Drug & supplement interaction

Schisandra + Mesalamine

Mesalamine brand names: Pentasa, Asacol, Canasa, Rowasa, Lialda, and others.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Schisandra and Mesalamine 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 Mesalamine states a food rule worth keeping to.

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Interaction report

Schisandra and Mesalamine

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 Mesalamine and Schisandra 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.

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.

Schisandra safety at a glance

Schisandra overall Use caution Generally well tolerated short term in healthy adults, but high-quality safety data are limited.
Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe When used orally. Some evidence suggests schisandra fruit is a uterine stimulant. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Avoid There is not enough reliable safety information, so avoid it while breastfeeding.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Mesalamine and Schisandra? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Mesalamine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Mesalamine is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. Schisandra has documented interactions with 12 drug classes — the most serious being cyclophosphamide (moderate), cyclosporine (neoral, sandimmune) (moderate) and cytochrome p450 2c19 (cyp2c19) substrates (moderate) — and none of Mesalamine’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Schisandra Does Interact With Other Medications

Schisandra has 803 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Mesalamine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 803 No known interaction 2,027 (incl. Mesalamine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Schisandra

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

What to actually watch for

What Schisandra Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Mesalamine. It is the side-effect record for Schisandra on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Schisandra, this list is the first place to look. One entry is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Hives Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Orally, schisandra can cause urticaria in some patients (11).”

    Schisandra · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in urticaria.

    1 source cited
    1. 11. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
  • Heartburn / Reduced appetite / Stomach upset Additional detail

    “Orally, schisandra can cause heartburn, decreased appetite, and stomach upset (11).”

    Schisandra · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dyspepsia.

    1 source cited
    1. 11. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Schisandra — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We read the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Mesalamine’s FDA label too, and the two lists don’t meaningfully overlap — which is why no Mesalamine column appears here.

Special populations

Schisandra in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe

When used orally. Some evidence suggests schisandra fruit is a uterine stimulant.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

How to take them

Some Mesalamine Products Have a Food Rule — Schisandra Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Mesalamine says to take it with food. If you take Schisandra on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Mesalamine with a meal where the label says to.

This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Mesalamine 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.

( 2 ) Administer mesalamine delayed-release tablets with food.

From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Mesalamine — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. See the Mesalamine drug page ›

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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Schisandra or Mesalamine

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Schisandra or Mesalamine, 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 Mesalamine

This page covers Schisandra only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Mesalamine page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Mesalamine page

“Activated charcoal is the one entry here I would treat as a genuine problem for anyone taking mesalamine (Asacol, Lialda, Pentasa, and others). It is the lone major-rated interaction among the 17 on file, because charcoal soaks up drugs in the gut and can pull mesalamine out of the picture before it does its job.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Mesalamine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 2,577 real supplement products containing Schisandra, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Schisandra. Even though Schisandra itself has no known interaction with Mesalamine, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Schisandra and Mesalamine 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 Schisandra
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Mesalamine
Top half

#739 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.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Schisandra reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Schisandra and Mesalamine records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 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 Schisandra

What is Schisandra?

Schisandra
  • Fatigue and low energy
  • Stress and adaptogen support
  • Liver health
  • Mental focus and performance
  • Menopause symptoms
  • Respiratory complaints

Schisandra is a traditional Chinese medicine berry used as an adaptogen for stress, fatigue, and liver support. Human evidence is limited and most claims are not well proven, but it appears reasonably well tolerated by most healthy adults when used short term. Pregnant and breastfeeding people should avoid it, and anyone with a health condition should check with a pharmacist or doctor first.

Schisandra chinensis · Schisandraceae · Dried ripe fruit (berries) · Capsules, tablets, dried berries, tea, tinctures, liquid extracts, powders

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

Schisandra: dosing

There is no official, well-established standard dose of schisandra. The right amount depends on the product, the form (berries, extract, tincture, or capsule), and how it is standardized.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Schisandra monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Mesalamine

What Is Mesalamine Used For?

Brand names: Pentasa, Asacol, Canasa, Rowasa, Lialda, Delzicol

Mesalamine is used to treat mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis — a condition where the lining of the large intestine becomes inflamed and ulcerated. Depending on the product and formulation, it can be used to bring the disease under control (induction of remission) and/or to keep it from coming back (maintenance of remission).

Different products target different parts of the lower digestive tract. Oral forms (tablets and capsules) treat the colon more broadly. Rectal forms — including enemas (ROWASA, sfROWASA, mesalamine rectal suspension) — are used for distal ulcerative colitis, proctosigmoiditis, or proctitis (inflammation limited to the lower end of the colon or rectum). Rectal suppositories (CANASA, mesalamine rectal suppositories) are specifically for ulcerative proctitis (inflammation of the rectum only).

See full Mesalamine drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Schisandra

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

0Major
803Moderate
0Minor
2,026No known interaction
803 Moderate 2,026 No interaction
Moderate

803 interactions

Showing 60 of 803 moderate interactions — see all 803 on the Schisandra page.

