Drug & supplement interaction

Sorrel + Gemcitabine

Gemcitabine brand name: Gemzar.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Sorrel and Gemcitabine 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 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

Sorrel and Gemcitabine

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 Gemcitabine and Sorrel 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.

Sorrel safety at a glance

Sorrel overall Use caution Generally safe as a food in normal amounts, but high oxalate content can be a concern with large or concentrated doses.
Pregnancy Possibly Safe When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of sorrel used in medicinal amounts d... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Possibly Safe When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of sorrel used in medicinal amounts d... 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.

Pharmacist analysis

Sorrel has few documented, clinically significant, drug interactions. Preliminary research in animals indicates it may interact with antiplatelet drugs and drugs that are a substrate for transporter proteins known as OATPs (Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptides).

It is unlikely sorrel has clinically significant drug interactions, and there is no known drug interaction between the drug in this monograph and sorrel. As always however, be sure to let your doctor know about all the medications you are taking so you can be appropriately monitored.

—

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

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Gemcitabine

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Gemcitabine is filed under 2 classifications — antineoplastics, hepatotoxic drugs. Sorrel has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate), fexofenadine (allegra) (moderate) and organic anion-transporting polypeptide substrates (oatp) (moderate) — and none of Gemcitabine’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

Sorrel Does Interact With Other Medications

Sorrel has 169 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Gemcitabine isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 169 No known interaction 2,661 (incl. Gemcitabine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Sorrel

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Sorrel and Gemcitabine 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. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Kidney problems Worth acting on Additional detail

    Sorrel

    “Sorrel contains oxalates; irolithiasis and nephrosis may be caused by the systemic absorption of oxalates and may result in kidney damage. A case of acute tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN) has been reported in a 12-year-old who consumed an unknown amount of wild sorrel. The patient presented with polyuria, hypophosphatemia, proteinuria, glucosuria, and hyperoxaluria.”

    Sorrel · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in hypophosphatemia.

    2 sources cited
    1. 71314. Sanz, P. and Reig, R. Clinical and pathological findings in fatal plant oxalosis. A review. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 1992;13(4):342-345. PubMed
    2. 94019. Selçuk SN, Gülhan B, Düzova A, Teksam Ö. Acute tubulointerstitial nephritis due to large amount of sorrel (Rumex acetosa) intake. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2015;53(5):497. PubMed

    Gemcitabine

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Gemcitabine. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Nausea reported in 4.9% of FDA reports for Gemcitabine Additional detail

    Sorrel

    “Orally, sorrel, when used in combination with other herbs, has been reported to cause gastrointestinal side effects including nausea and an unpleasant aftertaste.”

    Sorrel · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in nausea and vomiting.

    3 sources cited
    1. 374. Neubauer N, Marz RW. Placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, clincal trial with Sinupret sugar coated tablets on the basis of a therapy with antibiotics and decongestant nasal drops in acute sinusitis. Phytomedicine 1994;1:177-81.
    2. 379. Marz RW, Ismail C, Popp MA. Action profile and efficacy of a herbal combination preparation for the treatment of sinusitis. Wien Med Wochenschr 1999;149:202-8.
    3. 37419. Zick, S. M., Sen, A., Feng, Y., Green, J., Olatunde, S., and Boon, H. Trial of Essiac to ascertain its effect in women with breast cancer (TEA-BC). J Altern Complement Med 2006;12(10):971-980. PubMed

    Gemcitabine

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

Reported for Sorrel but not commonly for Gemcitabine: a stuffy or runny nose, passing urine more often and wheezing.

Effects for Gemcitabine come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Sorrel come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 53,020 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Gemcitabine 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.

Special populations

Sorrel in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Possibly Safe

When used orally in amounts commonly found in foods. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of sorrel 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

Overlapping uses

What Gemcitabine Is Prescribed For, and What Sorrel Has Been Studied For

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

Gemcitabine is prescribed for: Gemcitabine Injection (available as Avgemsi, Gemcitabine, and Infugem) is used to treat several types of cancer. It is given in combination with carboplatin for advanced ovarian cancer that has returned at least 6 months after platinum-based treatment, and in combination with paclitaxel as a first-line treatment for metastatic breast cancer after prior chemotherapy with an anthracycline (a specific class of chemo drug). It is also given in combination with cisplatin for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that cannot be removed surgically or has spread. For pancreatic cancer that is locally advanced or has spread, it is used as a single agent — including in patients who have already been treated with fluorouracil.

Sorrel has been studied for:

  • Breast cancer studied, not established Sorrel has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Sorrel for breast cancer

    Oral sorrel has only been evaluated in combination with other ingredients; its effect when used alone is unclear.

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 Gemcitabine on your own; if you are taking Sorrel for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Sorrel or Gemcitabine

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

This page covers Sorrel only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Gemcitabine page lists 39 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Beer (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Wine (major), Ashwagandha (moderate) and Black Cohosh (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 35 moderate · 1 minor.

