Drug & supplement interaction

Mace + etanercept

etanercept brand name: Enbrel.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Mace has a moderate interaction with etanercept. Animal research suggests that mace lignans can suppress immune function.

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

Mace and etanercept

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

Moderate

IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS

Why this applies to etanercept

etanercept falls under IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS — the group Mace interacts with.

Animal research suggests that mace lignans can suppress immune function. Theoretically, concomitant use might enhance the effects of immunosuppressant drugs. 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 is the short version on mace and Enbrel (etanercept). Enbrel is a biologic that quiets down part of your overactive immune system to ease joint pain, swelling, and skin symptoms. One known trade-off is that it can leave you a bit more prone to infections. Some animal lab work hints that compounds in mace may also dampen immune activity, so in theory, stacking the two could push your immune system down a little further than intended.

I want to be honest though: this is theoretical and based on animal data, not real people. Sprinkling mace on food is very unlikely to cause trouble. The bigger question is concentrated mace supplements, which I would run by your doctor or pharmacist first. Watch for signs of infection like fever, chills, or a cough that won't quit, and call your care team if those show up.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Checker R, Chatterjee S, Sharma D, et al. Immunomodulatory and radioprotective effects of lignans derived from fresh nutmeg mace (Myristica fragrans) in mammalian splenocytes. Int Immunopharmacol. 2008;8(5):661-669. PubMed

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

Mace Also Interacts With Other Medications

Mace has 499 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the etanercept one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 499 No known interaction 2,331 (incl. etanercept)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Mace

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With etanercept

This page covers Mace only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the etanercept page lists 53 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 52 moderate · 1 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the etanercept page

“Etanercept (Enbrel) treats conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis by deliberately quieting part of the immune system, and nearly every supplement on this page pulls in the opposite direction. Echinacea, ashwagandha, astragalus, and dozens of other immune-stimulating herbs and mushrooms could, at least in theory, blunt the d…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the etanercept interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 38 real supplement products containing Mace, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Mace. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with etanercept too, on top of Mace — 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 Mace and etanercept 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 Mace
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication etanercept
Steady interest

#1,968 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 Mace

What is Mace?

  • Digestive upset and gas
  • Flavoring and culinary spice
  • Nausea
  • Appetite stimulation
  • Traditional pain or muscle relief

Mace is the lacy red covering of the nutmeg seed and comes from the same tree as nutmeg. It is mostly used as a cooking spice and in traditional medicine for digestion, but there is little solid human research to support its health uses. In normal food amounts it is generally safe, but large doses can be toxic, so use it as a spice and check with your pharmacist before taking concentrated supplements.

Read the full Mace monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Etanercept Injection

What Is Etanercept Injection Used For?

Brand name: Enbrel

Enbrel (etanercept) injection is approved to treat several inflammatory conditions. In adults, it is used for moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and chronic moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

In children, Enbrel is approved for polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis and juvenile psoriatic arthritis in patients 2 years and older, and for chronic moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in patients 4 years and older.

See full Etanercept Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Mace

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

0Major
499Moderate
0Minor
2,330No known interaction
499 Moderate 2,330 No interaction
Moderate

499 interactions

Showing 60 of 499 moderate interactions — see all 499 on the Mace page.

No interaction 2,330 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,330 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Mace list.

See the full Mace interactions page
See every supplement checked against etanercept, ranked by severity
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

Keep exploring
Mace monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place etanercept supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against etanercept, ranked by severity Etanercept Injection drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Mace and etanercept Together: Common Questions

Can you take Mace with etanercept?
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 Mace and etanercept 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

Still Have a Question About etanercept and Mace?

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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.