No interaction 2,026 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,026 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Schisandra list.

See the full Schisandra interactions page
See every supplement checked against Mesalamine, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Schisandra References

The 26 references that drive our Schisandra monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. 2nd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
  2. Iwata H, Tezuka Y, Kadota S, et al. Identification and characterization of potent CYP3A4 inhibitors in Schisandra fruit extract. Drug Metab Dispos 2004;32:1351-8. PubMed
  3. Mu Y, Zhang J, Zhang S, et al. Traditional Chinese medicines Wu Wei Zi (Schisandra chinensis Baill) and Gan Cao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch) activate pregnane X receptor and increase warfarin clearance in rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2006;316:1369-77. PubMed
  4. Xin HW, Wu XC, Li Q, et al. Effects of Schisandra sphenanthera extract on the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus in healthy volunteers. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2007;64:469-75.
  5. Qin XL, Bi HC, Wang XD, et al. Mechanistic understanding of the different effects of Wuhzi Tablet (Schisandra sphenanthera extract) on the absorption and first-pass intestinal and hepatic metabolism of tacrolimus (FK506). Int J Pharm 2010;389:114-21.
  6. Makino, T., Mizuno, F., and Mizukami, H. Does a kampo medicine containing schisandra fruit affect pharmacokinetics of nifedipine like grapefruit juice? Biol.Pharm.Bull. 2006;29(10):2065-2069. PubMed
  7. Fan L, Mao XQ, Tao GY, Wang G, Jiang F, Chen Y, Li Q, Zhang W, Lei HP, Hu DL, Huang YF, Wang D, Zhou HH. Effect of Schisandra chinensis extract and Ginkgo biloba extract on the pharmacokinetics of talinolol in healthy volunteers. Xenobiotica. 2009 Mar;39(
  8. Jiang W, Wang X, Xu X, Kong L. Effect of Schisandra sphenanthera extract on the concentration of tacrolimus in the blood of liver transplant patients. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Mar;48(3):224-9. PubMed
  9. Xin HW, Wu XC, Li Q, Yu AR, Xiong L. Effects of Schisandra sphenanthera extract on the pharmacokinetics of midazolam in healthy volunteers. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2009 May;67(5):541-6.
  10. Li J, Chen S, Qin X, et at. Wuzhi Tablet (<i>Schisandra sphenanthera</i> Extract) is a Promising Tacrolimus-Sparing Agent for Renal Transplant Recipients Who are CYP3A5 Expressers: a Two-Phase Prospective Study. Drug Metab Dispos. 2017;45(11):1114-1119.
  11. Qin XL, Li JL, Wang SH, Chen X, Huang M, Bi HC. Co-administration of Wuzhi tablet (Schisandra sphenanthera extract) alters tacrolimus pharmacokinetics in a dose- and time-dependent manner in rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2020;263:113233. PubMed
  12. Yuan F, Liang X, Chen X, Qin X, Tan C, Wang L. CYP2C19 is involved in the effect of Wuzhi tablet (Schisandra sphenanthera extract) and its constituents on the pharmacokinetics of intravenous voriconazole. Pharmazie. 2020;75(11):559-564. DOI
  13. Zhang Z, Lu X, Dong L, Ma J, Fan X. Clinical observation on the effect of Wuzhi soft capsule on FK506 concentration in membranous nephropathy patients. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019;98(48):e18150. PubMed
  14. Yoo HH, Lee M, Lee MW, Lim SY, Shin J, Kim DH. Effects of Schisandra lignans on P-glycoprotein-mediated drug efflux in human intestinal Caco-2. Planta Med. 2007;73(5):444-50.
  15. Qiangrong P, Wang T, Lu Q, Hu X. Schisandrin B--a novel inhibitor of P-glycoprotein. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005;335(2):406-11. PubMed

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 Schisandra and Mesalamine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Schisandra with Mesalamine?
We do not list a known interaction between Schisandra and Mesalamine. 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 Schisandra and Mesalamine at the same time of day?
At least one FDA label for a product containing Mesalamine says to take it with food. If you take Schisandra on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate and take Mesalamine with a meal where the label says to. Food instructions belong to the product rather than the ingredient — two Mesalamine products can differ — so check the directions on your own box. This is about absorption, not an interaction.
How was the Schisandra and Mesalamine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Mesalamine is filed under 1 classification, and Schisandra has documented interactions with 12 drug classes — none of Mesalamine's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Schisandra interact with any other medications?
Yes. Schisandra has 803 documented drug interactions in our database — Mesalamine is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Mesalamine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Mesalamine has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Schisandra is not one of them. The Mesalamine 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

Schisandra monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Mesalamine drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Mesalamine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Mesalamine, 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 26 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Mesalamine and Schisandra?

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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.