Drug & supplement interaction

Lady Fern + Irinotecan

Irinotecan brand names: Camptosar, Onivyde.

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 Lady Fern and Irinotecan 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 Irinotecan states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Lady Fern and Irinotecan

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 Irinotecan and Lady Fern 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 Lady Fern at all — not against Irinotecan, 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.

Lady Fern safety at a glance

Lady Fern overall Use caution Limited safety data exist; some ferns can be irritating or harmful if eaten raw or in large amounts.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information; avoid medicinal use during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid No reliable safety data; best avoided while breastfeeding.

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

Still wondering about combining Irinotecan and Lady Fern? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Irinotecan’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Lady Fern. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Irinotecan’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
  • Blood clots Worth acting on
  • Confusion Worth acting on
  • Chest pain Worth acting on
  • A low platelet count Worth acting on
  • Anemia Worth acting on
  • Shortness of breath Worth acting on
  • A low white blood cell count Worth acting on
  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on
  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on

Showing the 10 most notable of 30 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 Irinotecan. Read the label on DailyMed › Lady Fern’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Lady Fern side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Lady Fern has no side effects.

How to take them

Some Irinotecan Products Have a Food Rule — Lady Fern Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Irinotecan says to take it on an empty stomach. Most supplements — Lady Fern included — are taken with a meal, so the easy mistake is swallowing both together at breakfast. Where that rule applies, keep Irinotecan on its own and move Lady Fern 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 Irinotecan 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.

Antiemetic agents should be given on the day of treatment, starting at least 30 minutes before administration of CAMPTOSAR.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Irinotecan — 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 Irinotecan

This page covers Lady Fern only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Irinotecan page lists 153 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Apple (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major) and Sweet Orange (major).

By severity: 5 major · 107 moderate · 41 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Irinotecan page

“St. John's wort is the single riskiest supplement for anyone receiving irinotecan (Camptosar, Onivyde).”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Irinotecan interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Lady Fern and Irinotecan 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 Lady Fern
Steady interest

#1,350 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Irinotecan
Steady interest

#2,131 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. Lady Fern 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 Lady Fern reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Lady Fern and Irinotecan 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 Lady Fern

What is Lady Fern?

  • Traditional digestive complaints
  • Folk remedy for intestinal worms
  • Topical use for wounds and skin irritation
  • General traditional tonic
  • Eaten as a foraged spring vegetable (fiddleheads)

Lady fern is a woodland fern used in some folk traditions and occasionally foraged for its young fronds (fiddleheads). There is very little scientific evidence to support any medicinal use, and some ferns can be unsafe if raw or improperly prepared, so caution is warranted.

Athyrium filix-femina · Athyriaceae · Rhizome (rootstock) and young fronds (fiddleheads) · Dried rhizome, traditional decoction, occasionally cooked young fronds (fiddleheads) as food

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

Lady Fern: dosing

There is no established or standardized medicinal dose for lady fern. It has not been studied enough to recommend a safe and effective amount for any condition.If you choose to use a product that contains lady fern, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed the suggested amount. For fiddleheads used as food, cook them fully according to trusted preparation guidance.

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

Read the full Lady Fern monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Irinotecan Lipid Complex Injection

What Is Irinotecan Lipid Complex Injection Used For?

Brand names: Camptosar, Onivyde

  • Irinotecan lipid complex is used in combination with other medications to treat pancreatic cancer that has spread to other parts of the body that has worsened after treatment with other chemotherapy medications. Irinotecan lipid complex is in a class of antineoplastic medications called topoisomerase I inhibitors. It works by stopping the growth of cancer cells.

See full Irinotecan Lipid Complex Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Lady Fern

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Lady Fern — 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 Lady Fern 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 Lady Fern list.

See the full Lady Fern interactions page
See every supplement checked against Irinotecan, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Lady Fern References

The 2 sources that drive our Lady Fern monograph — publicly available pages from reputable medical and government organizations. Every link was verified to work before publishing. Lady Fern is not covered by the licensed Natural Medicines interaction database, so its page cites these public sources directly.

  1. Herbs at a Glance — NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Source
  2. Herbs and Supplements — MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine) 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 Lady Fern and Irinotecan Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Lady Fern with Irinotecan?
We do not list a known interaction between Lady Fern and Irinotecan. 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 Lady Fern and Irinotecan at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Irinotecan 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 Irinotecan on its own and move Lady Fern 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.
Does Irinotecan interact with any supplements?
Yes. Irinotecan has documented interactions with 153 supplements in our database — Lady Fern is not one of them. The Irinotecan 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

Lady Fern monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Irinotecan Lipid Complex Injection drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Irinotecan supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Irinotecan, 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 Irinotecan and Lady Fern?

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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.