Open the Gemcitabine interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 224 real supplement products containing Sorrel, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Sorrel. Even though Sorrel itself has no known interaction with Gemcitabine, 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 Sorrel and Gemcitabine 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 Sorrel
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Gemcitabine
Steady interest

#2,221 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 Sorrel reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Sorrel and Gemcitabine 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 .
Supplement

About Sorrel

What is Sorrel?

Sorrel
  • Sinus and respiratory congestion
  • Digestive upset
  • Fever
  • Skin conditions and inflammation
  • Antioxidant support

Sorrel is a tangy, leafy herb used in cooking and traditional medicine, often for congestion, digestion, and inflammation. Solid human evidence for any health benefit is limited, and its high oxalate content means it should be used in moderation, especially by people prone to kidney stones.

Rumex acetosa · Polygonaceae · Leaves (and sometimes whole aerial parts) · Fresh leaves in cooking, tea, dried herb, tincture, and as an ingredient in some herbal combination products

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

Sorrel: dosing

There is no well-established standardized medicinal dose for sorrel. As a food, it is used in normal culinary amounts.When sorrel appears in herbal supplement products, the amount varies by brand. Follow the directions on the product label and do not exceed the recommended dose. Because of the oxalate concern, it is wise to avoid taking large amounts over long periods.

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

Read the full Sorrel monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Gemcitabine Injection

What Is Gemcitabine Injection Used For?

Brand name: Gemzar

Gemcitabine Injection (available as Avgemsi, Gemcitabine, and Infugem) is used to treat several types of cancer. It is given in combination with carboplatin for advanced ovarian cancer that has returned at least 6 months after platinum-based treatment, and in combination with paclitaxel as a first-line treatment for metastatic breast cancer after prior chemotherapy with an anthracycline (a specific class of chemo drug).

It is also given in combination with cisplatin for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that cannot be removed surgically or has spread. For pancreatic cancer that is locally advanced or has spread, it is used as a single agent — including in patients who have already been treated with fluorouracil.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Gemcitabine

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (53,020 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Disease progression 4,850 reports
Thrombocytopenia 3,706 reports
Neutropenia 3,295 reports
Anemia 3,084 reports
Malignant neoplasm progression 2,912 reports
See full Gemcitabine Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Sorrel

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

0Major
169Moderate
0Minor
2,660No known interaction
169 Moderate 2,660 No interaction
Moderate

169 interactions

Showing 60 of 169 moderate interactions — see all 169 on the Sorrel page.

No interaction 2,660 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,660 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Sorrel list.

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

Sorrel References

The 8 references that drive our Sorrel 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. Neubauer N, Marz RW. Placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, clincal trial with Sinupret sugar coated tablets on the basis of a therapy with antibiotics and decongestant nasal drops in acute sinusitis. Phytomedicine 1994;1:177-81.
  2. Marz RW, Ismail C, Popp MA. Action profile and efficacy of a herbal combination preparation for the treatment of sinusitis. Wien Med Wochenschr 1999;149:202-8.
  3. Zick, S. M., Sen, A., Feng, Y., Green, J., Olatunde, S., and Boon, H. Trial of Essiac to ascertain its effect in women with breast cancer (TEA-BC). J Altern Complement Med 2006;12(10):971-980. PubMed
  4. Sanz, P. and Reig, R. Clinical and pathological findings in fatal plant oxalosis. A review. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 1992;13(4):342-345. PubMed
  5. Gniazdowska, B., Doroszewska, G., and Doroszewski, W. [Hypersensitivity to weed pollen allergens in the region of Bygdoszcz]. Pneumonol.Alergol.Pol. 1993;61(7-8):367-372.
  6. Selçuk SN, Gülhan B, Düzova A, Teksam Ö. Acute tubulointerstitial nephritis due to large amount of sorrel (Rumex acetosa) intake. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2015;53(5):497. PubMed
  7. Ahn JH, Kim J, Rehman NU, Kim HJ, Ahn MJ, Chung HJ. Effect of Rumex Acetosa Extract, a Herbal Drug, on the Absorption of Fexofenadine. Pharmaceutics. 2020;12(6):E547. PubMed
  8. Jeong D, Irfan M, Lee DH, Hong SB, Oh JW, Rhee MH. Rumex acetosa modulates platelet function and inhibits thrombus formation in rats. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2020;20(1):98. 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 Sorrel and Gemcitabine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Sorrel with Gemcitabine?
We do not list a known interaction between Sorrel and Gemcitabine. 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 Sorrel and Gemcitabine 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.
Are Sorrel and Gemcitabine 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 Sorrel in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Gemcitabine is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Sorrel and Gemcitabine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Gemcitabine is filed under 2 classifications, and Sorrel has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Gemcitabine'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 Sorrel interact with any other medications?
Yes. Sorrel has 169 documented drug interactions in our database — Gemcitabine 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 Gemcitabine interact with any supplements?
Yes. Gemcitabine has documented interactions with 39 supplements in our database — Sorrel is not one of them. The Gemcitabine 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

Sorrel monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Gemcitabine Injection drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Gemcitabine supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Gemcitabine, 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 8 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Gemcitabine and Sorrel?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

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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.