Drug & supplement interaction

Spinach + Mesalamine

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

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Spinach 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

Spinach 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 Spinach 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.

Spinach safety at a glance

Spinach overall Generally safe Spinach is safe and nutritious as a food for most people.
Pregnancy Likely Safe When used in amounts commonly found in foods; avoid medicinal amounts. Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Likely Safe When used in amounts commonly found in foods; avoid medicinal amounts. 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 Spinach? 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. Spinach has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate) and warfarin (coumadin) (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

Spinach Does Interact With Other Medications

Spinach has 88 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.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Spinach

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

What to actually watch for

What Spinach Itself Has Been Linked To

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

  • Wheezing Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Lung inflammation associated with allergic alveolitis has been reported after inhalation of spinach powder. The powder has also been reported to induce occupational asthma in a spinach factory worker.”

    Spinach · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in asthma.

    2 sources cited
    1. 75871. Schreiber, J., Muller, E., Becker, W. M., Zabel, P., Schlaak, M., and Amthor, M. [Spinach powder-induced exogenous allergic alveolitis]. Pneumologie 1998;52(1):61-65.
    2. 75833. Schuller, A., Morisset, M., Maadi, F., Kolopp Sarda, M. N., Fremont, S., Parisot, L., Kanny, G., and Moneret-Vautrin, D. A. Occupational asthma due to allergy to spinach powder in a pasta factory. Allergy 2005;60(3):408-409. PubMed
  • A skin rash Additional detail

    “Topically, contact dermatitis has been reported from spinach in a 54-year-old female farmer.”

    Spinach · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    1 source cited
    1. 41757. Roller, E., Meller, S., Homey, B., Ruzicka, T., and Neumann, N. J. [Contact dermatitis caused by spinach, hedge mustard and chives]. Hautarzt 2003;54(4):374-375.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Spinach — 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

Spinach in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy And Lactation Likely Safe

When used in amounts commonly found in foods; avoid medicinal amounts.

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 — Spinach Should Not Break It

At least one FDA label for a product containing Mesalamine says to take it with food. If you take Spinach 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 Spinach 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 Spinach 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 Spinach 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 Spinach as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 3,925 real supplement products containing Spinach, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Spinach. Even though Spinach 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 Spinach 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 Spinach
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Mesalamine
Top half

#713 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 Spinach reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Spinach and Mesalamine 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 Spinach

What is Spinach?

  • General nutrition and antioxidant support
  • Eye health
  • Heart health and blood pressure
  • Athletic performance
  • Constipation and digestive support

Spinach is a nutrient-dense leafy green that is a healthy part of a balanced diet, providing vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. While it is very safe as a food, concentrated supplements and extracts are far less studied, and most specific health claims are not strongly proven. People prone to kidney stones or taking blood thinners should be mindful of its oxalate and vitamin K content.

Spinacia oleracea · Amaranthaceae · Leaves · Fresh or cooked leaves, powders, juice, capsules, and extracts

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

Spinach: dosing

There is no official standardized dose for spinach. As a food, it can be enjoyed in normal serving sizes as part of a balanced diet.For supplements such as powders, capsules, or extracts, a proven dose has not been established. More is not always better, especially given spinach's oxalate and vitamin K content.

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

Read the full Spinach 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 & Spinach

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

0Major
88Moderate
0Minor
2,741No known interaction
Moderate

88 interactions

Showing 60 of 88 moderate interactions — see all 88 on the Spinach page.

No interaction 2,741 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Spinach References

The 6 references that drive our Spinach 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. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
  2. Karlson, B., Leijd, B., and Hellstrom, K. On the influence of vitamin K-rich vegetables and wine on the effectiveness of warfarin treatment. Acta Med Scand. 1986;220(4):347-350. PubMed
  3. Roller, E., Meller, S., Homey, B., Ruzicka, T., and Neumann, N. J. [Contact dermatitis caused by spinach, hedge mustard and chives]. Hautarzt 2003;54(4):374-375.
  4. Schuller, A., Morisset, M., Maadi, F., Kolopp Sarda, M. N., Fremont, S., Parisot, L., Kanny, G., and Moneret-Vautrin, D. A. Occupational asthma due to allergy to spinach powder in a pasta factory. Allergy 2005;60(3):408-409. PubMed
  5. Gustafsson, K., Asp, N. G., Hagander, B., and Nyman, M. Satiety effects of spinach in mixed meals: comparison with other vegetables. Int.J.Food Sci.Nutr. 1995;46(4):327-334. PubMed
  6. Schreiber, J., Muller, E., Becker, W. M., Zabel, P., Schlaak, M., and Amthor, M. [Spinach powder-induced exogenous allergic alveolitis]. Pneumologie 1998;52(1):61-65.

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 Spinach and Mesalamine Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Spinach with Mesalamine?
We do not list a known interaction between Spinach 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 Spinach 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 Spinach 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 Spinach and Mesalamine combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Mesalamine is filed under 1 classification, and Spinach has documented interactions with 2 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 Spinach interact with any other medications?
Yes. Spinach has 88 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 — Spinach 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

Still Have a Question About Mesalamine and Spinach?

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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.