Drug & supplement interaction

Kampo Medicine + Mercaptopurine

Mercaptopurine brand name: Purixan.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated June 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Kampo Medicine and Mercaptopurine 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

Kampo Medicine and Mercaptopurine

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 Mercaptopurine and Kampo Medicine 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Kampo Medicine at all — not against Mercaptopurine, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Kampo Medicine safety at a glance

Kampo Medicine overall Use caution Generally considered low-risk when used appropriately, but multi-herb formulas can cause side effects and quality varies by product.
Pregnancy Avoid Many formulas contain herbs not proven safe in pregnancy, so avoid unless directed by a qualified clinician.
Breastfeeding Use caution Safety during breastfeeding is not well established, so use only with professional guidance.

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

Still wondering about combining Mercaptopurine and Kampo Medicine? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Mercaptopurine’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Kampo Medicine. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Mercaptopurine’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. 9 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Low blood sugar Worth acting on
  • A low white blood cell count Worth acting on mentioned in 11.0% of FDA reports for Mercaptopurine
  • Pancreatitis Worth acting on
  • A low platelet count Worth acting on
  • Anemia Worth acting on
  • Raised blood pressure Worth acting on
  • Hives Worth acting on
  • Liver problems Worth acting on
  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on
  • Fever mentioned in 17.9% of FDA reports for Mercaptopurine

Showing the 10 most notable of 18 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 Mercaptopurine. Read the label on DailyMed › Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 17,242 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Mercaptopurine that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Kampo Medicine’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Kampo Medicine side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Kampo Medicine has no side effects.

From our Q&A

Questions About Kampo Medicine or Mercaptopurine

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Kampo Medicine or Mercaptopurine, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Mercaptopurine

This page covers Kampo Medicine only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Mercaptopurine page lists 106 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Beer (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Wine (major) and Active Hexose Correlated Compound (ahcc) (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 92 moderate · 10 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Mercaptopurine page

“Mercaptopurine (Purixan) works by deliberately suppressing the immune system, whether for leukemia or inflammatory bowel disease, and the supplement interactions on this page deserve genuine care rather than a quick skim. Two problems dominate.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Mercaptopurine interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Kampo Medicine and Mercaptopurine 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 Kampo Medicine
Steady interest

#1,429 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Mercaptopurine
Steady interest

#2,252 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. Kampo Medicine is not yet covered by that licensed database, so its write-up cites publicly available medical sources directly (see the references below).
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Kampo Medicine reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Kampo Medicine and Mercaptopurine records this page draws on were last updated June 20, 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 Kampo Medicine

What is Kampo Medicine?

  • Digestive complaints
  • Cold and flu symptoms
  • Menopausal symptoms
  • Fatigue and general weakness
  • Constipation
  • Pain and inflammation

Kampo is a traditional Japanese system of herbal medicine that uses standardized multi-herb formulas, many of which are prescribed by doctors in Japan. Some formulas have modest supportive evidence for certain conditions, but quality and strength of research vary widely. Because Kampo products combine many ingredients, talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using them, especially if you take other medicines or have a health condition.

Roots, rhizomes, bark, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and minerals depending on the formula · Granules, powders, decoctions (teas), tablets, and capsules

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

Kampo Medicine: dosing

There is no single standard dose for "Kampo medicine" because it is a whole system of many different formulas. Each formula has its own typical dosing, which can also depend on the person and the condition being treated.In Japan, doses are often based on standardized extract granules and prescribed by a clinician.

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

Read the full Kampo Medicine monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Mercaptopurine

What Is Mercaptopurine Used For?

Brand name: Purixan

Mercaptopurine — available as a tablet and as an oral suspension — is used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of blood cancer. It is given as part of a combination chemotherapy maintenance regimen, meaning it works alongside other cancer medicines to keep leukemia in remission.

Both the tablet form and the oral suspension form carry this indication for adult and pediatric patients. The oral suspension is particularly useful for patients who cannot swallow tablets.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Mercaptopurine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (17,242 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Febrile neutropenia 1,904 reports
Fever 1,187 reports
Nausea 791 reports
Vomiting 749 reports
Abdominal pain 699 reports
See full Mercaptopurine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Kampo Medicine

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Kampo Medicine list.

See the full Kampo Medicine interactions page
See every supplement checked against Mercaptopurine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Kampo Medicine References

The 4 sources that drive our Kampo Medicine monograph — publicly available pages from reputable medical and government organizations. Every link was verified to work before publishing. Kampo Medicine is not covered by the licensed Natural Medicines interaction database, so its page cites these public sources directly.

  1. Herbs at a Glance — NIH NCCIH Source
  2. Using Dietary Supplements Wisely — NIH NCCIH Source
  3. Herbal Medicine — MedlinePlus Source
  4. About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Source

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 Kampo Medicine and Mercaptopurine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Kampo Medicine with Mercaptopurine?
We do not list a known interaction between Kampo Medicine and Mercaptopurine. 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.
Does Mercaptopurine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Mercaptopurine has documented interactions with 106 supplements in our database — Kampo Medicine is not one of them. The Mercaptopurine 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

Kampo Medicine monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Mercaptopurine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Mercaptopurine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Mercaptopurine, 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 4 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Mercaptopurine and Kampo Medicine?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.