting on
  • Kidney problems Worth acting on
  • Anemia Worth acting on
  • Shortness of breath Worth acting on
  • Chills
  • Sweating
  • Fever mentioned in 5.7% of FDA reports for Ganciclovir
  • Numbness or tingling

Showing the 10 most notable of 19 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 Ganciclovir. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 10,879 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Ganciclovir that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Hollyhock’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Hollyhock side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Hollyhock has no side effects.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Ganciclovir

This page covers Hollyhock only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ganciclovir page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Ganciclovir page

“Everything on this list threatens ganciclovir (Cytovene) the same way, by getting between the pill and your bloodstream. Ganciclovir fights cytomegalovirus in people whose immune systems are weakened, so a dose that only partly absorbs can let the virus regain ground and grow resistant.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Ganciclovir interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Hollyhock and Ganciclovir 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 Hollyhock
Steady interest

#1,042 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Ganciclovir
Steady interest

#2,082 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 Hollyhock reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Hollyhock and Ganciclovir 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 Hollyhock

What is Hollyhock?

  • Sore throat and cough
  • Digestive upset
  • Soothing irritated skin
  • Mild inflammation
  • Urinary discomfort

Hollyhock is a flowering plant in the mallow family that has been used in traditional medicine, mainly as a soothing (demulcent) remedy for the throat, gut, and skin. Solid human studies are very limited, so its benefits are not well proven. It is generally considered gentle, but you should still talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Alcea rosea · Malvaceae · Flowers, leaves, and roots · Tea, dried flowers, extracts, topical preparations

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

Hollyhock: dosing

There is no well-established, standardized dose for hollyhock. Traditional use most often involves a tea made from the dried flowers or leaves.Because products vary in strength and form, the safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Hollyhock monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Ganciclovir

What Is Ganciclovir Used For?

Brand names: Cytovene, Cytovene Injection

Ganciclovir injection (Cytovene, Ganciclovir, and ganciclovir sodium) is used to treat CMV retinitis — a serious eye infection caused by cytomegalovirus — in adults with weakened immune systems, including those with AIDS. It is also used to prevent CMV disease in adult transplant recipients who are at risk.

Zirgan ophthalmic gel is a separate ganciclovir product used to treat acute herpetic keratitis — painful corneal ulcers caused by the herpes simplex virus — in adults and children aged 2 years and older.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Ganciclovir

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (10,879 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Cytomegalovirus infection 1,266 reports
Drug resistance 731 reports
Fever 620 reports
Neutropenia 598 reports
Pancytopenia 554 reports
See full Ganciclovir drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Hollyhock

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

No interaction 2,743 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Hollyhock 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 Hollyhock list.

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

Hollyhock References

The 1 references that drive our Hollyhock 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. Zhang Y, Jin L, Chen Q, et al. Hypoglycemic activity evaluation and chemical study on hollyhock flowers. Fitoterapia 2015;102:7-14. 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 Hollyhock and Ganciclovir Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Hollyhock with Ganciclovir?
We do not list a known interaction between Hollyhock and Ganciclovir. 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 Hollyhock and Ganciclovir combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Ganciclovir is filed under 1 classification, and Hollyhock has documented interactions with 1 drug class — none of Ganciclovir'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 Hollyhock interact with any other medications?
Yes. Hollyhock has 86 documented drug interactions in our database — Ganciclovir 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 Ganciclovir interact with any supplements?
Yes. Ganciclovir has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Hollyhock is not one of them. The Ganciclovir 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

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

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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.