Drug & supplement interaction

Shea Butter + Mesalamine

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

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

We found no known interaction between Shea Butter 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

Shea Butter 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 Shea Butter 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.

Worth understanding: our licensed dataset holds no drug-interaction record for Shea Butter at all — not against Mesalamine, and not against any other medication we track. This verdict therefore rests on the absence of any recorded data, not on research that looked at this combination and found nothing. We cannot rule an interaction out.

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.

Shea Butter safety at a glance

Shea Butter overall Generally safe Topical shea butter is generally well tolerated by most people.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used in amounts commonly found in foods. Shea butter has Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US. There is insufficient reliable information a... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used in amounts commonly found in foods. Shea butter has Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US. There is insufficient reliable information a... Read the full breastfeeding detail

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 Shea Butter? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Mesalamine’s Own FDA Label Lists

This is not an interaction — none of it involves Shea Butter. These are the most notable effects listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of Mesalamine’s own FDA label, for the medication by itself. Knowing the drug’s own list makes it easier to work out the likely cause if something new turns up while you take both. 6 of them are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Kidney stones Worth acting on
  • Kidney problems Worth acting on
  • Anemia Worth acting on
  • Liver problems Worth acting on
  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on
  • An allergic reaction Worth acting on
  • Sun sensitivity
  • Bloating or gas
  • Stomach pain
  • Diarrhea

Showing the 10 most notable of 12 label-listed effects — ranked by how unusual each one is across medicines generally, with serious effects weighted up.

From the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Mesalamine. Read the label on DailyMed › Shea Butter’s licensed record lists no adverse effects our clinical vocabulary could match, so there is no Shea Butter side to compare — that is a limit of the record, not a statement that Shea Butter has no side effects.

Special populations

Shea Butter in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used in amounts commonly found in foods. Shea butter has Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status in the US. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of shea butter when used in medicinal amounts during pregnancy and lactation; avoid using.

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 — Shea Butter Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Mesalamine says to take it with food. If you take Shea Butter 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. 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Shea Butter 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 Shea Butter 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 Shea Butter 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

How much people look this up

Where Shea Butter 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 Shea Butter
Steady interest

#1,408 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Mesalamine
Top 25%

#453 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 Shea Butter reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Shea Butter and Mesalamine records this page draws on were last updated June 22, 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 Shea Butter

What is Shea Butter?

  • Dry skin and moisturizing
  • Soothing minor skin irritation
  • Lip and cuticle care
  • Hair and scalp conditioning
  • Reducing the look of stretch marks or scars
  • Massage and cosmetic use

Shea butter is a plant fat from the African shea tree that is widely used as a skin and hair moisturizer. It is generally considered safe for most people when applied to the skin, but most of its beauty and health claims have only limited scientific proof. It is meant for external use, not for swallowing as a supplement.

Vitellaria paradoxa · Sapotaceae · Fat extracted from the nut (seed kernel) · Raw (unrefined) butter, refined butter, lotions, creams, balms, soaps, lip balms

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

Shea Butter: dosing

There is no standardized dose for shea butter because it is used as a topical cosmetic, not a measured medicine. Most people simply apply a small amount to the skin or hair as needed and rub it in.Follow the directions on the product label, and start with a small amount to see how your skin responds.

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

Read the full Shea Butter 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 & Shea Butter

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

0Major
0Moderate
0Minor
2,829No known interaction
2,829 No interaction
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,829 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Shea Butter list.

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

Shea Butter References

The 5 references that drive our Shea Butter 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. Tella, A. Preliminary studies on nasal decongestant activity from the seed of the shea butter tree, Butyrospermum parkii. Br J Clin Pharmacol 1979;7(5):495-497. PubMed
  2. Title 21 - Food and Drugs. Part 184. Direct food substances affirmed as generally recognized as safe. Subpart B - Listings of specific substances affirmed as GRAS. Section 184.1702 - Sheanut oil. Available at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/CFR-2000-tit
  3. Hon KL, Tsang YC, Pong NH, et al. Patient acceptability, efficacy, and skin biophysiology of a cream and cleanser containing lipid complex with shea butter extract versus a ceramide product for eczema. Hong Kong Med J. 2015;21(5):417-25. PubMed
  4. Jirabundansuk P, Ophaswongse S, Udompataikul M. Comparative trial of moisturizer containing spent grain wax, Butyrospermum parkii extract, Argania spinosa kernel oil vs. 1% hydrocortisone cream in the treatment of childhood atopic dermatitis. J Med Assoc
  5. Kofi Amegah A, Brahuah E, Stranges S. Cooking with shea butter is associated with lower blood pressure in the Ghanaian population. Int J Vitam Nutr Res 2019:1-11. [Epub ahead of print] 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 Shea Butter and Mesalamine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Shea Butter with Mesalamine?
We do not list a known interaction between Shea Butter 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 Shea Butter 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 Shea Butter 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.
Does Mesalamine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Mesalamine has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Shea Butter 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

Shea Butter 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 5 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Mesalamine and Shea Butter?

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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.