Drug & supplement interaction

Rose Hip + Busulfan

Busulfan brand names: Myleran, Busulfex.

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

Rose Hip has a moderate interaction with Busulfan. Theoretically, the antioxidant effects of rose hip might reduce the effectiveness of alkylating agents but might also reduce the oxidative damage caused by certain alkylating agents.

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

Rose Hip and Busulfan

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

Moderate

ALKYLATING AGENTS

Why this applies to Busulfan

Busulfan falls under ALKYLATING AGENTS — the group Rose Hip interacts with.

Theoretically, the antioxidant effects of rose hip might reduce the effectiveness of alkylating agents but might also reduce the oxidative damage caused by certain alkylating agents.
Rose hip contains vitamin C. The use of antioxidants like vitamin C during chemotherapy is controversial. There is concern that antioxidants could reduce the activity of chemotherapy drugs that generate free radicals, such as cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil, carmustine, busulfan, and thiotepa. In contrast, some researchers theorize that antioxidants might make chemotherapy more effective by reducing oxidative stress that could interfere with apoptosis (cell death) of cancer cells. Further, some animal research suggests that the antioxidant effects of rose hip might attenuate cyclophosphamide-induced testicular toxicity. More evidence is needed to determine what effect, if any, antioxidants found in rose hip, such as vitamin C, have on the effectiveness and adverse effects of chemotherapy.
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 honest picture with rose hip and busulfan. Busulfan is a serious chemotherapy drug for leukemia, and part of how some chemo works is by creating cellular stress that helps kill cancer cells. Rose hip is loaded with vitamin C and other antioxidants, which do the opposite, they mop up those reactive molecules. So the worry is mostly theoretical: in the lab, antioxidants might blunt the cancer-killing punch of drugs like busulfan.

I want to be clear, this is theory, not proven in people, and researchers honestly disagree on it. But with a drug this important, I wouldn't gamble. Eating rose hip as an occasional food is unlikely to matter; concentrated supplements are the concern. Please loop in your oncology team or pharmacist before adding any antioxidant supplement during treatment.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Labriola D, Livingston R. Possible interactions between dietary antioxidants and chemotherapy. Oncology 1999;13:1003-8.
  2. Prasad KN. Rationale for using high-dose multiple dietary antioxidants as an adjunct to radiation therapy and chemotherapy. J Nutr 2004;134:3182S-3S. PubMed
  3. Conklin KA. Cancer chemotherapy and antioxidants. J Nutr 2004;134:3201S-3204S. PubMed
  4. Parandin R, Ghowsi M, Dadbod A. Protective effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Rosa canina L. fruit on cyclophosphamide-induced testicular toxicity in mice. Avicenna J Phytomed 2023;13(1):7-17.

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

Rose Hip Also Interacts With Other Medications

Rose Hip has 212 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Busulfan one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 212 No known interaction 2,618 (incl. Busulfan)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Rose Hip

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Busulfan

This page covers Rose Hip only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Busulfan page lists 148 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 Acerola (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 104 moderate · 41 minor.

Open the Busulfan interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 273 real supplement products containing Rose Hip, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Rose Hip. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Busulfan too, on top of Rose Hip — 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 Rose Hip and Busulfan 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 Rose Hip
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Busulfan
Top half

#1,398 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 Rose Hip

What is Rose Hip?

Rose Hip
  • Joint pain and osteoarthritis
  • Colds and flu
  • Source of vitamin C
  • Digestive complaints
  • Anti-inflammatory support

Rose hip is the vitamin C–rich fruit of the wild rose, used traditionally for colds and joint pain. A standardized rose hip powder has some research support for easing osteoarthritis symptoms, but evidence for most other uses is limited. It is generally well tolerated as a food, but talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it as a supplement.

Read the full Rose Hip monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Busulfan

What Is Busulfan Used For?

Brand names: Myleran, Busulfex

Busulfan is used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. The specific use depends on the form and product.

Myleran (oral tablet) is used for the palliative treatment of CML — meaning it helps control the disease and relieve symptoms. The intravenous injection forms (Busulfex and Busulfan Injection) are used in combination with another chemotherapy drug, cyclophosphamide, as a conditioning regimen to prepare the body before an allogeneic hematopoietic progenitor cell transplant (a bone marrow or stem cell transplant from a donor) for CML.

See full Busulfan drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Rose Hip

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

0Major
212Moderate
0Minor
2,617No known interaction
212 Moderate 2,617 No interaction
Moderate

212 interactions

Showing 60 of 212 moderate interactions — see all 212 on the Rose Hip page.

No interaction 2,617 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,617 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Rose Hip list.

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

Can you take Rose Hip with Busulfan?
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 Rose Hip and Busulfan 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

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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.