Drug & supplement interaction

Sea Buckthorn + Erlotinib

Erlotinib brand name: Tarceva.

No Known Interaction

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 27, 2026

The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Sea Buckthorn and Erlotinib 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 Erlotinib states a food rule worth keeping to, and the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Sea Buckthorn and Erlotinib

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 Erlotinib and Sea Buckthorn 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.

Sea Buckthorn safety at a glance

Sea Buckthorn overall Use caution Generally well tolerated as a food, but supplement safety has not been fully studied.

Pregnancy Use caution Food amounts are likely fine, but supplement doses are not well studied, so use caution and ask your doctor.

Breastfeeding Use caution Not enough reliable safety data on supplement use while breastfeeding; use caution.

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

Still wondering about combining Erlotinib and Sea Buckthorn? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›

How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Erlotinib

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Erlotinib is filed under 2 classifications — including oral drugs. Sea Buckthorn has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) and antihypertensive drugs (moderate) — and none of Erlotinib’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

Sea Buckthorn Does Interact With Other Medications

Sea Buckthorn has 289 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Erlotinib isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 289 No known interaction 2,541 (incl. Erlotinib)

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Sea Buckthorn

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Sea Buckthorn and Erlotinib May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

A skin rash / Itching reported in 10.6% of FDA reports for Erlotinib Additional detail
Sea Buckthorn
“Orally, high doses of sea buckthorn may cause yellow staining of the skin. One case of generalized yellow skin has been reported for a patient who consumed sea buckthorn 100 grams daily for 6 months. Topically, sea buckthorn oil has been associated with dryness, irritation, redness, and rash. Rash occurred in 4% of patients in one clinical study.”

Sea Buckthorn · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in pruritus.
4 sources cited

74072. Grad, S. C., Muresan, I., and Dumitrascu, D. L. Generalized yellow skin caused by high intake of sea buckthorn. Forsch.Komplementmed. 2012;19(3):153-156. PubMed

74077. Vlasov, V. V. [Hippophae oil in the treatment of superficial skin burns]. Vestn.Dermatol Venerol. 1970;44(6):69-72.

102845. Larmo P, Järvinen R, Laihia J, et al. Effects of a sea buckthorn oil spray emulsion on dry eye. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2019;42(4):428-433. PubMed

106089. De Seta F, Caruso S, Di Lorenzo G, Romano F, Mirandola M, Nappi RE. Efficacy and safety of a new vaginal gel for the treatment of symptoms associated with vulvovaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study. Ma PubMed
Erlotinib

Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Erlotinib, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Effects for Erlotinib come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Sea Buckthorn come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 12,441 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Erlotinib that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

How to take them

Some Erlotinib Products Have a Food Rule — Sea Buckthorn Should Not Break It

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

Recommended Dose – NSCLC The recommended daily dose of erlotinib tablets for NSCLC is 150 mg taken on an empty stomach, i.e., at least one hour before or two hours after the ingestion of food.

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

Overlapping uses

What Erlotinib Is Prescribed For, and What Sea Buckthorn Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Erlotinib is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Sea Buckthorn is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Erlotinib is prescribed for: Erlotinib treats metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) when the tumor has certain EGFR gene changes (exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R mutations), found by an FDA-approved test. It can be used first, as maintenance, or after at least one prior chemotherapy regimen has stopped working. Erlotinib is also used with gemcitabine as first-line treatment for locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer. These uses are listed for the erlotinib tablet products.

Sea Buckthorn has been studied for:

Cancer studied, not established Sea Buckthorn has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

Sea Buckthorn for cancer

Although there is interest in using oral sea buckthorn for reducing morbidity related to cancer and side effects related to chemotherapy, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of sea buckthorn for these uses.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Erlotinib on your own; if you are taking Sea Buckthorn for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Erlotinib

This page covers Sea Buckthorn only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Erlotinib page lists 18 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

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

By severity: 1 major · 8 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Erlotinib page

“Activated charcoal is the entry I would flag first for anyone taking erlotinib (Tarceva), an oral targeted therapy for certain lung cancers. Charcoal can adsorb the drug in the gut and cut how much reaches the bloodstream, and with a cancer pill, less absorbed means less cancer fought.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Erlotinib interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 253 real supplement products containing Sea Buckthorn, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Sea Buckthorn. Even though Sea Buckthorn itself has no known interaction with Erlotinib, 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 Sea Buckthorn and Erlotinib 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 Sea Buckthorn

Top 25%

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

29 days ago today

Medication Erlotinib

Top half

#1,136 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 Sea Buckthorn reference on this page ↓
Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 27, 2026. The Sea Buckthorn and Erlotinib records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 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 Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS.

