Drug & supplement interaction

Quercetin + Vinblastine

Vinblastine brand name: Velban.

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

Vinblastine falls into 2 drug categories that Quercetin can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, concomitant use might alter the effects and adverse effects of CYP3A4 substrates.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Quercetin and Vinblastine

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Quercetin interacts with whole categories of medication. Vinblastine falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Quercetin in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Vinblastine

Vinblastine falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Quercetin interacts with.

Theoretically, concomitant use might alter the effects and adverse effects of CYP3A4 substrates.
A small clinical study in healthy volunteers shows that pretreatment with quercetin increases plasma levels and prolongs the half-life of a single dose of cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), a substrate of CYP3A4. Animal research also shows that pretreatment with quercetin increases plasma levels and prolongs the half-life of losartan (Cozaar) and quetiapine (Seroquel), substrates of CYP3A4. Other laboratory research also shows that quercetin inhibits CYP3A4. However, one clinical study shows that quercetin can increase the metabolism of midazolam, a substrate of CYP3A4, and decrease serum concentrations of midazolam by about 24% in some healthy individuals, suggesting possible induction of CYP3A4.
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 short version: your body clears vinblastine largely through a liver enzyme called CYP3A4, and quercetin can nudge that enzyme. Most lab data suggests quercetin slows this enzyme, which could let more vinblastine linger in your blood. With a chemo drug like this, that potentially means harsher side effects, things like low blood counts, more infections, nerve tingling or numbness, constipation, and mouth sores.

The honest catch is that this is mostly test-tube and animal evidence, and one human study even hinted quercetin might speed the enzyme up instead. So the direction isn't fully nailed down. Food amounts of quercetin are unlikely to matter, but concentrated supplements during chemo are worth a real conversation. Please run any quercetin product past your oncology team or pharmacist before using it.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Obach RS. Inhibition of human cytochrome P450 enzymes by constituents of St. John's wort, an herbal preparation used in the treatment of depression. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2000;294:88-95. DOI
  2. DiCenzo R, Frerichs V, Larppanichpoonphol P, et al. Effect of quercetin on the plasma and intracellular concentrations of saquinavir in healthy adults. Pharmacotherapy 2006;26:1255-61. PubMed
  3. Choi JS, Choi BC, Choi KE. Effect of quercetin on the pharmacokinetics of oral cyclosporine. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2004;61:2406-9. PubMed
  4. Choi JS, Jo BW, Kim YC. Enhanced paclitaxel bioavailability after oral administration of paclitaxel or prodrug to rats pretreated with quercetin. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2004;57:313-8. PubMed
  5. Duan KM, Wang SY, Ouyang W, Mao YM, Yang LJ. Effect of quercetin on CYP3A activity in Chinese healthy participants. J Clin Pharmacol 2012;52(6):940-6. PubMed
  6. Zhao Q, Wei J, Zhang H. Effects of quercetin on the pharmacokinetics of losartan and its metabolite EXP3174 in rats. Xenobiotica 2019;49(5):563-8. PubMed
  7. Bhutani P, Rajanna PK, Paul AT. Impact of quercetin on pharmacokinetics of quetiapine: insights from in-vivo studies in wistar rats. Xenobiotica. 2020:1-7.
Moderate

P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Vinblastine also falls under P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, concomitant use might alter the effects and adverse effects of P-glycoprotein substrates.

There is preliminary evidence that quercetin inhibits the gastrointestinal P-glycoprotein efflux pump, which might increase the bioavailability and serum levels of drugs transported by the pump. A small study in healthy volunteers reported that pretreatment with quercetin increased bioavailability and plasma levels after a single dose of cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune). Also, two small studies have shown that quercetin might decrease the absorption of talinolol, a substrate transported by the gastrointestinal P-glycoprotein efflux pump. However, in another small study, several days of quercetin treatment did not significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of saquinavir (Invirase). The reason for these discrepancies is not entirely clear. Until more is known, use quercetin cautiously in combination with P-glycoprotein substrates.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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 gist with quercetin and vinblastine. Your body uses a little pump called P-glycoprotein to push vinblastine back out of cells and limit how much gets absorbed. Quercetin may partly block that pump, and the worry is that more vinblastine could end up in your bloodstream than expected.

