Drug & supplement interaction

Sweet Sumac + Interferon Alfa-2b

Interferon Alfa-2b brand names: Rebetron, Intron A, Viraferon.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Sweet Sumac and Interferon Alfa-2b 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.

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Interaction report

Sweet Sumac and Interferon Alfa-2b

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 Interferon Alfa-2b and Sweet Sumac 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 Sweet Sumac at all — not against Interferon Alfa-2b, 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.

Sweet Sumac safety at a glance

Sweet Sumac overall Use caution Limited safety data exist, and it is related to plants that can cause skin reactions.
Pregnancy Avoid There is not enough safety information, so avoid use during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety is unknown while breastfeeding, so it is best to avoid it.

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

Still wondering about combining Interferon Alfa-2b and Sweet Sumac? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
What to actually watch for

What Sweet Sumac Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Interferon Alfa-2b. It is the side-effect record for Sweet Sumac on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Sweet Sumac, this list is the first place to look. One entry is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • A higher chance of infection Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Orally, infections of the urogenital tract have been reported in women with overactive bladder who were taking a combination product (Granu Fink femina, Omega Pharma) containing sweet sumac bark extract, pumpkin seed oil, and hops cone extract. It is unclear if these adverse effects were due to sweet sumac, other ingredients, or the combination.”

    Sweet Sumac · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in overactive bladder.

    1 source cited
    1. 103253. Gauruder-Burmester A, Heim S, Patz B, Seibt S. Cucurbita pepo-Rhus aromatica-Humulus lupulus combination reduces overactive bladder symptoms in women - a noninterventional study. Planta Med. 2019;85(13):1044-53. PubMed

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Sweet Sumac — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We haven’t matched Interferon Alfa-2b to its FDA label in our system yet, so we can’t compare its own side-effect list here — the leaflet that comes with your prescription is the authoritative list for Interferon Alfa-2b.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Interferon Alfa-2b

This page covers Sweet Sumac only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Interferon Alfa-2b page lists 57 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), Alfalfa (moderate) and Angelica Archangelica (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 53 moderate · 1 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Interferon Alfa-2b page

“People taking interferon alfa-2b (Intron A, Rebetron) are usually treating hepatitis or a cancer, so the liver may already be under strain, and that is exactly where most of this list points. Of the 57 supplements on file, 38 can add to liver stress, and all three major-rated interactions sit in that group: Siberian cocklebur, which ha…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Interferon Alfa-2b interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Sweet Sumac and Interferon Alfa-2b 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 Sweet Sumac
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Interferon Alfa-2b
Steady interest

#1,694 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 Sweet Sumac reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Sweet Sumac and Interferon Alfa-2b 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 Sweet Sumac

What is Sweet Sumac?

  • Urinary complaints
  • Diarrhea
  • Excessive urination or bedwetting
  • Sore throat and mouth rinse
  • Mild bleeding

Sweet Sumac (Rhus aromatica) is a North American shrub used in traditional and folk medicine, mostly for urinary and digestive complaints. There is very little modern human research to confirm that it works for any condition, so its benefits remain unproven. Because it belongs to the same plant family as poison ivy, talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Rhus aromatica · Anacardiaceae · Bark of the root, leaves, and berries · Dried bark, tea, tincture, liquid extract

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

Sweet Sumac: dosing

There is no established, standardized dose for Sweet Sumac. It has traditionally been taken as a tea, tincture, or liquid extract made from the root bark or leaves, but reliable dosing guidelines from clinical research are not available.If you choose to use a commercial product, follow the directions on the label and do not exceed the suggested amount.

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

Read the full Sweet Sumac monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Interferon Alfa-2b Injection

What Is Interferon Alfa-2b Injection Used For?

Brand names: Rebetron, Intron A, Viraferon

  • Interferon alfa-2b injection is used to treat a number of conditions.

  • Interferon alfa-2b injection is used

    • alone or in combination with ribavirin (Copegus, Rebetol, Ribasphere) to treat chronic (long-term) hepatitis C infection (swelling of the liver caused by a virus) in people who show signs of liver damage,

    • to treat chronic hepatitis B infection (swelling of the liver caused by a virus) in people who show signs of liver damage,

    • to treat hairy cell leukemia (a white blood cell cancer),

    • to treat genital warts,

    • to treat Kaposi's sarcoma (a type of cancer that causes abnormal tissue to grow on different parts of the body) related to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS),

    • to treat malignant melanoma (a cancer that begins in certain skin cells) in certain people who have had surgery to remove the cancer,

    • along with another medication to treat follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL; a slow-growing blood cancer).

  • Interferon alfa-2b is in a class of medications called immunomodulators. Interferon alfa-2b works to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) by decreasing the amount virus in the body. Interferon alfa-2b may not cure hepatitis B or hepatitis C or prevent you from developing complications from these infections such as cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver failure, or liver cancer. It also may not prevent the spread of hepatitis B or C to other people. It is not known exactly how interferon alfa-2b works to treat cancer or genital warts.

See full Interferon Alfa-2b Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Sweet Sumac

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Sweet Sumac — 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
No interaction 2,829 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Sweet Sumac References

The 1 references that drive our Sweet Sumac 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. Gauruder-Burmester A, Heim S, Patz B, Seibt S. Cucurbita pepo-Rhus aromatica-Humulus lupulus combination reduces overactive bladder symptoms in women - a noninterventional study. Planta Med. 2019;85(13):1044-53. 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 Sweet Sumac and Interferon Alfa-2b Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Sweet Sumac with Interferon Alfa-2b?
We do not list a known interaction between Sweet Sumac and Interferon Alfa-2b. 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.
Does Interferon Alfa-2b interact with any supplements?
Yes. Interferon Alfa-2b has documented interactions with 57 supplements in our database — Sweet Sumac is not one of them. The Interferon Alfa-2b 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 Interferon Alfa-2b and Sweet Sumac?

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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.