Supplement

About Sea Buckthorn

What is Sea Buckthorn?

Skin health and dryness
Dry eye symptoms
Digestive complaints
Heart and cholesterol support
General antioxidant and immune support

Sea buckthorn is a berry-bearing shrub rich in vitamins, carotenoids, and fatty acids that people use for skin, eye, digestive, and heart health. Early research is promising for a few uses like dry skin and dry eye, but most claims are not yet proven. It is generally well tolerated as a food, but talk to your pharmacist before using concentrated supplements.

Hippophae rhamnoides · Elaeagnaceae · Berries (fruit), seeds, seed and fruit oil, and sometimes leaves · Capsules, softgels, oil (seed or fruit), juice, powder, teas, topical creams and ointments

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

Sea Buckthorn: dosing

There is no official or standardized dose of sea buckthorn. The right amount depends on the product, its form (oil, capsule, juice, or powder), and how it is concentrated.The best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Sea Buckthorn monograph & all interactions

Medication

About Erlotinib

What Is Erlotinib Used For?

Brand name: Tarceva

Erlotinib treats metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) when the tumor has certain EGFR gene changes (exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R mutations), found by an FDA-approved test. It can be used first, as maintenance, or after at least one prior chemotherapy regimen has stopped working.

Erlotinib is also used with gemcitabine as first-line treatment for locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic pancreatic cancer. These uses are listed for the erlotinib tablet products.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Erlotinib

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (12,441 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Diarrhea 1,339 reports

Rash 1,317 reports

Malignant neoplasm progression 890 reports

Fatigue 718 reports

Nausea 696 reports

See full Erlotinib drug information

Keep checking

Other Drugs & Sea Buckthorn

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

0Major

289Moderate

0Minor

2,540No known interaction

289 Moderate 2,540 No interaction

Moderate

289 interactions

Showing 60 of 289 moderate interactions — see all 289 on the Sea Buckthorn page.

No interaction 2,540 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,540 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Sea Buckthorn list.

See the full Sea Buckthorn interactions page

See every supplement checked against Erlotinib, ranked by severity

Evidence & sources

Sea Buckthorn References

The 7 references that drive our Sea Buckthorn 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.

Johansson AK, Korte H, Yang B, et al. Sea buckthorn berry oil inhibits platelet aggregation. J Nutr Biochem 2000;11:491-5.. PubMed
Grad, S. C., Muresan, I., and Dumitrascu, D. L. Generalized yellow skin caused by high intake of sea buckthorn. Forsch.Komplementmed. 2012;19(3):153-156. PubMed
Vlasov, V. V. [Hippophae oil in the treatment of superficial skin burns]. Vestn.Dermatol Venerol. 1970;44(6):69-72.
Chang BB, Wang F Xu TY Zhang QQ He J Zhang XJ Li J. Total flavones of Hippophae rhamnoides L. for essential hypertension: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Chinese Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine. 2009;9(11):1207-1213. DOI
Olas B, Kontek B, Szczesna M, et al. Inhibition of blood platelet adhesion by phenolics rich fraction of Hippophae rhamnoides L. fruits. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2017;68(2):223-9.
Larmo P, Järvinen R, Laihia J, et al. Effects of a sea buckthorn oil spray emulsion on dry eye. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2019;42(4):428-433. PubMed
De Seta F, Caruso S, Di Lorenzo G, Romano F, Mirandola M, Nappi RE. Efficacy and safety of a new vaginal gel for the treatment of symptoms associated with vulvovaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women: A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study. Ma 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 Sea Buckthorn and Erlotinib Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Sea Buckthorn with Erlotinib?

We do not list a known interaction between Sea Buckthorn and Erlotinib. 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.

Do Sea Buckthorn and Erlotinib have any of the same side effects?

Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 2 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.

Should I take Sea Buckthorn and Erlotinib at the same time of day?

At least one FDA label for a product containing Erlotinib 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 Erlotinib on its own and move Sea Buckthorn 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.

Are Sea Buckthorn and Erlotinib used for the same thing?

They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Sea Buckthorn in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Erlotinib is being adjusted to a target.

How was the Sea Buckthorn and Erlotinib combination checked?

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Erlotinib is filed under 2 classifications, and Sea Buckthorn has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Erlotinib'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 Sea Buckthorn interact with any other medications?

Yes. Sea Buckthorn has 289 documented drug interactions in our database — Erlotinib 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 Erlotinib interact with any supplements?

Yes. Erlotinib has documented interactions with 18 supplements in our database — Sea Buckthorn is not one of them. The Erlotinib 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

Sea Buckthorn monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Erlotinib drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Erlotinib supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Erlotinib, 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 7 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Erlotinib and Sea Buckthorn?

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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.