Since vinblastine is a strong chemotherapy drug with real, dose-related side effects (think low blood counts, infection risk, nerve tingling or numbness, constipation, and mouth sores), even a modest bump in levels is something we don't want to gamble on. To be fair, this is mostly theoretical and based on small studies with other drugs, not vinblastine itself. Concentrated supplement doses are the concern, not the small amounts in food. Please clear any quercetin supplement with your oncology team first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. DiCenzo R, Frerichs V, Larppanichpoonphol P, et al. Effect of quercetin on the plasma and intracellular concentrations of saquinavir in healthy adults. Pharmacotherapy 2006;26:1255-61. PubMed
  2. Choi JS, Choi BC, Choi KE. Effect of quercetin on the pharmacokinetics of oral cyclosporine. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2004;61:2406-9. PubMed
  3. Choi JS, Jo BW, Kim YC. Enhanced paclitaxel bioavailability after oral administration of paclitaxel or prodrug to rats pretreated with quercetin. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2004;57:313-8. PubMed
  4. Wang SY, Duan KM, Li Y, et al. Effect of quercetin on P-glycoprotein transport ability in Chinese healthy subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr 2013;67(4):390-4. PubMed
  5. Nguyen MA, Staubach P, Wolffram S, Langguth P. Effect of single-dose and short-term administration of quercetin on the pharmacokinetics of talinolol in humans - Implications for the evaluation of transporter-mediated flavonoid-drug interactions. Eur J Pha PubMed
  6. Zhao Q, Wei J, Zhang H. Effects of quercetin on the pharmacokinetics of losartan and its metabolite EXP3174 in rats. Xenobiotica 2019;49(5):563-8. PubMed
  7. Bhutani P, Rajanna PK, Paul AT. Impact of quercetin on pharmacokinetics of quetiapine: insights from in-vivo studies in wistar rats. Xenobiotica. 2020:1-7.

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

Quercetin Also Interacts With Other Medications

Quercetin has 1,168 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Vinblastine one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 1,168 No known interaction 1,662 (incl. Vinblastine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Quercetin

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Vinblastine

This page covers Quercetin only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Vinblastine page lists 161 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 119 moderate · 39 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Vinblastine page

“Vinblastine (Velban) is intravenous chemotherapy, most often for lymphomas and testicular cancer, and its safety margin is thin enough that I treat every supplement on this list as a real question, not a formality. Of the 161 ingredients on file, three rate major, and those three deserve attention first: grapefruit and St.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Vinblastine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 4,589 real supplement products containing Quercetin, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Quercetin. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Vinblastine too, on top of Quercetin — 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 Quercetin and Vinblastine 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 Quercetin
Top 5%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Vinblastine
Steady interest

#1,893 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 Quercetin

What is Quercetin?

Quercetin
  • Seasonal allergies
  • Antioxidant support
  • Heart and blood pressure health
  • Anti-inflammatory support
  • Immune support
  • Exercise recovery

Quercetin is a plant flavonoid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties found in many common foods and sold as a supplement. While early research is interesting for allergies, blood pressure, and inflammation, strong human evidence is limited for most uses. It is generally well tolerated in food amounts, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking high-dose supplements.

Read the full Quercetin monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Vinblastine

What Is Vinblastine Used For?

Brand name: Velban

Vinblastine Sulfate Injection is used in the treatment of a range of cancers. Conditions that tend to respond well include generalized Hodgkin's disease, lymphocytic lymphoma, histiocytic lymphoma, advanced mycosis fungoides (a type of skin lymphoma), advanced testicular cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma, and Letterer-Siwe disease (a rare immune condition also called histiocytosis X).

It may also be used for cancers that respond less reliably, such as choriocarcinoma resistant to other chemotherapy drugs, and breast cancer that has not responded to hormonal therapy. Vinblastine is often given as part of a combination chemotherapy regimen alongside other cancer medicines to improve response rates.

See full Vinblastine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Quercetin

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

0Major
1,168Moderate
0Minor
1,661No known interaction
1,168 Moderate 1,661 No interaction
Moderate

1,168 interactions

Showing 60 of 1,168 moderate interactions — see all 1,168 on the Quercetin page.

No interaction 1,661 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,661 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Quercetin list.

See the full Quercetin interactions page
See every supplement checked against Vinblastine, 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
Quercetin monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Vinblastine supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Vinblastine, ranked by severity Vinblastine 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 Quercetin and Vinblastine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Quercetin with Vinblastine?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Quercetin and Vinblastine?
Vinblastine belongs to more than one drug category, and Quercetin interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Quercetin and Vinblastine 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 Vinblastine and Quercetin?

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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.